January 22, 2006:

 

I got up on my own and decided bought some milk from the gas station across the street for the Fruit Loops I bought the day before. After breakfast, I asked if there were any internet cafes around. I was told there was a Kinko’s. After walking several blocks, I decided to take a bus the rest of the way. When I finally got there, I found I couldn’t email my photos home mainly because the computers wouldn’t let me put my photos onto the system! I left the café and caught a bus downtown. On the way, I saw a bee on the ground, and I was careful to avoid it fearing it was a killer bee and I didn’t want to be stung! Fortunately, the bus came quickly. After riding the bus downtown, I changed to another bus and rode past that 76 gas station I visited the day before. Once I got to the terminal, I decided to head to the airport for something to do. On the way, I got off near the Sun Trans bus garage. After I took a small video of it, I walked a few blocks where I bought my lunch at a Sonic drive in restaurant.

 

I got back on the bus and rode to the airport where I explored the terminal. Near the American Airlines check-in gates, I saw a model of an American Airlines Boeing 767 which I photographed.

 

 

After exploring the terminal, I headed back downtown, where I transferred to a bus that would take me to another mall just north of my hotel. After exploring the mall, I bought dinner, and then headed back to catch a bus. I called home from a payphone letting my parents know that things were okay and told them about that 76 gas station. I also called Julie to find out the status of train number 2 which was scheduled to leave Tucson at 2:20 am. I found it was going to be a bit late. I took a bus back to my hotel where I bought some snacks at the gas station across from my hotel. I asked for a wake up call at 1:00 am and asked called a taxi to take me to the Amtrak station.

 

January 23, 2006:

 

I got up at 1:00 am and got my stuff together to head to the train station. After I finished checking out, I headed outside where my taxi soon arrived. The driver was the same man who picked me up when I got off the train in Tucson. I got to the train station where I found out the train was now due in at 5:40, putting it four hours late. I tried to get some sleep on the hard wood benches, getting up to check on the status of train 2. It was now due in at 7:00 am! The reason for the train’s lateness was freight traffic; apparently a new Union Pacific dispatcher was allowing track space for westbound freights, constantly delaying the Amtrak train. Soon, I found out the train was due in at 11:45 am! Now it was 8 hours late! I couldn’t believe it! It was at this point I began to regret not flying to Arizona like my friend Greg in Chicago had said. You know things are bad when a railfan admits that he should have flown!

 

By now, the sun had come up. I went to have breakfast at a nearby restaurant. After breakfast, I called home to let my parents know what was happening. My dad suggested if I was interested in upgrading to sleeper which I followed up on. The ticket agent initially quoted $280 for an upgrade. I went to find an ATM to get some money. When I got back, I found out it was actually $315.00. I went out to that ATM where it wouldn’t give me more money. I went out in search of another one. On the way, a man asked me for a favor because he was stranded. I told him I was too because my train was so late. I eventually found an ATM where I withdrew some more money. The man who was stranded found me again and said that he needed $10 for a taxi ride. I told him to take the bus for $1.00. He said the bus wasn’t going to where he was going. I told him no. He said that he had only an hour to get there, or he’d loose everything. He was crying when he said that.

 

At this point, I was tired since I had been up since 1:00 am and had slept on a hard wood bench. I said to him, “As Donald Trump would say, “You’re fired!” ” I was annoyed when he still kept asking me. He said it was god who brought me to him. I told him that there was a city of 7000+ to ask and to ask someone else! I finally walked away from him ask he finally asked other people. If he had to be somewhere in an hour, you’d think he’d start asking others sooner when the guy he was asking was constantly telling him no!

 

I walked back to the Amtrak station where I upgraded. By now, the train was 12 hours late! I couldn’t believe it! I wasn’t sure when I would be home at this point, or if Amtrak would put me up in a hotel somewhere en route. During the time I took one last photo of Toronto PCC #4608.

