Spirit of California
Encyclopedia
Amtrak
's Spirit of California was created by California
Governor
Jerry Brown
as a state supported Section 403(b) passenger train. Inaugurated on October 25, 1981, it ran from Los Angeles, California
, to Sacramento, California
, via the Southern Pacific
's Coast Line
(via San Luis Obispo
). The train operated as on overnight-only train, leaving one terminus at approximately 8 PM and arriving at the other at approximately 8AM the next morning. It was one of the few "state-supported" Amtrak trains that had sleeper service.
The Spirit of California's usual consist was:
Governor George Deukmejian
cut funding for the train. Amtrak supporters scrambled to find additional funding. It was proposed that the state of Nevada
fund the train for service to Reno
, but this proposal was never passed by the Nevada legislature. The Spirit of California was discontinued in 1983, running for the final time on the night of September 30–October 1, 1983.
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...
's Spirit of California was created by California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
Governor
Governor of California
The Governor of California is the chief executive of the California state government, whose responsibilities include making annual State of the State addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced...
Jerry Brown
Jerry Brown
Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. is an American politician. Brown served as the 34th Governor of California , and is currently serving as the 39th California Governor...
as a state supported Section 403(b) passenger train. Inaugurated on October 25, 1981, 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 Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, via the Southern Pacific
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
's Coast Line
Coast Line (UP)
The Coast Line is a railroad line from Burbank, California north to the San Francisco Bay Area, roughly along the Pacific Coast.The first version of the Coast line, via Saugus and Santa Paula, was completed by the Southern Pacific Railroad on December 31, 1900; the line via Santa Susana opened in...
(via San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, California
San Luis Obispo is a city in California, located roughly midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Central Coast. Founded in 1772 by Spanish Fr. Junipero Serra, San Luis Obispo is one of California’s oldest communities...
). The train operated as on overnight-only train, leaving one terminus at approximately 8 PM and arriving at the other at approximately 8AM the next morning. It was one of the few "state-supported" Amtrak trains that had sleeper service.
The Spirit of California's usual consist was:
- EMD F40PHEMD F40PH-Amtrak NPCU Conversions:In later years, as Amtrak's F40PH fleet was being replaced by the newer GE Genesis-series locomotives, Amtrak converted a number of the retired units—generally ones with major mechanical problems limiting their value in the resale or lease marketplace—into "Non-Power...
- Heritage Fleet Baggage Car
- Heritage Fleet 10-6 Sleeper
- AmfleetAmfleetAmfleet 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...
I Café - Amfleet I Coach
- Amfleet I Coach
- Amfleet I Coach
- Amfleet I Coach
Governor George Deukmejian
George Deukmejian
Courken George Deukmejian, Jr. born June 6, 1928) is an Armenian American politician from California who as a Republican served as the 35th Governor of California and as California Attorney General .-Early life:...
cut funding for the train. Amtrak supporters scrambled to find additional funding. It was proposed that the state of Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
fund the train for service to Reno
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
, but this proposal was never passed by the Nevada legislature. The Spirit of California was discontinued in 1983, running for the final time on the night of September 30–October 1, 1983.