I was up early at the International Hotel in Minot to begin my journey home and had a wonderful French Toast and bacon breakfast served by Rosemary from Malta, Montana. I relaxed before taking the shuttle van to the Minot Amtrak station and checked in with Amtrak, learning that the Empire Builder was not due in until 9:15 AM.
I photographed my last Canadian Pacific Railway train of the trip on its way out of town at Soo Tower, as well as westbound BNSF in front of the station. Bob Douglas, who had been on the Canadian Pacific 2816 excursion for all four days, came down to say goodbye and we talked while I waited.
The train arrived at 9:15 AM and George Oslin was my Sleeping Car Attendant. This Empire Builder had P42DCs 178 and 167, baggage 1212, transition 39018, sleepers 32006 and 32084 "Kansas", diner 38025, coaches 34055 and 31523 (former smoker), lounge 33011, coaches 35006 and 34088 and sleeper 32065. We departed at 9:36 AM {9:06AM} and I visited Bob in the lounge car until after we crossed the Gassman Trestle where I returned to Room 11 in the "Kansas" to listen to music. The Builder took me to Stanley and then onto Williston, where I detrained to see Great Northern 2-8-2 3059 on display. Upon switching my watch from Central Time to Mountain Time, I realized that later when I switched it to Pacific Time, I would be living a 26-hour day.
We skirted a major thunderstorm cell complex as it passed Fort Union and entered Montana then went into the siding at Blair for fifteen minutes to wait for a BNSF intermodal train. At noon, I enjoyed a Angus beef burger with an ice cream sundae as we stopped at Wolf Point then returned to the Montana big clear skies as I relaxed. We stopped at Malta (hello from Rosemary) then went into the siding at Dodson where we met the eastbound Empire Builder and returned to the dark cloudy skies on the approach to Havre. It began to rain as we stopped to refuel the locomotives before we arrived at the station where I saw Great Northern 4-8-4 2584 on my way inside the station for my usual Havre ice cream sandwich. I returned to my sleeper and took the time to wash the windows then witnessed "hail in Havre" which sent everyone scurrying back to the train and our engineer was in the doorway with me. We departed at 4:10 PM {3:04 PM}.
Bob and I talked in my room as the rain ended until they called us into dinner at 5:00 PM. We joined a couple from Virginia who told us a lot about Notre Dame and I enjoyed a T-Bone steak and an ice cream sundae from Menu 4. Back in my room, the Continental Divide on the Rocky Mountains stood out on the western horizon across the plains.
We slowly crossed the Two Medicine Bridge as it was undergoing deck replacement and arrived at East Glacier then made the late afternoon climb over Marias Pass before descending down the west slope on the way to Essex, where we picked up some people who had stayed at the Izaak Walton Inn. I went peak hunting, which is what I call trying to get a good clear photograph of those beautiful peaks of Glacier National Park.
I enjoyed this beauty all the way to West Glacier where I made my bed and called it a night.
7/12/2004 I awoke along the Columbia River just short of Wenatchee, Washington and went to the dining car for a French Toast and sausage breakfast at 5:30 AM. After stopping at Wenatchee, we started climbing the Cascade Mountains on a beautiful clear sunny morning and entered the 7.79 mile long Cascade Tunnel under Stevens Pass, enjoying total darkness, except for the twenty-two safety lights spread out evenly inside the length of the tunnel. We exited at Scenic to a waiting BNSF freight in the siding there before starting down the 2.2 percent grade to Skykomish. Everyone enjoyed the beautiful Mount Index through the trees after we passed through Skykomish on this beautiful clear Cascade morning. At Gold Bar, a BNSF stack train was tucked away in the siding for our passage and below, Mt Rainier could be seen 100 miles away to the south. The peak of Mount Olympus on the Olympic Peninsula could be seen above the hills to the west as we rolled through Snohomish.
We proceeded to Everett and once Amtrak Cascades 510 departed, we arrived for the final fresh air stop of this trip on the Empire Builder. After exiting the tunnel under downtown Everett, we passed the BNSF offices, the former Amtrak stop and started our shore-running along Puget Sound, passing through Edmonds and the Ballard Locks on the way to Interbay Yard before stopping at MP 2 between two BNSF trains. The Empire Builder finished the run along the Seattle waterfront and plunged into the Seattle downtown tunnel to King Street station, which we passed before reversing into it at 9:56 AM, or twenty-four minutes early, to end this part of my journey home. Thank you, BNSF, for all the excellent train-handling throughout the last two days.
Seattle 7/12/2004I went to 5th and Jackson Street to find the Waterfront streetcar crew at rest. There was a Kinko's next door so I checked my e-mail before boarding Car 482 for the trip to Bell Street. After taking two elevators to reach street level, I walked the six blocks over the hill to the Kings Inn and stored my luggage since my room was not ready yet and went to the Pacific Place AMC Theater to see "Spiderman II" which I enjoyed then relaxed back in the room for a while before going to Ralph's for some chicken and Camera West for some more film, as you never know what I might see on the way home. I walked back down to the waterfront, arrivingn there about 4:30 PM knowing there would be three trains all within the next ninety minutes, as well as whatever BNSF might send my way.
