Desert Wind
Encyclopedia
Desert Wind was a passenger train route operated by Amtrak
from 1979 to 1997. When it first entered service, it ran from Los Angeles, California
to Ogden, Utah
passing through Salt Lake City
and Las Vegas
. It later was truncated to Salt Lake City when Amtrak's San Francisco Zephyr was rerouted from the Overland Route
to the Denver and Rio Grande Western and renamed California Zephyr
in 1983. At that time, cars from the Desert Wind and Pioneer
(Portland, Oregon
to Salt Lake City, Utah
via Idaho
) were added to the eastbound California Zephyr
at Salt Lake City. The California Zephyr runs between Emeryville, California
near San Francisco
and Chicago
through Salt Lake City.
equipment. The northbound train left Los Angeles mid-day and arrived in Ogden the following morning to connect with the eastbound San Francisco Zephyr. The southbound departed Ogden in the middle night after the arrival of the westbound San Francisco Zephyr from Chicago and arrived in Los Angeles in late afternoon. The 811 miles (1,305.2 km) journey took eighteen hours.
The Desert Wind largely duplicated the route of the former City of Los Angeles
operated by Chicago and North Western Railway
and Union Pacific Railroad
until May 1, 1971 when Amtrak took over passenger rail operations in the United States
. The Desert Wind was discontinued in 1997 due to budget cuts and replaced with Los Angeles-Las Vegas Thruway Motorcoach service.
Desert Xpress
and the more conventional Z-Train
.
The route has some merit for Amtrak, as the July 2010 issue of Trains listed the route as one to be restored in conjunction with upgrading the equipment on the California Zephyr
.
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
from 1979 to 1997. When it first entered service, it ran from Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
to Ogden, Utah
Ogden, Utah
Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
passing through Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
and Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. It later was truncated to Salt Lake City when Amtrak's San Francisco Zephyr was rerouted from the Overland Route
Overland Route (Union Pacific Railroad)
The Overland Route was a train route operated jointly by the Union Pacific Railroad and the Central Pacific Railroad / Southern Pacific Railroad, between Council Bluffs, Iowa / Omaha, Nebraska, and San Francisco, California over the grade of the First Transcontinental Railroad which had been...
to the Denver and Rio Grande Western and renamed California Zephyr
California Zephyr
The California Zephyr is a long passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the midwestern and western United States.It runs from Chicago, Illinois, in the east to Emeryville, California, in the west, passing through the states of Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California...
in 1983. At that time, cars from the Desert Wind and Pioneer
Pioneer (Amtrak)
The Pioneer was a passenger train run by Amtrak from Seattle, Washington to Chicago, Illinois via Portland, Oregon, Boise, Idaho, Salt Lake City, Utah, Denver, Colorado and other intermediate points.- History :...
(Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
to Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
via Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
) were added to the eastbound California Zephyr
California Zephyr
The California Zephyr is a long passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the midwestern and western United States.It runs from Chicago, Illinois, in the east to Emeryville, California, in the west, passing through the states of Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California...
at Salt Lake City. The California Zephyr runs between Emeryville, California
Emeryville, California
Emeryville is a small city located in Alameda County, California, in the United States. It is located in a corridor between the cities of Berkeley and Oakland, extending to the shore of San Francisco Bay. Its proximity to San Francisco, the Bay Bridge, the University of California, Berkeley, and...
near San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
through Salt Lake City.
History
The Desert Wind began on October 28, 1979, amid widespread cutbacks in Amtrak's national network. The original Desert Wind was a day train with AmfleetAmfleet
Amfleet is a series of intercity railroad passenger cars built for the operator Amtrak by the manufacturer Budd Company in two series during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Today, Amfleet cars are used extensively throughout the Amtrak system outside the western United States...
equipment. The northbound train left Los Angeles mid-day and arrived in Ogden the following morning to connect with the eastbound San Francisco Zephyr. The southbound departed Ogden in the middle night after the arrival of the westbound San Francisco Zephyr from Chicago and arrived in Los Angeles in late afternoon. The 811 miles (1,305.2 km) journey took eighteen hours.
The Desert Wind largely duplicated the route of the former City of Los Angeles
City of Los Angeles
The City of Los Angeles was a streamlined passenger train that ran between Chicago, Illinois, and Los Angeles, California, via Omaha, Nebraska, and Ogden, Utah. Between Omaha and Los Angeles it ran on the Union Pacific Railroad; east of Omaha it ran on the Chicago and North Western Railway until...
operated by Chicago and North Western Railway
Chicago and North Western Railway
The Chicago and North Western Transportation Company was a Class I railroad in the Midwest United States. It was also known as the North Western. The railroad operated more than of track as of the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states before retrenchment in the late 1970s...
and Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
until May 1, 1971 when Amtrak took over passenger rail operations in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Desert Wind was discontinued in 1997 due to budget cuts and replaced with Los Angeles-Las Vegas Thruway Motorcoach service.
Proposed Restoration
There are several private, competing plans to restore rail service to Las Vegas, including the high-speedHigh-speed rail
High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions by the European Union include for upgraded track and or faster for new track, whilst in the United States, the U.S...
Desert Xpress
Desert Xpress
DesertXpress is a proposal to build a privately-funded high speed rail passenger train from Victorville, California, to Las Vegas, Nevada.- Overview :...
and the more conventional Z-Train
Z-Train
The Z-Train is a proposed passenger train service that would operate primarily on Union Pacific Railroad lines between Los Angeles Union Station, Ontario, California, and a new station to be built adjacent to the Las Vegas Strip, with a travel time of five to five-and-a-half hours...
.
The route has some merit for Amtrak, as the July 2010 issue of Trains listed the route as one to be restored in conjunction with upgrading the equipment on the California Zephyr
California Zephyr
The California Zephyr is a long passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the midwestern and western United States.It runs from Chicago, Illinois, in the east to Emeryville, California, in the west, passing through the states of Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California...
.
Appearances in other media
- The Desert Wind is mentioned in the song "Bone Against Steel" on the albumBone Against SteelBone Against Steel is the ninth studio album by southern rock band 38 Special, released in 1991. It was their last album until their 1996 comeback of their tenth album Resolution and the last album to feature vocalist and keyboardist Max Carl....
of the same name by the rock band .38 Special. - Michael PalinMichael PalinMichael Edward Palin, CBE FRGS is an English comedian, actor, writer and television presenter best known for being one of the members of the comedy group Monty Python and for his travel documentaries....
rides the Desert Wind in his Michael Palin: Around the World in 80 DaysMichael Palin: Around the World in 80 DaysAround the World in 80 Days is a BBC television travel series first broadcast in 1989. It was presented by comedian and actor Michael Palin. The show was inspired by Jules Verne's classic novel Around the World in Eighty Days, in which a character named Phileas Fogg accepts a wager to...
. - The Desert Wind appears at the end of the film Rain ManRain ManRain Man is a 1988 drama film written by Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass and directed by Barry Levinson. It tells the story of an abrasive and selfish yuppie, Charlie Babbitt, who discovers that his estranged father has died and bequeathed all of his multimillion-dollar estate to his other son,...
. - Desert Wind is described (though not mentioned by name) in Bob Segar's Long Twin Silver Line from the album Against the Wind.