The Lounge provides a morning newspaper, Internet connectivity,
muffins, and soft drinks for sleeping car passengers, as well as
comfortable seats and restrooms.
Eric Smith's excellent oil paintings still adorn the Met. Lounge.
The first image above is of the Coast Starlight in San Luis Obispo and
the last is the south patio of the Los Angeles Passenger Terminal.
Soon we and our luggage were taken back to the tracks via electric
6-passenger cart affording an excellent view of stable Metrolink Cab
Cars and the Metro Building.
There is plenty of train activity to photograph at LAPT with Metrolink, and Amtrak trains and Metro Rail light rail.
The Red Cap took us out to the Coast Starlight early enough that I had time to photograph our head end power, No. 83.
Click the photo above for a larger image of the boiler plate on Locomotive No. 83.
Our Coast Starlight sleeping car.
We left our large suitcase in the downstairs luggage area and went to
our bedroom. Above is a view of the right half of the room.
The opposite side of the bedroom has this sink and behind the door is a shower/toilet combination.
For this photo, I sat on the couch and photographed Sue in a chair
facing me. I'm reflected in a large mirror behind her. The
mirror is on a sliding door which could be opened to allow someone to
have a two-bedroom suite.
New Baggage cars are now on the Coast Starlight, but notice the threshhold is well abe the level of the luggage carts.
The luggage was being loaded by these two able-bodied ladies.
The date and time are always visible on the platforms. I was back onboard for our 10:10 a.m. departure.
Metro Rail is elevated between LAPT and Chinatown.
The ancient projects near the station seemed well kept and bright this morning.
I had visions of Roy, Gene, and Hoppy as we passed an area formerly used in the making of cowboy movies of the '50s.
Typical field of food being irrigated before Oxnard.
First view of the Pacific Ocean is south of Ventura.
Crowne Plaza with ocean views in ventura.
The Ventura River pools up under the RR bridge, blocked by a sand dam from entering the ocean.
The RR runs parallel to Old Hwy. 1 which is used by surfers and campers while traffic is on Hwy. 101.
Some oil wells were drilled close enough to shore so pipes on a pier were used to bring the product ashore.
Other places the RR runs practically at sea level.
Lagoon adjacent to the Santa Barbara Zoo on the right.
New building south of the tracks on State Street. I
like new buildings with interesting architecture design. This
turned out to be MOXI The Wolf Museum of Exploration +
Innovation.
State Street from the tracks to the pier.
Poster on the Coast Starlight advertising its Business Class which is in an added car between the diner and lounge cars.
The Parlour Car at Santa Barbara.
Santa Barbara Station.
A restored Southern Pacific car beside the largest banyon tree in the state at Santa Barbara Station.
Before I reboarded, I notices some nice blooming aloe plants so included them in a photo of one of the cars on the train.
South of San Luis Obispo, there was a bank of color between two irrigated fields of food being grown.
Lots of stoop labor required in these fields.
California strawberries, the most labor intensive crop you can grow.
Ocean side sand dunes south of Pismo Beach.
Pismo Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove is trackside.
California wines growing here.
Just a few steps south of the San Luis Obispo Station is the SLO Railroad Museum
Looks like they will welcome some volunteers to help restore their rolling stock.
San Luis Obispo station.
Since the southbound Coast Starlight No. 11 arrived earlier, we were on Track 2.
Our two locomotives, baggage car, transition/crew car, two sleepers, and Parlour Car (not shown).
The back of the Coast Starlight - Diner, Business Class, Sightseer/Lounge, and 3 coaches.
Poinsettias growing beside the SLO Station.
Street side of the SLO Station. An Amtrak Bus meets all trains for transportation to other Central California locations.
Interior of the SLO Station.
Front part of the Coast Starlight on the Cuesta Grade.
The last part of the Coast Starlight on the Cuesta Grade north of San Luis Obispo.
Oakland Station. I stepped
off to take this photo and when I walked back to the car, Attendant Pat
had locked the door. I went to the diner where the LSA was
standing outside taking a smoke break. He said, go on down to the
coach to enter, which I did and walked back through the cars to our
Bedroom.
Our two-week-old menu. Already, they had pulled the lunch item, "Thai-spiced Pulled Coconut Port Sliders."
Returning to LA from Sacramento on the Coast Starlight.
Suisun Bay where many more ships were stored in the Mothball Fleet in the past.
The Benicia–Martinez Bridge refers
to three parallel bridges which cross the Carquinez Strait just west of
Suisun Bay; the spans link Benicia, California on the north side (where
this photo was taken) with Martinez, California on the south.
