Just as the sun sets, Amtrak train 4, the eastbound Southwest Limited, is about to depart Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal behind a trio of SDP40Fs – 524, 519 and 512 – as soon as they get the baggage car's doors closed. This train will head from Los Angeles to Chicago. Los Angeles' Union Station at this time had a very industrial look and had clearly seen its best days decades earlier. However, today's Union Station is a much more friendly accommodation, as it has been cleaned up and expanded, and neighborhood around the station is much nicer than it was in the early 1970s. And thanks to Metrolink and MTA transit, the station has more trains serving it than any other time, and is vibrant and full of passengers. (Los Angeles, California – August 15, 1973)
California-bound rail travelers from the east have three choices to reach the Golden State: California Zephyr, Southwest Chief, Sunset Limited/Texas Eagle. A look back through the years including the now-defunct Desert Wind
