I woke up west of San Antonio with the train running about an hour late. This train had P42DCs 14 and 185, baggage 1172, transition 39005, sleeper 32045, diner 38018, lounge 33047, coaches 35002, 34016 and 34098, with sleeper 32086 "Louisiana". The 34098 and 32086 are the through cars from the Texas Eagle. I had breakfast with Sharon, travelling from New Orleans to her home in Culver City, California, and Hope, who was going from Atlanta to San Diego to take a cruise to Hawai'i. I enjoyed French Toast and sausage patties about an hour from our fresh air stop at Del Rio. My sleeping car attendant from San Antonio to Los Angeles was Amtrak veteran Isaac Champaign, whom I had on the Southwest Chief and Coast Starlight over the years.
One of West Texas' finest views, not! A few minutes later, we arrived in Del Rio for a fresh air stop and our departure was still about an hour late.
I saw the Rio Grande River, which is the United States/Mexico border, as we continued west. We left the river behind until we would cross it west of El Paso in about 445 more miles.
Amistad Dam and Lake.
The west shore of Amistad Lake.
Passengers were enjoying the Sightseer Lounge car this bright January morning.
The train was on the way to the Pecos River high bridge.
I was enjoying my room despite the dirty window.
The view from my window. Do you not agree that it is bad?
We passed a former Southern Pacific water tower just east of Pecos River.
Crossed the Pecos River on the high cantilever deck truss bridge built in 1944, which is 2,180 feet long and 321 feet above the river.
A bridge abutment to the north of our train.
We ran through Eagle Nest Canyon just east of Langtry.
Passing Langtry, home of Judge Roy Bean, the first judge west of the Pecos River.
Crossing another bridge west of Langtry.
A Union Pacific stack train at Pumpville.
Crossing the bridge over Malvado Canyon.
An eastbound Union Pacific freight train at Fedora.
We went through Sanderson without stopping.
Emerson siding.
We flew by Longfellow siding.
Passing through Rosenfeld siding.
Maxon siding.
We reached Tesnus siding, which was full of gondola cars.
The train passed the empty Haymond siding.
Our train went by Warwick siding, which was full of empty stack cars.
Passing Marathon, Texas.
We reached Marathon siding, where a Union Pacific stack train was waiting.
The empty Lenox siding
At Altuda siding, there was a Union Pacific freight waiting for us to clear.
We slowly passed Altuda siding.
There was another Union Pacific stack train here with two CSX locomotives on the rear.
Views between Altuda and Strobel.
We passed a Union Pacific freight at Strobel and continued straight to Alpine, where our train crew cancelled the fresh air stop to try and make up time.
It was here that I saw a very large gap in the mainline rail.
Our train departed Alpine en route to Paisano Pass, the highest point on the entire Sunset Route.
Alpine Junction.
We first came to Alpine Junction and found another eastbound Union Pacific freight in the siding.
We climbed the grade and reached the west end of Paisano Pass at Paisano Junction and Paisano siding.
The train dropped down the grade to Marfa, home of the famous ghost lights.
Later just east of Quebec siding, there was an airship docked.
We continued on to Hot Wells siding.
The Sunset Limited had reached Sierra Blanca, where the former Texas and Pacific joins the Southern Pacific Sunset route.
Next it started to snow!
There was an eastbound Union Pacific train at Lasca siding.
Our train crossed a bridge before Small siding.
At Small siding there was yet another eastbound Union Pacific freight.
At Finlay siding was a westbound Union Pacific train.
CSX power on a work train at McNary siding.
A Southern Pacific water tank between McNary and Iser.
The train ran to Iser, where a westbound Union Pacific train was in the siding.
Tornillo siding just east of El Paso.
We continued toward Tornillo siding where another Union Pacific freight waited for us.
Union Pacific yard power at Alfalfa Yard, on the east side of El Paso.
We had reached Union Pacific's El Paso Yard.
The Sunset Limited passed through the yard and Tower 47, where the Carrizzo Subdivision from Tucumcari joins the Sunset Route.
Another view of the Tower 47 area. We had to wait for an eastbound Union Pacific freight to clear so we could reach El Paso Union Station.
The offending freight train finally passed us in the trench under downtown.
The El Paso skyline.
The view upon exiting the trench before reaching the station.
The Sunset Limited at rest at El Paso. I detrained to get a newspaper and a picture of the train and met Kevin and his dad. Kevin reads my website and it is always interesting to meet one of my readers. We departed on time and at 6:30 PM, after we entered New Mexico, I went to the dining car and was seated with Jackie from Huntington Beach, heading home from Fort Worth, and William who works in Big Bend National Park and has climbed 64 mountain peaks, going to Tucson. I enjoyed a pork chop and chocolate cake then had an after-dinner shower before enjoying an evening of music in my darkened room. Later, I made up my room for the night.
