Wikipedia has a nice article on the train, which started service in 1947. I remember seeing Illinois Central trains when I was a kid. They were sleek and beautiful. Can't say Amtrak trains are beautiful, except for perhaps the high-speed Acela that goes along the coast of New England. Because of the aftereffects of Hurricane Katrina, service south of Memphis was cancelled for part of 2005. It's back again. I wanna ride that train, that southbound passenger train...

And by the way, I believe the City of New Orleans has always had diesel locomotives, not steam.