I was advised to arrive in Napa around 10:35am for my "Go Loco" ride. Upon arrival at the Napa Station, I checked in at the main desk and was given a "goody bag" of sorts which contained a very nice metal water bottle and zippered bag which also contained an engineer's hat, a deck of cards, a pin and a nice pen all containing the Wine Train's logo. This is only given to passengers who take the "Go Loco" trip. I was told that I would board the train first since I was riding in the cab! After signing a "Hold Harmless Agreement", I took a seat in the station and listened to a member of the Wine Train's staff give a very nice presentation for everyone waiting to board that talked about the history of this great railroad. Inside the station, there is a shop that sells just about any kind of wine you can think of along with everything from wine glasses to HO Scale models of the Wine Train! There is also another shop in the station that sells everything from aprons to baseball caps and other Wine Train apparel!
Once my name was called, I headed out to the platform. The bridge to the platform features fencing on each side that is full of padlocks! According to a sign posted on the bridge, this bridge has been dedicated to lovers. The idea is to put your names on a lock, then lock it to the fence and throw the key into the swale below to symbolize enduring love. The sign also says this tradition is popular in Europe and is thought to have started in China where partners "lock their souls" together! They do sell padlocks in the gift shop here if you want to participate in this tradition! I'll do this someday once I find the woman of my dreams (haven't met her yet)! Once you get to the end of the bridge and walk onto the platform, you can have your picture taken by a member of the Wine Train's staff and it's available for purchase when you get back.
I then walked up to the head-end to meet the engineer and conductor who I would be riding with today. It turns out, the conductor actually rides in the engine on this train rather than in the train itself though he had been wearing a full passenger conductor uniform. Having had a summer job on a short line railroad many years ago served me well here as I knew how to climb on a locomotive from having had that job. Once I got settled in the cab, I stood on the platform for a bit to take a few photos before re-entering the cab and at 11:30am, on time, we departed Napa.
The train would travel north out of the City of Napa and would pass through the following towns: Yountville, Oakville, Rutherford and the train's northern terminus, the City of Saint Helena. The mainline we're riding on was originally built in 1864 and ran from San Francisco to the resort town of Calistoga which is north of Saint Helena, still in Napa Valley. The last railroad to own the line before the Napa Valley Railroad was established was the Southern Pacific. Though the line is no longer in service north of Saint Helena, the line from Napa to there is the same as when it was originally built. Throughout the ride, I would just take photos looking out the windshield of the locomotive as we made our way through beautiful Napa Valley! This is truly a unique experience! You get to see the railroad the way the railroader's see it!!!
We made one stop at the Grgich Hills Estate Winery in Rutherford as several passengers were getting off there to go to an event at that winery (we would pick them up on the way back to Napa). During the stop at this winery, I was able to get off the train to get a couple quick photos and chat with a few passengers who were outside on the platform of the first car of the train. One of them came to ride this train all the way from Germany! Once our stop at Grgich Hills was complete, the train continued its trek to Saint Helena, and I continued to take photos both looking out the window down the tracks as well as of locations I was at the previous day while photographing the train along its route!
Once in Saint Helena, I had the privilege of riding in the locomotive while the run-around move was completed (they had nobody scheduled to ride back to Napa in the cab that day anyway). I was then able to get off the train and get a few roster photos of it before boarding the train from the platform car on what is now the new end of the train and I would be taken back to Car #1100 "Le Gourmet Express" for the Gourmet Express Lunch!
Once we departed Saint Helena, I would start my meal. Now there are multiple selections available on the menu for the different meal courses. The menu also says which wines pair best with each course should you want to have more wine! What I'm describing here is specifically what I had for lunch: The first course was a Baby Lettuce Salad with Candied Walnuts (I LOVE candied walnuts!!!) and Smoked Goat Cheese in a Honey Cider Vinaigrette! I was also given a sample of the Wine Train's own Private Label Chardonnay bottled by the Raymond Vineyard as well. My entree would be the Grilled Medallion Of Pork wrapped in Applewood Smoked Bacon on Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Brioche Encrusted Endive. For Dessert, I had a Bourbon-flavored Chocolate Brownie with Walnuts and Caramel on top, all of this with some Diet Coke (my whole purpose today was really just being on the train. If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm not much of a wine drinker). All of the food was excellent!!! The service was also top notch as well. The staff on this train provides a level of service that is absolutely world class!!! |
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| New for 2013: Electric Power Car #480-R - Grappa |
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New this year to the Wine Train is Electric Power Car #480-R which is named "Grappa" after the extremely strong brandy of the same name. I would walk through this car after lunch to get interior photos of it. Special thanks goes to the Wine Train's Marketing & Public Relations Department for providing me information on this very neat car: It was built inside a box car that was built for the Department Of Defense in 1953 that the Wine Train had acquired from the Mare Island Naval Shipyard and houses a 400kw whisper quiet generator like those used on movie sets. Installing the generator so it was flush with the wall of the car left enough room for a wide enough walkway through the car and I can say from experience, you would have a very hard time believing this is a generator car as it's that quiet!!! The original box car had its height reduced by 2 feet so that it wouldn't block the view from the Vista Dome Car and not look out of place. Having a car like this in the train allows the train to not temporarily lose electric power during the run-around of the engines at Saint Helena. Previously, the Head-End Power (HEP) was being supplied by one of the locomotives. During the run-around move, ground-based HEP was used but that involved having to temporarily shut off electric power on the entire train when switching from HEP from the locomotive to ground-based HEP. Having a power car like this eliminates the need to have to temporarily shut off electric power. This is the only car of its kind on a train like this in the country!
By the time I was done with lunch and walking through the train, we were almost back to Napa (they space things out with your meal very good!). Once I arrived back in Napa, I got a few photos looking out the platform, then eventually drove back to my hotel in Vacaville to get ready for my next trip which would be in the Vista Dome car for dinner! Check out below for the story about the ride in the Vista Dome... |
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