A non-profit organization of passenger train enhusiasts devoted to the
presentation and exhibition of Passenger Train History, especially that
of Amtrak.
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Getting There
I suppose the best way to get to a
Passenger Train
Historical Society Convention, held in a rail-themed Inn, would
be to take a passenger train! Steve Grande of TrainWeb.com
planned it this way, I'm sure.
Such good convention planning provides the attendees with the
opportunity to travel thousands of miles to the convention, and attend
all activities, without the use of
an airplane nor automobile. This allows the attendee to pack what
he wants and needs at the convention without worrying about what will
or will not be allowed on the plane. Avoided with train travel is
the long time to get through security to get on a plane. A friend
simply drove me 20 minutes to the Fullerton Amtrak Station, I walked a
few yards to trackside and awaited the arrival of the Southwest
Chief...simple as that. From my trackside position, when the
Southwest Chief arrived, I stepped up into my car, with help from the
car attendant, stowed my luggage just inside the door of the traincar,
and went on to my room #14 on the lower level, 8 feet away. I
would tell the car attendant when I would like to go to the diner for
dinner, or he would bring me my dinner if I wished.
Taking an Amtrak Long Distance (Named) Train is a vacation in
itself, so I had looked forward to this trip with great
anticipation. I had some computer work to do, so I took my
laptop, pulled out the conventient table in my roomette, plugged in my
computer, and got right to work.
The only things stopping me from working the whole 1,932 miles to La
Plata would be taking time to walk from the sleeper car to the diner
for meals, sleeping in my private room,
taking picutres out the wall-sized window in my roomette, and showering
in the morning, all the while in a vehicle that was clicking off the
miles, day and night, at up to 90 miles an hour, averaging 53 mph day
and night for the 1,932 miles.
All Aboard!
Monday, August 4, 2008.
Awaiting the arrival of the Southwest Chief, scheduled for 7:20 pm, at
the Fullerton, CA, Station, I noticed a fellow with luggage dressed in
kitchen apparel, ready to board the SWC. Bruce Levin, Amtrak
Chef, and I had some time together talking trains as the SWC was
announced as being behind a Metrolink Train in nearby Buena Park.
Chris Guenzler was on the train, and he called to keep me updated on
the status of the train. It seems some switches had failed around
Buena Park and both the Amtrak and Metrolink trains had to manually
switch the trains through. In the meantime, the Fullerton Amtrak
Agent announced that we should all move to Track 3, up an elevator,
across the pedestrian bridge, down an elevator. Luckily the many
Boy Scouts headed for Raton, New Mexico for their 2 weeks at Philmont
Boy Scout Ranch were younger and stronger than us, so they used the
stairs. We were all along track 3 before the SWC was seen.
However, a Metrolink pulled in and there was no announcement that is
was not the SWC. I don't think anyone got on by mistake.
Finally, the SWC did arrive and Chris by this time had already called
the evening's menu to me, I'd ordered, it was ready, and Waitress
Yolanda was keeping it hot for me in the waming ovens! As soon as
I boarded, I walked through half the 31 sleeper car, and all the 30 car
to the
diner to find Chris waiting at a table. Waitress Yolanda was
expecting me
and had my dinner at the table for me in a few seconds. Now
that's service.
The reason you seldom see photographs taken on the Southwest Chief
after it leaves Los Angeles and Fullerton, is because of the departure
time. This evening was no different, especially since we were
about 50 minutes late, it was dark as we headed to Riverside, San
Bernardino, Victorville, Barstow, Needles, CA, and Kingman, Williams,
and Flagstaff, AZ. In fact, the Southwest Chief never
passes these towns in daylight, east or westbound.
Southwest Chief arriving in Fullerton on Track 3, an unusual arrival
track.
I worked on my computer after dinner and used the call button in the
room to have Car Attendant, Fred Rogers, make up my bed.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
My bottom bunk in my roomette 14 on the lower level of the train
provided a good night's sleep. The track east of San Bernardino
is smooth ribbon rail, so no clackety-clack or being tossed from one
side of the roomette to the other. Actually, I hadn't had a lower
level room in a few trips, and I think lower level rooms are more
stable. Since we had a 5.4 earthquake in the last week in
Southern California, every time the train awoke me from it's movement
side-to-side, I throught it was an earthquake until I convinced my
unconscious that it was not and I should just roll over and go back to
sleep.
On the lower level there are very few people who walk past your room,
unlike upper-level rooms. This, I thought, would mean I wouldn't
hear the kitchen staff going to work in the diner from the transition
car, which usually wakes me up. This was true, but I forgot that
every call button pushed in the car is heard throughout the car and
after a few of those I decided to get up and go to breakfast. It
was 6:30 a.m.
After my shower, I headed for the diner. I grabbed a glass of
orange juice from Fred's refreshment spot at the top of the stairs and
passed Chris' room. He had already had breakfast, so I proceeded
to the diner and had a fresh Southwest Omelette, croussant, and
coffee for breakfast.
