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This photo shows the transition from the Great Northern/Burlington Northern era to Amtrak. While Great Dome 'Mountain View' is seen in repainted Amtrak colors, it is connected to the 'Lake Chelan' dining car, still in its Great Northern blue paint.

After just over one year of being part of the Burlington Northern fleet, ownership of the Great Domes transferred again. Newly-formed Amtrak, which took over most of the Burlington Northern's passenger train operations, was given possession on May 1, 1971.

All six Great Domes remained in service on Amtrak's Empire Builder line for the next eight years. It should be noted that the Empire Builder, under Amtrak, took a different routing than that of the Great Northern and Burlington Northern through portions of Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Eastern North Dakota. Amtrak re-routed the train through larger population centers, such as Milwaukee, however this meant the Empire Builder (and the Great Domes) would no longer run along the Mississippi River in Northwest Illinois and Southwest Wisconsin. The new Empire Builder routing (via the Milwaukee Road) still did run along the river in Southeast Minnesota, but for a much shorter distance than when operating over the Burlington. All six of the Great Domes were eventually repainted in Amtrak 'Phase I' after the railroad took ownership of the cars, however, this took a few years to complete.

The re-painting took time; this photo of the Empire Builder in Havre, MT (taken in September 1972) still shows one of the Great Domes in its Great Northern colors.

Great Dome 'Mountain View' #9362 seen in Amtrak Phase I paint.

The interior of a Great Dome car on Amtrak, as seen in 1974.

Great Dome 'Mountain View' as pictured in the Chicago Yards in the 1970's.

A Great Dome Car seen here on the Empire Builder in 1977.

Great Dome 'Prairie View' #9364 seen in Amtrak Phase I paint.

A Great Dome car passes through Milwaukee, WI on the Empire Builder in 1978.

The arrival of then-new double-decker Superliner equipment in the late 1970's and early 1980's on Amtrak's western long-distance trains began to spell the demise of the Great Dome fleet. The placement of the doors on the double-decker Superliner cars were not compatible with the doors on the single-level Great Domes. This meant passengers could not walk between the domes and the Superliner cars... and they could not be used on the same trainsets. In addition, brand new Superliner Sightseer Lounge Cars were created; they were viewed as being better than the heritage domes (which were getting to be 25 years old at that point). While the Superliner Sightseer Lounge Cars were modeled on the heritage dome cars and had a second level of windows on each side, passengers were not able to see out the front and rear of these cars.

Great Domes remained on the Empire Builder until October 28, 1979.

This 1978 timetable shows dome cars still in use on the Empire Builder.

Superliners replaced the Great Domes on the Empire Builder in October 1979.

A view of what the interior of the Great Domes would have looked like in 1981; here it is set up for a special train event.

"Glacier View" (re-numbered as Amtrak Car #9360) was the first car to be retired by Amtrak in May 1981; it was traded back to the Burlington Northern for baggage cars. The Burlington Northern used 'Glacier View' as a business car for its executives. "Lake View" (re-numbered Amtrak Car # 9363) was the next car to be pulled from regular passenger service (in February 1982). After being stored for about a year, "Lake View" was sold to the Southern Pacific who scrapped it. (For additional photos and information about these cars once they were retired from Amtrak service, click on the 'Where are they now?' link on the left side).

Many of the original passenger cars that Amtrak inherited, including the Great Domes, were heated by steam provided by a boiler in the train's locomotive. The steam system was difficult to control, prone to freezing a pipe bursts, and costly to maintain. Around the mid-1980's, Amtrak decided to completely upgrade some of its heritage cars. Others that were in such bad shape that it was not cost effective to upgrade them were sold off or scraped. This extensive modification involved converting the power supply in the car from a generator and batteries slung under each car to power supplied from the locomotive or head end of the train; the project was called the Head End Power or HEP project. Of the four remaining Great Domes in regular Amtrak service at the time, only three were chosen to be converted to HEP.

"River View" (initially re-numbered as Amtrak Car #9365) was the first Great Dome re-build to take place at Amtrak's shops in Beech Grove, Indiana. This took place around December 1984. It was re-numbered again as Amtrak Car #9302 following the HEP conversion. "Mountain View" (initially re-numbered as Amtrak Car #9362) was next, undergoing head-end power conversion in February 1985; it was re-numbered as Amtrak Car #9301. "Ocean View" (initially re-numbered as Amtrak Car #9361) was the third and final Great Dome to receive the HEP re-build. It was re-numbered as Amtrak Car #9300. The cars were also re-painted in Amtrak's 'Phase III' paint during their mid-1980's HEP re-build; this popular style feature stripes of equal red, white, and blue paint.

An Amtrak mechanical chart of the three remaining Great Dome cars, following the mid-1980's HEP conversion, re-numbering, and assignment to the Auto Train.

Great Dome 'Mountain View' re-numbered Car #9301 after its re-build and HEP conversion; seen here in the 'Phase III' paint scheme at Lorton, VA in 1985.

