 The sun was shining as it had the day before for the festivities. Right:
Steve and Patrick from the Quad Cities were preparing to return home
after the ribbon cuttings.
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 La Plata
Station is kept open by volunteers, no tickets are sold here.
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 A BNSF
maintenance vehicle passed the station on track 2. Hand cars have
sure changed.
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 Bob Williams,
Ray York, Chris Parker, and Patrick await trains through La Plata.
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 The eastbound
Southwest Chief made a near-stop just west of the La Plata Station,
then proceeded into the station.
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 A nice sunny,
winter day makes the approaching Amtrak Genesis sparkle.
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 Southwest Chief
passes the Chris Guenzler train overlook in La Plata, MO.
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 Back at the
Depot Inn & Suites, there were still some guests who would leave
westbound that evening, or eastbound the next morning.
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 "Three Trees at Sunset" My west facing
room at the Depot Inn & Suites, allowed me to enjoy the sunset
before I headed for the station for my 8:06 pm westbound Sunset Chief
on this February night.
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 The" Colorado Beach"...John Martin Reservoir |
Sometimes called a sapphire on the plains, John Martin is a paradise for people to play, birds to flock and wildlife to roam. The park is close to historic landmarks, yet remote enough to attract year-round nature and recreation lovers to stay and explore.  |
 La Junta,
CO. Across Hwy. 50 that runs parallel to the BNSF tracks, and in
front of the Station is a park with a Santa Fe caboose. La Junta
means "Junction" of the Santa Fe and Cimarron trails.
Right: One of our fellow LaPlata attendees, Jess D Kampen, detrained here to reach his home in Longmont. |
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 La Junta is a
crew change station, and where the diner sets out its "Amtrash."
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 Next station,
in about 1 hr. 20 min. is Trinidad, CO.
|
 "Freeway to
nowhere" will soon be a nice addition to I-25 in Trididad.
|
 As we left
Trinidad, on our 1 hr. 6 min. leg to Raton, it began snowing...glad I
was not driving.
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 Slowly
ascending the tracks to the highpoint and Raton Tunnel and CO/NM
border, you pass the Dick Wootton Ranch on the Old Santa Fe Trail.
Looking westward at our locomotives.
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 Looking back
down the valley at the ranch buildings. This sign and others are
on the right/north side of the tracks.
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 Looking back down at the Wootton Ranch |
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 First building in New Mexico, after the Raton Tunnel. |
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 Raton, NM. |
 Car Attendant,
Sally, enjoyed the snowflakes on her jacket.
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 Downtown Raton,
NM, from the Station Waiting Room. No ticket agent is assigned to
Raton, as with Laplata.
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 Soon, "All
Aboard" was called through the snow flurries, and we headed west
again. As you can see, we were carrying a coach car between
luggage and locomotives. I understand it was being delivered to
California.
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 Very soon after
Raton, the clouds cleared and we had mostly-sunny skies!
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 I enjoy "Big
Sky Country," the parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and California where
you can see the horizon in all 4 directions. Notice, above, how
90% of one's photos become sky 'out west.'
|
 You can see
small storms crossing the great landscape.
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 "Corral on the
Parairie" self-sufficient with windmill pumped water for the cattle
awaiting shipment.
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 Snow covered peaks are almost
lost in the
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 landscape when the clouds are so
attractive.
|
 The stop in Las
Vegas was sunny and bright compared to my eastbound stop here.
|
 La Castaneda Hotel is one of the early Harvey Houses. It is much more photogenic in the New Mexico sun. |
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 The "Lizard House" north of Lamy. |
 I always look
for this new house in the red hills that looks like an old adobe house.
|
 This bridge is
said to have been built in Civil War days.
|
 I-25 parallels
the BNSF between Lamy and Albuquerque.
|
 Persistant
Cedar Trees surround a Civil War Cemetery monument above the BNSF.
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 A rail car next to the Lamy, NM, Station |
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 Another rail car on the west side of the station. |
 Heading to Albuquerque |
 "Ghost
Town" buildings along the track and two--lane blacktop.
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 Mtns. northeast of Albuquerque. |
 The
single-level coach car headed for California in our consist at
Albuquerque.
|
 Single Genesis
idles on siding in ABQ. It would play a part in our westward
journey later.
|
 Our Train3 being refueled in ABQ. |
 Indian jewelry
and blankets for sale in platform shops in Albuquerque.
|
 Large turquoise pieces for sale. |
  Glass wind-break at Rail Runner stop. |
 Route 66 running through downtown Albuquerque. |
 Rail Runner Schedules posted downtown. |
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 Route 66 westbound from the Station overpass |
 Route 66 eastbound from the Station overpass Right: Closeup of railroad related street art. |
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 Locomotive ID Plate |
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 Right: Amtrak/Greyhound Transportation Center |
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 6.8 miles south
of Albuquerque, we stopped on single track. On the scanner we
heard that a vehicle had knocked the cross arm onto the track, we had
hit it, and it had caused the loss of air pressure. One hour
later, a crew had brought out a pop-off valve from that spare engine in
ABQ, installed it, tested it, and we were on our way. This
(above) was out western sunset while we waited.
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 Ten locomotives pull a piggy-back train up the pass. |
 Finally we passed on adjacent tracks. |
 The trailers on
flat cars take an "S" route up Cajon Pass.
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 Out train snakes downhill. |
 The sandstone hills, high desert
hills, and snowcoverec mountains made quite a morning landscape.
|
 Sandstone hills. |
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