The year is 1971 on the eve of the creation of Amtrak. Passenger rail as a form of transportation has been waning severely since it's golden days in the 1950s. With the rapidly decreasing ridership thanks to other faster modes of transportation once glamorous passenger trains such as The Super Chief of the 20th Century Limited dwindled in amenities and length. By 1971 railroads were entering the decade dropping like flies. One bankruptcy or merger after another. Passenger rail just couldn't be supported under the financial burdens of decrepit track, and aging equipment. The night before this all came to a close American passenger rail gave one last final hurrah with many famous trains running for the last time in history. Here is my depiction of that final hurrah. A SCL EMD E8 locomotive departs Dothan, Alabama with the "South Wind". A former Atlantic Coast Line train that ran the gauntlet between NYC and the beaches and resorts of Florida. In the morning the locomotive will be retired and so will what's left of the train. Forever a memory.