Beginning in early 1985, 'River View', 'Mountain View', and 'Ocean View' were pressed into service on Amtrak's Auto Train, which operates on an 855-mile-long route between Lorton, Virginia (near Washington, DC) and Sanford, Florida (near Orlando). Instead of driving very busy Interstate 95 along the eastern seaboard, passengers loaded their automobiles on to railroad car carriers and enjoyed a restful night sleep on the train. Amtrak took over operations of the Auto Train a few years earlier, in October 1983, after a private railroad ended its operations.

Amtrak's Auto Train was still using single-level equipment at the time, so it seemed like using the Great Domes on that route as observation cars was a good idea to Amtrak officials. Another reason for keeping just three of the Great Domes was because there were normally only two Auto Train consists in use at any given time; the third Great Dome would be used as a spare if needed.

An Auto Train advertisement from the 1980's shows the Great Dome

This video still from 1992 shows a Great Dome on the still single-level Auto Train.

"Prairie View" (initially re-numbered as Amtrak Car #9364), which did not get the HEP re-build, was still retained by Amtrak as a "parts cars" for the other three Great Domes running on the Auto Train. Pieces of "Prairie View" were picked off by the mechanical department throughout the 1980's; this was because new parts were no longer being manufactured for the Great Domes. By May 1993, "Prairie View" was down to just being a shell; it (minus the trucks) was sold off to the Burlington Northern, but it did get a new breath of life down the road (check out the "Where are they now?" link on the left for more on this!)

During the early 1990's, Amtrak signed a deal for Bombardier to build additional bi-level Superliner passenger cars (called Superliner II's). This resulted in additional trains, mainly in the eastern half of the country, now having their aging single-level heritage equipment replaced with Superliners. Auto Train was finally converted to Superliner equipment on March 1, 1995. This meant the three remaining Great Dome cars would have to find a new home because they were no longer compatible with the bi-level Superliners. Amtrak used much of 1996 to shuffle the Great Domes through their repair facility in Beech Grove, Indiana, where the cars got an interior refurbishment. Ironically, one of the Great Domes deadheaded on the last eastbound run of Amtrak's Desert Wind train between Los Angeles and Chicago on May 12, 1997.

A video still of the Great Dome's interior makeovers received in 1996 with cocktail-style tables and booths; notice the classy white linens.

A video still of a Great Dome deadheadeding towards the front of the last eastbound Desert Wind (Train #36) on May 12, 1997.

By May 1998, Amtrak management made the decision to move the base for the three remaining Great Domes, "Ocean View", "Mountain View", and "River View", from the east coast to the west coast. Single level trains were still operating between San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo on the San Diegan service, making them a good fit for dome lounges. Many people enjoyed sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean during the five years the Great Domes operated on this route.

TrainWeb reports from around this time mention that the Great Domes were used in place of the cafe car. They would appear on any Amtrak San Diegan train at any time of the day. They were not used on any specific train number, nor at any set time of the day. Passengers did not need to make a purchase from the cafe to sit in the Great Dome car. They were open to all passengers: regular coach passengers as well as business class (custom class, pacific class, first class) passengers. One could even go direct to the dome when they boarded the train. You did not have to wait for your ticket to be punched. The conductor punched your ticket right at your seat in the dome car! It also did not cost extra to ride in the dome.

Great Dome 'River View', seen here in 1998 in Southern California as Amtrak Lounge Car #9302.

Various Amtrak officials pose outside the Great Dome 'River View' in May 1998.

Another view of the launch of the Great Domes on the San Diegan in May 1998.

The Great Domes even had an electric piano located on one end of the car!

A special plaque, seen here in 1998, discusses the history of the Great Dome.

A view of what the interiors of the Great Domes looked like following their most recent re-build in the late 1990's.

During 1998 and 1999, the three Great Domes still owned by Amtrak were cycled through the maintenance shops in Beech Grove, Indiana one more time. The cars received additional mechanical upgrades, were re-painted in Amtrak's 'Phase IV' paint scheme, and received additional interior makeovers. The Great Domes also officially became Amtrak business cars, receiving new numbers that began with 100--, which signified the change. 'Mountain View' became Amtrak Car #10030, 'Ocean View' became Amtrak Car #10031, and 'River View' became Amtrak Car #10032. Despite the new designation of being Amtrak business cars, they remained based in California and generally continued to serve as lounge cars on the San Diegan trains.

A Great Dome car undergoes refurbishment in Beech Grove - September 1998.

Great Dome 'Mountain View', re-numbered now as Amtrak business car #10030... and re-painted in Amtrak's Phase IV paint scheme.

'Ocean View' was re-numbered as #10031 following its re-build in 1999.

It happened on the Empire Builder in 1979, on the Auto Train in 1995 -- and now, for a third time -- the switch to more modern bi-level passenger equipment would displace the Great Domes. On June 1, 2000, new bi-level cars were introduced on Amtrak's regional railroad line through Southern California. The San Diegan name for the route also was changed to Pacific Surfliner, to better reflect that more trains were also running north of Los Angeles, to Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. Car shortages have led Amtrak to operate one or more single-level Pacific Surfliner train sets, which the Great Domes were able to operate on.

