The Rise & Fall (& Rise) of Auto-Train

In an era when American passenger rail was dying out, one company offered a new concept: bring your car with you on the train. This documentary tells the full story of the Auto-Train Corporation, which went from immense success to severe financial ruin in less than a decade.

Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
2:47 - Just Reading Material
7:46 - Conservatively Groovy
10:43 - Retaliation
14:08 - Riding Rough
15:48 - Expansion
20:20 - Diversification
24:11 - Double Trouble
26:53 - A Fresh Start
30:04 - A Further Disruption
31:09 - A Hell of a Way to Run a Railroad
35:08 - New Life
38:43 - Epilogue & Credits

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This video is for educational purposes and is distributed for non-commercial use. It is not monetized or sponsored. All video footage, images and audio recordings are the property of their original owners and are used in accordance with Fair Use principles.

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Related viewing:

DCNRHS / Doug Riddell: “Auto Train: The Perfect Storm”

Defunctland: "The Downfall of Disney's Official Airline, Eastern Airlines"

Midway to Main Street: "The Fate of The Florida Fun-Train"

[pohldriver]

Took the auto train down in like '86. My parents were thinking about moving down to Florida and my mom took my sister and I while she looked for trucking jobs for my dad. I remember sneaking away when my mom fell asleep and going up top in the observation deck. It wasn't long before I was found out and got drug back to our seats by my ear.
11 years ago we went to Disney and I suggested we take the auto train. It's like 24 hours total on the train from check in to check out, and my wife said we'll just drive because it's quicker and cheaper. So, I completed my 10 run in the semi, hopped in my old Tahoe and drove the 21 hours straight through. Sure, it's quicker, by like 4 hours, when driving down from Pennsylvania straight through, but I ended up sleeping 14 hours of that afternoon to the next morning away after being up for like 42 hours straight.
Next time, we're taking the auto train.

[JK]

I live in Northern Italy and there's a "Truck-Train" service that goes to Austria and Germany. It's called Rollende Landstraße (Rolling Highway), it hauls semi trucks and their drivers in order to ease the traffic on the road.

[bahnspotterEU]

I had no idea there was a separate "Auto-Train" company. I always just thought the original Auto-Train livery was a special livery Amtrak used during the service's earlier years. Thank you for this very interesting documentary!

[connormclernon]

I took the auto train once to get from my college at Daytona Beach back to my folks in Northern Virginia. Most of the passengers were old retiree types. I definitely appreciated the ability to have better food than airline or gas station food though.

[christalbot]

My family rode this when it was the Auto-Train a few times back in the 70's. We lived in Florida and took driving vacations every summer throughout the eastern United States. The Auto-Train seemed like a great way to save time and even money for the first part of our trip. We could only afford coach, so I never slept much (couldn't sleep unless I was horizontal), but I enjoyed looking out from the bubble cars.

I think our first trip was in '76 because when we got off in Lorton, we immediately drove to the new National Air & Space museum and that's when it first opened. We parked in the underground parking lot which I believe is now the gift shop.

We only used the Auto-Train for the trip back once; on July 4th from Louisville (don't recall the year). Because it was July 4th, the train was practically empty. Not a lot of people to talk to, but plenty of room for us kids to explore.

I don't remember ever hearing about the accidents that took place. We eventually went back to driving both ways because there were places (and family) along the way that we wanted to visit. I am very glad to see the service is still going (albeit for Amtrak and not its own company).

[BillinHungary]

The other day, the Auto Train passed through Ashland, Virginia and was picked up by the webcam there -it was especially long, and I realized why. The car owners were not tourists - They are "snow birds" who have winter homes in Florida, and are "migrating down for the winter" . :)

[federico]

Those are the best documentaries on YouTube in my opinion. Great graphics, great story telling, very interesting topics very well explained. So glad YouTube recommended me your channel back when you made your first videos.

Even though I'm a bit of a train nerd myself, and know the current Amtrak Auto Trains, I had no clue about this company, and I was hooked up the whole way through

It would have been interesting to see the Truck-Train concept, although I realise some variations of that very concept have been realised, both in the US and in the EU, and they are a fundamental part of Europe's international travel.

[charlesbaran]

Very good history. I didn't realize the service lasted until 1981. As a teenager in 1973, I rode the private Auto-Train with my aunt and uncle, setting off a lifetime interest in riding trains. As a young family, we rode the Amtrak Auto-Train in 2001. It's a shame the concept has never been employed elsewhere in the U.S.

[thegiq]

This is, single-handedly, one of the best documentaries I've seen. The editing job, selection of footage, commentary and last, but not least, the fantastic intro - all fits just perfect. This is a job well-done, thank you Peter!