First came the Empire Builder, the same one I arrived on this morning, with a different crew and new passengers as well.
The trolley showed up at the same time the Seattle Sounder commuter train to Everett.
Amtrak Cascades 516 snuck up on me so I only managed the going-away shot. I walked back to Bell Street and up on the walkway with first a BNSF power set followed by a BNSF stack train. I returned to the hotel to rest for my final long distance train of this trip.
7/13/2004 Following a great night's rest, I had my usual MacDonald's breakfast before checking out and walking back to the Bell Street station on the Waterfront Streetcar line. After I held the elevator door for a beautiful young lady so she would not miss her 7:30 AM conference call, the southbound Sounder from Everett arrived on time.
I went to the Wall Street grade crossing to wait for Amtrak Cascades 510 on a very cloudy dark day then walked back to Bell Street, where a BNSF stack train was proceeding south. Trolley 512 picked me up and took me back to 5th and Jackson, where I visited Kinko's again to check my e-mail.
Out on Jackson Street, a King County Metro electric bus rolled in front of Union Station.
The interior of this beautifully-restored station, which houses the headquarters of Sound Transit. From there I walked back to King Street Station via the skywalk and elevator over the station tracks as the Seattle sky tried to rain.
Coast Starlight 11 7/13/2004
My ticket was taken at 9:11 AM and I continued to relax until boarding time. It was announced that there would be no Sunset Limited connection due to bridge problems on that route and they would try to put connecting passengers on the eastbound Empire Builder tonight or on some other route (California Zephyr or Southwest Chief). About 9:30 AM, they let the sleeping passengers walk out to the train and I boarded the 1130 car and Room 2, with Joy Cortez as my sleeping car attendant.
When I saw the train, I knew something was missing. See if you can spot it. P42DCs 116 and 118, baggage 1211, transition 39022, sleepers 32082 "Indiana", 32013 "Ohio", 32109 "South Dakota" (mine), diner 38059, lounge 33030, coaches 34030, 34515 (kiddie), 34113 and 31014. I found it amusing that I was riding in "South Dakota", a state with no Amtrak service, on an Amtrak train set with no Pacific Parlour Car. With no Sunset connection, would I make my Pacific Surfliner connection? We did, however, depart on time, rolling south with a good but hazy view of Mount Rainier and made our way to Tacoma. Tacoma Union Station is being surrounded by buildings and we passed the grain elevators along the harbour.
After passing through the Ruston and Nelson Bennett tunnels, the Tacoma Narrows bridge came into view as we were passed by northbound Amtrak Cascades 500. I enjoyed a Angus beef burger and sundae with a couple moving from England to Australia and a person from the Bay Area who flew to Seattle and was riding home.
The Starlight rolled through the tunnel with the Columbia and Cowlitz Railroad bridge that I had never seen a train on all the times times I have ridden by. We continued to Kelso-Longview before racing the miles to Vancouver.
After our station stop at Vancouver, we crossed the Columbia River into Oregon and a Union Pacific freight was waiting at North Portland. We made our way into Portland Union Station twenty minutes early and thank you to BNSF for all the excellent handling of my trains on this entire trip. It was extremely warm and after getting some hot tamales from inside the station, I washed four lower window pairs for my fellow passengers so they could have a much clearer view.
We sat waiting for a green signal for seven minutes, making our departure late, and crossed the Willamette River on the Steel Bridge then stopped at Clackamas siding, starting the delays with Union Pacific with a eight-minute hindrance for a hi-rail truck. More slow orders, then a cut of freight cars at Woodburn did not allow for a clean photograph of Southern Pacific 1785 on display there. We left Salem eighteen minutes late and then encountered the slow order for Interstate 5 bridge construction. South of Albany, Union Pacific had all their freights in the siding out of our way and I learned that Amtrak 14, the northbound Coast Starlight, was over three hours late. We arrived at Eugene and I stepped off to a very hot day with a red signal. The northbound Starlight came in at 5:38 PM {1:00 PM} and we left thirty minutes late. I enjoyed a New York strip and sundae at dinner and my two table mates were on the Mississippi Queen river boat and told tales of their trip which was fascinating. We reached Lookout Point Reservoir and at Minnow, we went into the siding for Union Pacific 4571 East.
Later I finally took a good picture of the covered bridge that had always escaped me, namely 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 and 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 triple 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.
