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A Rail Sale Trip to the Emerald City of Seattle 2/13-16/2004

One evening in January, I was on the Internet just searching around and ended up on the Rail Sale page of the Amtrak website, where I found the Coast Starlight to Seattle listed at a fare of $31.60. With a four-day President's Day weekend in February, I first checked the date of my return and found eight seats for sale. Next I checked the northbound train and again, found eight seats so booked the return trip first followed quickly with the outbound portion and was successful on both attempts. Next I went to the Best Western website and reserved a room at the Pioneer Square Hotel in Seattle and I was all set. A visit to the Santa Ana Amtrak station resulted in having tickets in my hand.

I worked most of McArthur Fundamental Intermediate's track season before the day of the journey finally arrived.

I awoke to a beautiful Friday the 13th morning taking care of my usual domestic chores then drove to the station and waited on the platform in the warming sunshine for Pacific Surfliner 763. The train arrived five minutes late and I boarded the cab car. Conductor Jeff McConnell lifted my ticket before I sat back and relaxed on the way to Los Angeles. We stopped at Fullerton Junction and waited for an eastbound BNSF intermodal train then slowly made our way to Los Angeles Union Station, arriving there twenty-four minutes late.

The train reversed in at 9:30 AM and my coach was 34103, or the 1414 car, on this northbound trip and conductor Bob Riskie stopped by for a visit during a break in his rules class before I departed town. Our train's consist was P42DCs 113 and 112, baggage 1235, transition sleeper 39018, sleepers 32084 "Kansas" and 32117 "Wisconsin", Lounge 33048 as the parlour car, diner 38060, lounge 33031 and coaches 34114, 34515 Kiddie Car, 34085 and 34103. We departed at 10:15 AM, bound for Seattle and met Pacific Surfliner 774 at Chatsworth before leaving the San Fernando Valley. I was enjoying this as I listened to Prince.

The Chatsworth Rock.

The first Chatsworth tunnel under the Santa Susana Mountains.

The second Chatsworth tunnel.

Southern Pacific Santa Susana depot built in 1903.

We met Metrolink at Hassan right before Simi Valley.

The Coast Starlight meets the Pacific Ocean north of Ventura.

Our car's public address system was not working, so it would be a very quiet trip. We made our way to a chilly Santa Barbara after excellent views of the offshore Santa Barbara Islands. Just before West Santa Barbara, I switched the music to Yes' "Key of Ascension" before the Coast Starlight stopped for 41 minutes waiting for Union Pacific 5725 South. The delay not only affected the us, but also Pacific Surfliner 784, which was trapped in the siding at Gaviota until we finally passed. The reason for this delay was because a westbound was in the siding at Ellwood.

A Union Pacific freight at Ellwood.

Th coastal views.

A Union Pacific freight held the main at Point Conception.

At the west end of the siding, our assistant conductor Todd threw the switch so we could continue.

Sudden, California.

Honda, California.

The Surf, California Amtrak station.

Santa Ynez River.

The Coast Starlight turned away from the Pacific Ocean.

I relaxed the rest of the way to San Luis Obispo and once we reached Guadalupe, it became Blue Oyster Cult music time. We passed a tank train at Callendar and later arrived at San Luis Obispo at 4:14 PM. After a fresh air break and photo of our train, I reboarded but had to wait for the late southbound Coast Starlight which was over an hour-and-a-half late so we departed at 4:40 PM {3:43 PM}.

The Coast Starlight ascended the Cuesta Grade and in less than twenty minutes, we exited the Summit tunnel and I rode in the lounge car until 5:40 PM, when I entered the dining car for a T-Bone steak and ice cream with chocolate sauce as day turned into night. We stopped at Paso Robles while I was dining then back at my seat, I listened to music for the rest of the evening and was tired so called it a night near Gilroy. We left Friday the 13th at Martinez at 12:00 AM, one hour and four minutes late. I hoped everyone had a great Friday the 13th.

2/14/2004I awoke on Valentine's Day in the Sacramento River Canyon below Conant and walked to the lounge car for orange juice and a good cookie, a rather large chocolate chip one. The snowy Castle Crags were beautiful in the pre-dawn light but their summits were covered in clouds. We made our stop at Dunsmuir and left at 7:11 AM {5:04 AM} and the Coast Starlight climbed the Cantara Loop to Mount Shasta. Once around the corner from Black Butte, the clouds were left behind.

At Andesite, Mount Shasta as seen from the rear door. We crossed over Grass Lake Summit and made our way to Klamath Falls. This morning, Union Pacific had all the freights in the siding out of our way and we arrived at 10:02 AM, where the connecting passengers for the Empire Builder would be bussed to their train, then departed at 10:12 AM {8:25 AM}.

The Coast Starlight ran along Upper Klamath Lake and a BNSF Swift Road Railer train was at Modoc Point as I enjoyed the view from the rear door.

Two scenes along Upper Klamath Lake.