In September 2000, Amtrak decided to move the three Great Dome cars to Chicago; the intention was to use them for special charter trains that were made up of single-level Amfleet or Horizon cars -- or perhaps as a private railcar charter on the back of Superliner trains where access between the Great Dome and the rest of the train wasn't essential.

In early 2001, the cars were moved from Chicago to Amtrak's shops at Beech Grove for replacement of their trucks. Then-Amtrak President George Warrington made the decision not to spend money repairing two of the three cars; instead sidelining them from regular passenger service for good. "Mountain View" and "River View" were sold off in September 2001 for service on the privately-owned American Orient Express. (For more on this, check out the 'Where are they now?' tab on the left.)

Amtrak did decided to repair the trucks on one Great Dome. It retained "Ocean View", which by default, became the railroad's last remaining dome car. Amtrak's new logo was added, along with a special panel that reflected it's 'Ocean View' name in the same font used by the Great Northern.

'Ocean View', now Amtrak's last remaining dome car, is seen here with the new Amtrak logo and a panel with the car's name on it in blue and white.

During much of the 2000's, "Ocean View" was assigned to Amtrak's Corporate Services unit, being used by railroad officials while on business trips. It was also used for charters such as the Reno Fun Train, Las Vegas Fun Train, and ski specials, or when needed on single-level Pacific Surfliner extra trains (especially during the Del Mar racing season). "Ocean View" made several appearances in the Midwestern United States during this time period too; it was used as a First Class car on the 20th Century Railroad Club's final Galena Limited charter train from Chicago to Northwest Illinois in October 2007.

"Ocean View" received a lot of attention, especially among railroad enthusiasts over the past decade, as dome cars and heritage railcars from the pre-Amtrak era seemed to slip more into people's memories. Amtrak seemed to recognize this fact and realize the significance of it only having one dome car remaining in the fleet. Between 2010 and 2012, "Ocean View" operated for very limited two-week run on the Cardinal between Chicago and Washington, DC. It also has become a very popular staple during the fall leaf-peeping season on the Adirondack between Albany, New York and Montreal, Quebec... plus on the Downeaster between Boston and Brunswick, Maine. "Ocean View" also made appearances on most of the Midwestern routes during the mid-2010's, too, including operating as extra seating on the Hiawatha between Chicago and Milwaukee during the busy Thanksgiving travel week. 'Ocean View' received a special "fall colors" wrap in 2010, and was then re-painted in Amtrak's 'Phase III' retro 1980's paint scheme in 2011 to celebrate the railroad's 40th Anniversary. It has remained in this style ever since.

'Ocean View' received this special 'fall colors' wrap in 2010.

'Ocean View' ran from Albany to Montreal with this wrap in 2010.

Another view of the special wrap placed on 'Ocean View' in 2010.

Great Dome 'Ocean View' in its current paint scheme (retro 'Phase III'); it was changed to his style in 2011 for Amtrak's 40th Anniversary.

Co-aurhor of this article, Robert Tabern, poses with the Great Dome 'Ocean View' and his model railroad 'Ocean View' at Chicago Union Station in November 2017.

Co-author Kandace Tabern poses with our friend, Conductor Ben, on the 'Ocean View' Great Dome when it was running on the Hiawatha in November 2017.

An advertisement for the Great Dome on the Adirondack in 2018.

The future fate of Amtrak's last remaining dome car, 'Ocean View', remains in great question today. In August 2018, several media reports began to surface that the car was due for some major mechanical work in Spring 2019 -- and that it would likely be shelved for good instead of being repaired. This was a decision apparently made by Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson. After completing runs in August and September 2018 through Maine... and in October and early November 2018 in New York State... it remained parked for more than five months in Amtrak's Albany, New York Maintenance Facility.

"Ocean View" was dead-headed to Chicago on the Lake Shore Limited on April 13, 2019 and April 14, 2019.

Amtrak Conductor Byberg poses with the Great Dome in Chicago on April 14, 2019.

For additional photos taken by the conductor of this move, click on the "Current Location" tab on the left. The following week... "Ocean View" was taken down to Amtrak's Beech Grove, Indiana Maintenance Facility. According to multiple Amtrak employees who wrote in to AmtrakDome.com... "Ocean View" remained parked for much of spring, summer, and fall 2019 on a storage track at Beech Grove... with other equipment expected to be sold off.

In October 2019, Amtrak sent out an e-mail to private car owners across the country advising that "Ocean View" was being put up for auction. Bids were solicited by the railroad for its last remaining dome car with a deadline of November 8, 2019.

Depending on the outcome of the auction... "Ocean View" is expected to no longer be Amtrak property in late 2019 or early 2020... marking the true end of an era. Hopefully it ends up in good hands!

If you have any newer information about the where-abouts of "Ocean View", please e-mail us at: board@railrangers.org. We would love to hear from you so we can keep this website as up-to-date as possible!

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