It was already warm as I waited in late morning on a Sunday in June 1977 for the arrival of the westbound Inter-American in Springfield, Illinois. No. 21 was still being pulled by SDP40F locomotives photographing that was my primary objective.
I don’t recall if the train was late or on time. It arrived behind a single locomotive and stopped. After getting an external photo that didn’t turn out all that well, I asked the engineer if I could come up to photograph inside the cab.
He was an older gentlemen who probably ranked high on the seniority list. At the time, he was an Illinois Central Gulf employee but would have begun his career with the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio or maybe even the Chicago & Alton.
This is one of three images that I made inside the cab. The view is looking southward toward St. Louis from the fireman’s side.
That is the East Adams Street crossing directly ahead. Beyond that is East Monroe Street and then the tracks cross over East Capitol Avenue on a bridge.
Much has changed since this image was made 39 years ago. The ex-GM&O tracks are now owned by Union Pacific and there is just one track now through downtown Springfield.
The Inter-American is now the Texas Eagle and no longer operates south of San Antonio to Neuvo Laredo, Texas, as it did in 1977.
The SDP40F motive power was replaced with F40PH locomotives and Amfleet equipment about two months after my visit.
Officials want to remove these tracks and reroute Amtrak to another path that has far fewer grade crossings.
Like so many other photographs made many years ago, this one is full of reminders of how things have changed as well as how they haven’t.
Tags: Amtrak, Amtrak in Springfield Illinois, Amtrak in the 1970s, Amtrak SDP40F locomotives, Amtrak's Inter-American, Springfield Illinois
Amtrak in the Heartland 
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