I was drinking a mug root beer as the Starlight passed a partially-frozen Root Beer Falls. My acquaintance Jim Doty stopped by for a visit discussing his employment with both the Milwaukee Road and Rock Island. He saw the Union Pacific 3985 Challenger steam train go through Albert Lea, Minnesota when I was riding it down the former Rock Island spine line. We reached Chemult and departed there at 11:31 AM {9:40 AM} then passed a northbound freight on our way out of town.

The landscape from Klamath Falls had been snow-covered as the Coast Starlight made the assault on Cascade Summit, where we stopped along Odell Lake for Union Pacific 5739 and a forty-one minute delay.

Odell Lake.

The Cascade Summit tunnel.

Amtrak 14 in the Cascade Summit siding.

I rode the rear door taking pictures all the way to Fields and listened to Sweet, the band known for "Ballroom Blitz", all the way to Oakridge.

We passed through Oakridge at 2:15 PM

The Office Covered Bridge built in 1945 by the Westfir Lumber Company which spans the North Fork of the Middle Fork of the Willamette River. It connected the Westfir Lumber Company mill to the main office. It measures 180 feet in length, making it the longest covered bridge in the state of Oregon. Its length also made it one of the only two bridges in the state to use tripe Howe truss engineering. A distinct feature of the bridge is the covered walkway, which allowed people safe access across without being in the way of loaded log trucks.

We met another Union Pacific freight at Springfield, delaying us further while the passengers in my car were really enjoying each other's company. We arrived at Eugene at 3:10 PM and departed there at 3:20 PM {12:40 PM} in a light rain and proceeded up the Willamette Valley in heavier showers to Albany, departing there at 4:15 PM {1:30 PM}. We went into the siding at Millersburg for the southbound Coast Starlight before we reversed out of the siding to continue north. The rain had stopped and there was a beautiful rainbow as the train proceeded to Salem, arriving at 5:02 PM {2:03 PM} then we were stopped again, this time by a southbound Union Pacifi bare table train at Canby.

At Clackamas, we met Amtrak Cascades 507 running on-time to Eugene and then the Union Pacific hotshot flew by as we sat waiting before continuing to Portland Union Station, arriving there at 6:30 PM {3:40 PM}. For the final leg of our journey, we would now be dropping off passengers as Amtrak Cascades 508 took all our newcomers at 6:15 PM. We departed Portland at 6:42 PM {4:05 PM} and crossed the Columbia River into the state of Washington, stopping at Vancouver at 7:01 PM {4:28 PM}. After a few minutes of listening to music, I watched the movie "Radio" that took me to Olympia-Lacy and we made our way to Tacoma, departing there at 9:42 PM {7:05 PM} before making the final sprint to the Emerald City of Seattle, arriving at 10:33 PM {8:30 PM}, two hours and three minutes late.

I walked over to the Best Western Pioneer Square Hotel and checked in for the night then checked my e-mail in their business center before calling it a night after a much-needed shower.

Waking up refreshed and ready to roll once more, I checked the Weather Channel to learn about the morning's wet conditions then enjoyed a continental breakfast then dealt with my e-mail. In a light February rain, I walked back to King Street Station to wait for my train back to Los Angeles and my next Amtrak adventure to begin while enjoying the heavy BNSF freight action outside the station.

The same exact Coast Starlight I rode to here reversed by the station and pulled forward before reversing into the station for boarding at 9:23 AM. Tickets had been taken and I was in the front of the line at Door 1 and we were boarded at 9:40 AM, departing Seattle on time as I was at the rear door.

Amtrak's Seattle maintenance department fixed the public address system in car 34103, so it would not be a quiet trip as it was yesterday.

Busy Seattle with an early Empire Builder and a BNSF freight with an Illinois Central locomotive in the consist.

The Coast Starlight passed beneath the Safeco Field retractable roof on the way south then departed Tacoma late due to heavy boardings and ran along the shore of Puget Sound under mostly cloudy but trying to clear skies.

My late morning musical selection was from that fine Canadian band "Honeymoon Suite". The cast of characters on board were as interesting as on the way up and I had a family of three, with dad sitting next to me going to Paso Robles and a father taking his son and cousin to Martinez.

Passing a northbound Amtrak Cascades train.

Crossing the Columbia River from Washington to Oregon, after which we arrived at Portland Union Station on time, where I detrained for some snacks.

We left on time and proceeded down the Willamette Valley to Marion, where we entered the siding behind Union Pacific 5760 to wait for the late-running northbound Coast Starlight.

The train reversed out of the siding and continued south to Salem. The dining car steward reached our car last, so everyone received an 8:30 PM dinner reservations. We continued on to Albany, then to Swain where we waited for Union Pacific 6010 North, which cost us thirty-five more minutes then arrived at Eugene just as the sun was setting and after a fresh air break, we started to pull out but stopped quickly. A passenger in the 1112 car had what appeared to be a major epileptic seizure and I was amazed how quickly the Eugene Fire Department and paramedic units responded.

