I got up
around
However, Burger King would open in a little while.
I then noticed a restaurant next door that was open for breakfast. I had breakfast. While I was in there, someone came in and told the staff to get a real job.
I soon finished and went to the BART station. I boarded a northbound train and rode two stops to McArthur. I got off and photographed the train and filmed it pulling away.
I then went to catch a bus to the Amtrak station. I photographed one bus before I photographed an El Dorado EZ-Rider which would take me to the Amtrak station.
While I was
on the bus, I saw the electronic display incorrectly said the time and date was
When I got
to the Emeryville Amtrak station, I got off and filmed the bus pulling away. I
went inside the station and then onto the platform. I photographed and filmed
various trains belonging to Amtrak
Eventually, an announcement was made for the arrival of train #6, the California Zephyr. I went onto the platform and filmed the equipment arriving.
I then walked to the end of the platform where the sleeping cars were. I was in Superliner 1 sleeper #32064. I had a roomette on the upper level. My train consisted of P42 #78, P40 #824, a Viewliner 2 baggage car, a Superliner 2 transition sleeper, three sleeping cars, a diner, a sightseer lounge, and two coaches. The train left on time.
Shortly
after leaving, I went to the Sightseer Lounge car. The train stopped at
Unlike the Coast Starlight and other Amtrak trains, I noticed there was no Wi-Fi on the California Zephyr. The train stopped at Martinez and Davis.
At one point we were running along the coast. I filmed a southbound train from Amtrak California. I saw there was a Superliner coach in that train’s consist. I took some photos from the train.
A little while later, we stopped at Sacramento. As we pulled into the station, I filmed another Amtrak California train. Sacramento was a smoke stop. I got off and took some photos.
I also
attempted to photograph
I got back on the train and we departed. This would be the start of new mileage for me as I had previously covered the trackage between Emeryville and Sacramento on the California Zephyr. We were running parallel to the light rail line in Sacramento. At one point, we passed the yard. I photographed it.
I went to the dining car for lunch. After lunch, we stopped in Roseville. I photographed a former Southern Pacific caboose.
The train started going into hilly territory. We passed through Colfax and Truckee. At Truckee, I photographed another former Southern Pacific caboose used as a museum.
As we departed Truckee, I photographed some vintage railway equipment.
We began winding our way through Donner Pass. There were some people from the parks service giving commentary on the route. At one point, they mentioned we were passing where in 1952 Southern Pacific’s City of San Francisco was snowbound for a week.
Here’s a picture of the snowbound City of San Francisco.
A few hours later, we stopped at Reno. The railway used to go right through downtown Reno which would cause movement in the city to come to a halt when a train passed through. 10+ years ago, the rail line was moved into a trench that was separated from cross streets. The Amtrak station is located in the trench.
Reno was a smoke stop. I stepped off and photographed the train.
I got back on the train and phoned home. I told my dad I was in Reno and where we would go between Reno and Chicago. The train departed Reno. Shortly after we departed, I photographed some tank cars which look to be used for firefighting.
Sometime later, I went to the dining car for dinner. After dinner, I spent the time between the sightseer lounge and my room.
The train stopped at Winnemucca. Winnemucca was another smoke stop. I stepped off and took some photos.
I got back on the train and we departed. The sun went down. The next stop was Elko which was the final stop in Nevada. Elko was a quick smoke stop. I stepped off the train and took some photos.
I saw some people on the opposite side of the tracks. I think they wanted to get on the train. They had to go all the way around. Hopefully they made it before we departed.
After leaving Elko, the bed was lowered. The attendant asked that we have our beds lowered before 9:30 pm so he could be up for when the train would stop at Salt Lake City around 3:00 am. I bought some milk from the lounge car I eventually called it a night.
September 12, 2018:
I got up and got dressed. I went to the dining car for breakfast. I spent the next couple hours between my room and the sightseer lounge.
The train stopped at Grand Junction. Grand Junction was a smoke stop. I photographed the train, some leased locomotives, and an old box car.
There was a
store in
This was kind of fitting since Muni #1058 (the Chicago car) is off property right now being rebuilt by Brookville.
I bought some Advil from the store and got a timetable inside the station before I got back on the train and the train departed.
East of Grand Junction, we passed by some hopper cars that were still painted for the late Rock Island railroad which is now part of Union Pacific.
The train stopped at Glenwood Springs with is the closest station to Aspen. Glenwood Springs was by a river and a smoke stop. I stepped off the train and took some photos from the platform and atop a hill.
I then got back on the train and we departed. Some point later, I attempted to photograph an old caboose from the train.
We took a siding to stop to allow the westbound California Zephyr pass. When it passed, I filmed it. We were soon underway again.
I went to the dining car for lunch. After lunch, I went back to the lounge car. As we made our way East, I took some photos.
At one point we passed near a cliff where we were told a 14-year-old crashed their parents’ car after taking it for a joyride. The person was rescued, but due to where the car ended up, it was left there and remains there to this day.
The train was running alongside the Colorado River. I took some photos.
At one point, smoke from a forest fire was pointed out. However, it didn’t pose any threat to the California Zephyr. I photographed it.
Our guide pointed out a sawmill which I photographed.
At one point, they had mentioned a jail. A little while later, our guide pointed out a gun range which I photographed.
I also photographed the front of the train as we went around curves.
Our next stop was Fraser-Winter Park which I believe is the highest stop in elevation on the California Zephyr. There is one stop higher in elevation on the Ski Train which is not served by the Zephyr.
Fraser-Winter Park was a smoke stop. I stepped off and took some photos.
I got back on the train and we departed. At one point we passed by a yard with some buses including some Orion 5s. I photographed it.
At one point, we passed five hopper cars that looked to have sideswipe damage. However, I was unable to photograph them. The train went through the Moffat Tunnel. I photographed the locomotives entering the tunnel.
The tunnel is over 6 miles long. After we came out, I photographed a dam and the Denver skyline.
Looking down the mountain, I photographed a BNSF freight with four locomotives at the head end and two more at the rear. The train was waiting for us to pass.
As we made our way down the mountain, I photographed some hoppers that looked to have been on a disused siding.
We passed the BNSF freight I photographed earlier. I went to the dining car for dinner.
At one point, we passed a yard with a tank car off the tracks. I photographed it.
We backed into Denver Union Station. I saw a BC Rail diesel in a freight yard. I tried to photograph it, but the photo wasn’t good. I figured that I would try to photograph it again when we left Denver.
When we pulled into Denver Union Station, it was an extended smoke stop. I took some photos of the train and some commuter trains at the station as well.
I was unable to photograph the California Zephyr’s locomotives at Denver. I also tried to find some Wi-Fi without success. I eventually got back on the train and we departed 6 minutes late. Prior to Denver, we head been running pretty much on time.
When we passed the BC Rail unit, I photographed it.
I also photographed some other units and a caboose in the yard.
East of Denver I attempted to photograph an Orion 1.
The sun went down. The train stopped at Fort Morgan, the last stop in Colorado. By now, we were running 11 minutes late. I eventually bought some milk from the lounge car and called it a night.
Click here for the last two days
of my trip: End of trip