[michaela.chmieloski]

"If the project is economically feasible, there is no reason why private industry cannot proceed with it." How I wish government had taken this attitude with the airline and trucking industries, allowing the railroads' two fiercest competitors to foot the entire bill for building and maintaining the infrastructure necessary for the former to operate. Had such occurred, there might be more passenger train service around the United States than what exists today. Instead, railroads were taxed to the hilt, helping to subsidize their competition through interstate highway and airline terminal construction/upkeep.

If only the original Auto-Train had focused on its original business mission... I wonder to how many other failed businesses that statement can be applied?

Great job once again, Mr. Dibble. Thanks for putting this presentation together.

[pizzajona]

I recently took the auto train when I moved to DC. It was a very good experience. Letting me fill the car with moving supplies have me a lot more space than flying. Surprisingly, we left a few minutes early and arrived a whopping 45 minutes ahead of schedule.The seats are really comfortable, too. The best part was the cafe car. I’m not exactly an extrovert but when you share tables with strangers you just get to start talking. And it gets pretty rowdy! The older couple I was with even bought me a beer.

[jimwhitman]

I’ve been working on the Auto Train(Amtrak) for the past 29 years. It’s surprising how popular and busy it has become.
I must commend you on this video. Probably one of the best! Your production value is excellent. Thanks for posting.

[mackpines]

Always found the Auto Train an interesting concept.
Never have ridden it but, I've heard it's a lot of fun.
I think more long distance trains should have something like it.
Once again, another fantastic video!

[RinoaL]

Ya know these long videos are what television should be like. Shame it's hard to find good long videos on youtube.

[chrispraz]

Ridden Auto train numerous times...a great service. Why it's not offered from east to west coast is beyond me. It saves mileage on one's car, and is a super fun experience.

[nathanlerma]

One of the best documentaries on one the most successful trains thanks to Garfield we now have a train to eliminate the awful drive from the north to the south in one of the most comfortable ways possible

[xXRedTheDragonXx]

I think both Auto Train and Truck Train are perfect concepts if they can be offered for the right price. If it's significantly cheaper than flying, it could be a great deal for families looking to travel long distances without the cost of plane tickets and then renting a car at their destination. Truck Train could also significantly reduce the carbon footprint of road-based shipping, reduce fatigue-related crashes, reduce shipping costs, AND completely solve the "last mile" problem that trains sometimes have.

[justahillbilly]

This is gonna be a good one. I’ve always liked the Auto Train in both its original and Amtrak forms, and having Mr. Dibble cover it will be a treat.
Comment after finishing the video:
As is usual of your videos Mr. Dibble, this one was of the highest possible quality, extremely professional, and most certainly an enlightening video. I learned a few things that I didn’t know about the Auto Train upon watching this video, and its most certainly one I’ll share as a result.
Also, to doubt one of the Claytor brothers is to be a fool. If anyone could have made the Auto Train a success once again, it was most certainly the man who helped start the internationally renowned 20th Century Steam Program of the Southern Railway that then became the Norfolk Southern. Long live the legacy of the Claytors. And may the Auto Train be as long lived as well.

[Pensyfan]

Incredible video! This has to be one of your greatest videos yet. Never knew that Garfield worked on other Floridian transit projects. Another little detail I find interesting is that the original concept was brought up by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, a privately owned class 1 that was about to merge with their rival, Seaboard Air Lines. I wonder if the ACL or other private railroads and their passenger services would still be around today had they operated the Auto Train.

[uncinarynin]

Excellent documentary! Wonderful, thank you.
Transporting people and their cars naturally means a lot of deadweight, or in other words, you can transport fewer people on the same train length. Demand is also seasonally different, which makes it difficult to earn money year-round.
Deutsche Bundesbahn used to have a number of automobile trains (both auto carriers attached to regular passenger trains and trains only for people bringing along their cars) in the 1970s/1980s. In 1999 a separate subsidiary "DB AutoZug" was formed, but only operated until 2013. Deutsche Bahn Fernverkehr decided to focus on high speed daytime trains (ICE, IC) and gave up their night and auto trains completely. Many auto terminals were abandoned.
Meanwhile Österreichische Bundesbahnen also started regular car transportation on both day and night trains. That service was reduced some and now it's just a couple nightjet services offering to transport cars overnight both within Austria (Feldkirch to Wien and Graz) and internationally (Wien to Hamburg, Innsbruck to Düsseldorf, seasonally Wien to Livorno). It's just a niche within a niche (night trains are only used by few people) and I'm not sure whether there's any plan for expansion of services.
Within Germany there is now a privately operated overnight train by RDC/BTE Hamburg to Lörrach transporting automobiles on ex-DB rolling stock, and a couple of seasonal "UrlaubsExpress" connections by Train4you/MSM.
So auto trains are probably beyond their peak but they are still interesting to some people. Wealthy elderly travellers who want their car at the destination were mentioned in the video. In addition it's lovers of rare and vintage cars who want to move their cars from one place to another without having to drive them all day down the highway. These European auto trains also take motorbikes along.