We finally departed Eugene at 6:06 PM {5:10 PM} and made our way east into the night for Cascade Summit. I watched the beginning of "Radio" that I missed last night before returning to my seat for Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull solo work "Rupi's Dance". I had dinner at 8:30 PM with the wonderful family going to Paso Robles and enjoyed the Delmonico steak and the usual ice cream dessert. We had a good time at dinner with Mary, a sleeping car attendant joining us in our laughter. I then detrained at Klamath Falls for some fresh air on a cold and rainy night and we departed at 10:09 PM {10:00 PM} and travelled out into the night to that Golden State called California.

2/16/2004 While I was sleeping, or twisting and turning if you prefer, we stayed an hour late through Dunsmuir and Redding before sitting for three train meets, including the northbound Coast Starlight with Richard Hamilton, host of Let's Talk Trains onboard. I was in the lounge car at Red Bluff at 5:30 AM as we continued to Chico, departing there at 6:29 AM {3:50 AM} and it was a dark rainy morning with the nimbostratus clouds obscuring my view of the Sutter Buttes. At Binney Junction, we turned south down the former Western Pacific on our trek to Sacramento, with Union Pacific having two trains in the sidings out of our way.

We arrived at Sacramento and I ran into the station for a USA Today and to say hello to my brother Bruce, the Amtrak agent there. We departed at 8:30 AM {6:30 AM} and crossed the single track of the almost-complete Yolo Causeway double-tracking project, now scheduled for a March 1st completion date then ran southwest, crossing the Carquinez Straits on a very wet morning.

We arrived at Martinez and had a cloudy trek along the Carquinez Straits and San Pablo Bay. South of Richmond, the clouds lifted with the Golden Gate bridge and the skyline of San Francisco standing out on a beautiful morning. We tried to make a brief stop at Emeryville, but people mistakenly boarded our train, thinking it was a San Joaquin train. Once they detrained, we ran to Oakland Jack London Square, where we stopped briefly then departed at 10:40 AM {8:50}.

We made our way to San José on the Capitol Corridor route due to freight trains on the Mulford Line. The Coast Starlight ran through Fremont before stopping at the junction of the Mulford Line for yet another freight then left San José at 12:05 PM {10:07 AM} and passed through Gilroy at 12:40 PM before stopping at Corporal at a red signal to receive track warrants. We went through miles of tie replacements as we passed through the Pajora Gap.

With the train's slow progress, I was finally able to photograph Granite Rock Company MP15 2000, ex. Union Pacific SW10 1255, nee Union Pacific SW7 1813 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1950. At Aromas, we passed a complete tie replacement gang and returned to track speed before Watsonville until we crept by the nature reserve at low tide at Moss Landing. We stopped at Castroville for more block authority prior to running to Salinas, a fresh air stop, from which we departed at 2:12 PM {11:48 AM}. Further down the Salinas Valley as we came into San Ardo, someone asked me what town it was. I saw a sign that said "Hell" because a tree was blocking the "S" in Shell sign. It was Shell, not Hell. That started the jokes about this town as Hell with half acre over there, the handbag there, the fire there and the trees over there. We laughed all the way to Paso Robles where my "family" detrained and we departed at 4:26 PM {1:33 PM}.

The Coast Starlights met at the east end of Santa Margarita before we went into the siding at Chorro. I had a 5:30 PM dinner reservation so ate the whole meal of a T-Bone steak and the usual ice cream dessert while I was sitting there. Finally, Union Pacific 4966 North rounded the Goldtree Horseshoe Curve before passing us on the mainline on our right and once it passed, we proceeded to San Luis Obispo after dark then departed at 6:25 PM {3:20 PM} and I moved to a seat in the rear of the car. A family with four boys, the youngest, three, did nothing but cause trouble to their parents all afternoon. While I found it comical in the daylight, I was not going to put up with their antics after dark now that all my new friends had departed. I napped to Santa Barbara where I stepped off for some fresh air and learned that the delay in San Luuis Obispo was caused by an aluminium leak which left only a single track through town open which that freight train was on.

We departed Santa Barbara at 8:57 PM {6:17 PM} and ran with no more delays to Strathearn, where we went into the siding and waited for a late Metrolink 119 which had been delayed by a freight-auto accident earlier in the evening before we reached Simi Valley and from there, we travelled to Glendale with no further delays. I want to thank Larry Craig, who had been my excellent car attendant for the last four days. We arrived at Los Angeles Union Station at 11:08 PM {9:00 PM}, two hours and eight minutes late, ending another excellent Amtrak adventure.

The Amtrak Thruway bus departed at 11:39 PM with 25 passengers aboard. At Fullerton, we were greeted by connecting passengers off the extremely late-running Southwest Chief, that had just arrived at Fullerton at 11:45 PM {6:44 AM}. The passengers told me that two of the locomotives had died outside Chicago and two freight units were added to the point, but were restricted to 79 MPH instead of the Amtrak ATCS-equipped engines that can travel 90 MPH. The latter died on the law at Ibis, California, only adding more to their tardiness. We left Fullerton at 12:17 AM, Anaheim at 12:35 AM and I debussed at 12:43 AM, only to find Pacific Surfliner 595 sitting dead in Santa Ana with engine failure. I drove home, ending yet another Amtrak adventure.

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