US railroad to turn whole train into advertisment

The United States railroad Amtrak has invented new way to earn money. They turned a whole train into a billboard.

Photo: US railroad to turn whole train into advertisment

A train used on the Acela Express, the railroad's premium Boston-Washington service, will be wrapped in an advertisement for the History Channel's "1968 with Tom Brokaw," a two-hour special scheduled to air Dec. 9.

It is the first time an entire Amtrak train has been wrapped, said Cliff Black, a spokesman for the railroad. He declined to say how much the History Channel was paying.

The wrapped train will feature recognizable images from 1968, including the faces of Martin Luther King Jr., Bob Dylan, Richard Nixon, Robert F. Kennedy, Arlo Guthrie and Goldie Hawn, said Steve Feder, president of Corporate Image Media, which helps Amtrak market advertising opportunities.

The vinyl wrap will not impede the view out the windows, Amtrak said Tuesday.

Wrapped buses and subway cars have become a popular advertising platform in recent years.

But the federally subsidized company must take care not anger anyone on Capitol Hill with such deals.

"The History Channel has a stellar reputation for its programming," Black said. "We think this is a good fit, politically and commercially."

Black noted that the U.S. Congress has encouraged Amtrak to be creative about generating revenue and thus should be pleased with the deal.