Photos: Amtrak's passenger trains through the years

For its launch in 1971, Amtrak handpicked approximately 1,300 cars from a total pool of 3,000 held by the two dozen private railroads that had ceased operations. Amtrak soon began a program to refurbish and paint the cars in its red, white and blue color scheme. The fleet has continued to evolve ever since, culminating in today's sleek aerodynamic cars on the high-speed Acela line. 

More: Trains, glorious trains: Best rail photos and galleries

Amtrak provides Paste BN readers a look into its historical archives with vintage photos and advertisements that show the evolution of its rail car fleet in the slideshow above.

Previous installments in this series have looked at Amtrak locomotives, stations and rail-car interiors. Browse those slideshows below.