 

 

After a few freights passed, I saw a local freight stop in front of the station. I started freaking out, shouting at the train. After I regained my composure and the train left, Amtrak train 2 finally arrived. I filmed the train pulling into the station.

 

 

The Sunset Limited arriving into Tucson 12 hours late!

 

I was in room #14 on the lower level of Superliner 1 sleeper #32074, an unrefurbished sleeper. I quickly got settled in my room. The train departed.  I grabbed lunch from the café car and headed to the upper level of the car. To add even more insult, we were stopped shortly after leaving for a freight train! After lunch, they showed the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I watched the whole movie this time. Soon, we passed an aircraft graveyard which I took two photos of. We were soon in the desert, in the middle of nowhere. Throughout the day, I went between the sightseer lounge and my sleeper. At one point, I saw an African American woman bitching to the conductors of the train’s lateness.

 

I went to the diner for dinner. Since I was in a sleeper, my meals were included. I had a steak. After dinner, they played the movie Cinderella man. At one point, the train stopped in the middle of nowhere by the highway because the crew had exceeded their maximum allowed working time. A new crew had to be driven to the train. After awhile, we were eventually underway. I had no idea what was going to happen when we got to San Antonio the next day due to the train’s extreme lateness! Once we were going, I headed back to my room to get some sleep once the attendant had made up my bed. I was pretty tired. When the attendant was finished, the mattress was missing, but I found it in the upper bunk. After making the bed, I turned in for the night.

January 24, 2006:

 

I finally got up and got dressed. I then headed to the diner for breakfast. After breakfast, I headed back to my room. Eventually, an attendant reconfigured the room to its daytime configuration. After I had lunch, the train arrived in San Antonio. I learned that people going on the Texas Eagle would be bused to Dallas to hopefully meet the train there. When I got off, I took some photos of the train.

 

 

 

The bus left the station where we went onto the highway. From the highway, I could see the rail yard east of the station. I even saw what appeared to be a former Amtrak F40PH on a siding that was painted light blue. I had no idea which company the unit belonged to.

 

We stopped at a McDonalds so some passengers could get something to eat. Since I ate on the train, I stayed on the bus. The stop was quick and soon, we were on our way. They showed the movie “Baby’s day out”.

 

I was seated near the African-American woman who was bitching to the Amtrak crew the night before about the train’s lateness. She was traveling with her boyfriend and was going on and on about how the train was bad and that we might be put up in a hotel. I tried to ignore her the best I could.

 

At one point she said that Amtrak was at fault for the delay. I told her that it was a dispatcher in California who only allowed track space for westbound trains.

 

“He still works for Amtrak,” She said.

 

“No he doesn’t”, another passenger and I said. I then added, “He works for Union Pacific!”

 

“Well, it’s still Amtrak’s fault!” she insisted, “And you’d better watch it!”

 

I took offense, and said, “Are you threatening me?”

 

She muttered something incoherently and said nothing else to me.

 

After awhile, we were approaching Dallas, and got socked by rush hour traffic. I thought that we were so close to meeting the train, yet so far away. I wondered if we’d just miss the train by minutes and be put up in Dallas for the night. However, Amtrak held the Texas Eagle for us, and we got on the train. Before I boarded, I took a couple pictures of a DART light rail train and a TRE commuter train being pushed by an F59PHi.

 

 

 

I boarded Superliner 1 sleeping car #32031, which was refurbished. The car had wood paneling inside and looked quite nice. After I got settled in my room, the train left two hours late. I soon had a country fried steak in the dining car. After dinner, we stopped to let a freight train pass by. I went into the lounge car and had conversations with a few passengers including the woman who I asked if she was threatening me. The conversation was nice and the woman had calmed down.

 

Eventually, I decided to get some sleep. This was the second last night of my trip and the last in a bed. I made the bed up myself, not knowing how long I would have to wait until an attendant would make it up for me.

 

Click here to read the last part of the trip, part 5.htm