As the Starlight climbed to Cascade Summit, the purple and white wildflowers were spectacular. I spotted the ever-pleasant Patty, who was working the coaches and knew she was doing her usual excellent job. The late afternoon sun made our trip over Cascade Summit even more spectacular than normal. At Abernathy, we went around Union Pacific 5849 West, which was holding the mainline. Joy, our excellent attendant, brought around warmed chocolate chip cookies to all the sleeping car passengers and even though there was no Pacific Parlour Car, Joy provided superior service. I was tired so I turned in before Chemult then we arrived at Klamath Falls early and departed on time into the night.
7/14/2004 I awoke in the Sacramento Valley in California just south of Chico ready for to relax for my final day on the train as we were running one hour and twenty minutes late. The Sutter Buttes stood out in the bright morning sun before we travelled the former Western Pacific down to Sacramento, stopping briefly at Pleasant Grove for an eastbound Union Pacific freight to clear the mainline. Our train proceeded to Haggin, where we turned west onto the California Pacific into Sacramento, arriving at 7:32 AM, where I picked up a USA Today and saw my brother Bruce before we departed at 7:55 AM {6:35 AM} on this bright sunny July morning. We made our way to Davis, then Martinez, where there was an extended fresh air stop. Departure was at 9:00 AM {7:34 AM} and we continued to Emeryville and Oakland, but had some slow running as we made our way to San José, departing there at 11:35 AM {10:07 AM}, which was another extended fresh air stop. The biggest change in scenery from my last visit is that the hills were now golden brown instead of that fantastic green. We proceeded through the Pajaro Gap and I had Joy bring me a dessert for lunch as I was not that hungry, so enjoyed the delicious chocolate cake and ice cream as we went through the Moss Landing Wetlands.
The Starlight kept rolling south into the Salinas Valley and Salinas, where Southern Pacific 0-6-0 1237 was in primer brown to be painted into black tomorrow and lettered in two weeks. We departed at 1:05 PM {11:48 AM} and continued our journey up the Salinas Valley where at Soledad, both siding switches had to be aligned as we continued south, since the trackage here was ancient. I walked to the rear of the train as the Coast Starlight passed through the Bradley area of the Valley as we rolled the miles to Paso Robles, departing there at 3:07 PM {1:38 PM}, notably losing time as we had lost 18 more minutes getting there. However, it was not bad considering some of my trips! We ran with no further delays to Santa Margarita before we went through the summit tunnel and started down Cuesta Grade to Chorro, where we held the main for the northbound Coast Starlight, which passed on time. Good luck to you my sister train!
We rounded the Horseshoe Curve and crossed the Steener viaduct into San Luis Obispo.
We departed at 4:25 PM {3:20 PM} with two former Trona Railway locomotives in helper service, this being Helm Leasing SD45-2 6242, ex. Santa Fe 5712, nee Trona Railway 3001 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1974. I had the lone 5:15 PM dinner reservation and was joined by a couple from Pittsburgh, enjoying a T-Bone steak and a final sundae with a family across the aisle picking my brains about Amtrak. I went to an empty oceanside room to enjoy the view to Santa Barbara which was quite rare.
It was certainly beautiful in this afternoon light. We rounded Point Conception and proceeded east along a calm Santa Barbara channel then passed Pacific Surfliner 775 at Gaviota, surrounded by nature and stopped briefly for our last track warrant into Santa Barbara. At Goleta, we flew by my ride home, Pacific Surfliner 796, travelling at 79 MPH ready to follow us into Los Angeles then had the last fresh air stop at Santa Barbara before leaving there in the late afternoon daylight at 6:55 PM {6:17 PM}. I enjoyed the ocean to Ventura and we quickly sprinted to Oxnard then at Camarillo, ran down the siding to let Metrolink 119 pass on the mainline. Jan, whom I had dinner with last night, showed me her "Steamboats across America" T-shirt and I showed her my "Grand Excursion 2004" T-shirt. I learned that of all the boats I saw on the Mississippi River, only the Mississippi Queen, Delta Queen and Julie Swain were true steam boats.
At Chatsworth, we went into the siding and waited for Bob Riskie on a late-running Pacific Surfliner 785 that he was working. We made a post-sunset run across the San Fernando Valley to Glendale and Joy let me call home as the train ran the final miles to LAUPT, arriving right on time at 9:00 PM. I like to thank the BNSF, Union Pacific and Metrolink for the excellent job on getting us into Los Angeles on time for this segment. Now all I had to do was wait for Pacific Surfliner 796 to arrive and I stayed on the platform in the nice cool night air.
Pacific Surfliner 796 7/14/2004
The train arrived on time and the ever-beautiful conductor Mishi welcomed me to Pacific Business Class with me settling in for the trip home to Santa Ana. We departed and she took my ticket then I watched most of "The West Wing" then "Friends" followed by "According to Jim" as the train sped to Fullerton, Anaheim and into Santa Ana three minutes early, ending another grand adventure on Amtrak, Metra, Milwaukee Road 261, Kenosha Transit and Canadian Pacific 2816. My mother picked me up and it was good to be home.
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