On the way back to my roomette, Chris mentioned that he had the DVDs
that were made on the SWC and in LaPlata for the celebration of his
Million Miles Traveled on North American Rails and his Million Amtrak
Miles Celebrations, so I watched them on my computer the full morning
and finished them after lunch. Since I attended both of these
celebrations in LaPlata, it was interesting to see the final product of
a film crew that Steve Grande brought from California to cover this
historic event.
Chris Guenzler
on his Million Mile Celebration DVD with Southwest Chief Route Guide
from this trip.
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You think the US is crowed with people, then you ride a train through
the Southwest's California, Arizona, and New Mexico, and there is a lot
of open space, void of people:
Wigwam Motel, on Route 66, Holbrook, AZ
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Big Sky Country
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Indian Reservation Church in New Mexico
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Mesa in New Mexico.
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The crew-change stop in
Albuquerque,
NM, for about 35 minutes gave
Chris and me time to take photos of the Rail Runner commuter trains,
Route 66 through town, the Indian vendors, and our Amtrak SWC.
The weather had gone from full sun in the morning to overcast in
Albuquerque. We departed on time at 12:55 pm.
This Southwest Chief had a typical
consist of 3 coaches,
observation/lounge car, diner, 2 sleepers, transition/crew car,
baggage,
and two Genesis locomotives.
Crew change.
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Bruce Levin
brought on more ice for the diner and sleeping cars.
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Route 66 ran through downtown
Albuquerque. The RR overpass, just a few steps north of the Rail
Runner platform, is a good place to look down on Route 66. Since
this ABQ stop is a crew change for Amtrak, you'll have time to look
down on Route 66.
Lamp post artwork in Downtown
Albuquerque emphasizes the RR history of the town. A few blocks
west of the overpass is a marker showing the distance to both Los
Angeles to the west and Chicago to the east.
After Albuquerque, we headed for Lamy, the stop for the state capital
at Santa Fe. After Lamy, the train winds through Apache Canyon
with its red rocks then ascends Glorieta Pass at 7,421 ft.
elevation.
Once you've ascended
Glorieta Pass and traveled the high plains at the 6,500+ elevation for
a while, the Horseshoe Curve will provide an opportunity for photos of
the front and back of the train from your sleeping accommodations, or
all of the train if you are in the coaches.
Also in this area, between Lamy and
Raton, is Wagon Mound. Wagon Mound was once one of the best-known
landmarks on the Santa Fe Trail, and it was was also the last major
landmark on the Cimarron Route. The 6,930' high peak, shaped like an
oxen-drawn wagon in profile, is a famous Santa Fe Trail landmark and
campsite. The Wagon Mound, a National Historic Landmark, once served as
a campsite and permanent source of water for westbound Santa Fe Trail
travelers. The nearby village, settled in the 1870s, has several
historic homes and buildings like the 18-room Santa Clara Hotel, built
in 1894. Once a farming and ranching community, it is now home to just
over 300 people.
Next was Las Vegas, New Mexico. Beside the platform is "The
Castaneda," one of the few remaining Harvey Houses still standing on
the Santa Fe route. Watch the 1946 movie, "The Harvey Girls,"
with Angela Landsbury and Judy Garland to see what the Harvey Houses
looked like in their hey day.
Below, it takes 3 photos from the train to cover the track side of "The
Castaneda," below are shots of the left, center, and right sections.
East of Las Vegas, at about 6,500 ft. we passed vast high country
grasslands with windmills pumping water for cattle, Cottonwood trees,
antelope, one scared coyote, buzzards, and grass as far as you could
see.
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The windmill
above, is actually pumping water and many cattle seem to be partaking
of the "cool, clear water" as the cowboy song goes.
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This bright
barn seemed out of place in these grasslands without other buildings
around it.
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It was not like
any barn I've seen, with the 3 top vents and the open north side.
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At Raton, NM, about 5:30 pm, the scouts and leaders detrained for their
2 hr. ride to Philmont Boy Scout Ranch for their 2-week summer
activities. We ascended Raton Pass, the highest point on the
former Santa Fe Railway at 7,588 ft. At the top is a tunnel and
immediately through the tunnel, on the north side of the track, is an
obilisque for the NM/Colorado State Line.
There are some
nice ranch houses with long lanes out here.
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This road,
paralleling the RR, had just lost its center line, but still had a sign
announcing, "School Bus Stop Ahead."
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Along the
tracks were a line of "wireless" telephone poles (where the wires had
been removed).
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.
At Raton, NM, about
5:30 pm, the scouts and leaders detrained for their
2 hr. ride to Philmont Boy Scout Ranch for their 2-week summer
activities. We ascended Raton Pass, the highest point on the
former Santa Fe Railway at 7,588 ft. At the top is a tunnel and
immediately through the tunnel, on the north side of the track, is an
obilisque for the NM/Colorado State Line.
There is a sign
like this on both sides of the tunnel, on the west side of the track.
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Immediately
through the Raton Tunnel, on the east end, on the north side of the
tracks is the state line. You can barely read the "(s)TATE LINE"
in my photo. The marker is too close to the train to photograph
in my opinion.
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Soon after
exiting the Raton Tunnel's east end, you'll see Dick Wootton's Ranch.
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Some old Ranch building of the Wootton Ranch.
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