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A Big Circle Back to La Plata 8/8-14/2008

Sally of the Depot Inn & Suites drove me to the La Plata Amtrak station and I said goodbye but would be back next Thursday evening. I had been informed at dinner that the Million Amtrak Mile plaque that had been in the Chris Guenzler Million Mile Lookout Point kept falling off the wall so Bob Cox, the station agent, saw it at the hotel's front desk one day and suggested it should be placed in the station.

The overall display of my One Millionth Amtrak Mile inside the station.

The plaque, one of four made. I have one on display at my house, this one in this station, a third in the Exhibition of Amtrak History and the fourth in the Silver Rails Event Center.

The picture created for that event. I enjoyed the passing of Union Pacific and BNSF stack trains while I waited for mine then everyone from the Passenger Train Historical Society picnic came down to the station to see me off.

The train arrived a little after 8:08 PM so it did not make the 08/08/08:08 as some people here had hoped. Its consist was P42DCs 12 and 68, baggage 1757, transition 39011, sleepers 32081 "Illinois" and 32005, diner 38019, lounge 33049 with coaches 34029, 34139 and 34012. I boarded "Illinois" and had Room 12 with Joan as my Sleeping Car Attendant. I listened to Yes' "Magnification" as I started to work on this story but could not find my memory card reader, despite going through all my luggage and calling the Depot Inn & Suites to see if I had left it in my room I was in. With that, I made up my room and called it a night. While I slept, we lost an hour in Newton, Kansas due to a passenger's medical problem in the coaches.

8/9/2008 I awoke just as the train arrived at Dodge City at 7:30 AM so that meant many miles of Kansas before we reached Colorado. I went to the dining car for French Toast and sausage patties followed by a refreshing shower. At Garden City, Kansas, I saw the tracks of the Garden City & Western Railroad before we made our way into Colorado. At Holly, I called my good friend Tom Anderson and asked if he could get to a Radio Shack and purchase a new memory card reader for me. As long as they opened at 9:00 AM, he would able to do so and could hand it to me at Fullerton. We arrived at Lamar before sprinting to La Junta as I listened to Yes again then took a fresh air break once we arrived.

The Southwest Chief was at rest at La Junta. With a new crew, the train departed at 9:45 AM {8:15 AM} and I watched Paul McCartney's "Back in the USA Concert Film" as the train rolled the miles to Trinidad and Raton Pass.

Dick Wooton Santa Fe Trail sign erected by the Santa Fe Railway.

The train climbed Raton Pass before we passed through the Raton Tunnel and dropped down to Raton, New Mexico, our next fresh air stop. I called Let's Talk Trains, the Internet radio show, thanks to an extended stop here to detrain and entrain Boy Scouts. We departed over an hour late so I hoped we made up time and not lose any more on this trip to Los Angeles. My next DVD was Yes' "Songs from Tsongas, The 35th Anniversary Concert".

Towering cumulonimbus clouds off to the north as we neared Springer.

Later as we approached Las Vegas, there were rain showers to the west.

Much later, the train came down the Chappell "S" curves on the way down to the Pecos River before we started to climb Glorieta Pass. As we neared the summit, I called Julie, Amtrak's automated agent, and found out that Train 4 left Gallup at 1:48 PM because the train hit someone and it was a suicide. We descended through Apache Canyon and into Lamy, where a Santa Fe Southern mixed train was sitting on a siding. The Southwest Chief passed through a good rain shower on its way towards Albuquerque then at Bernalillo, we held the main for a New Mexico Rail Runner train before our arrival in Albuquerque at 4:44 PM {3:55 PM}.

We departed there at 5:20 PM {4:45 PM} and at the south end of double track, stopped to let a New Mexico Rail Runner train for Belen to be on time and we were delayed twelve minutes. At 6:00 PM, I went to the dining car and had a flat iron steak and chocolate ice cream while seeing the most intense rainbow I had ever seen from a train. A BNSF freight train had hit someone on the south track east of Grants and we slowly passed the site as we were eating.

An interesting mesa after dinner. I caught up the story before watching "ABBA: The Movie".

Red mesas of New Mexico. We stopped in Gallup and Tom was able to purchase the memory card reader and would be in Fullerton in the morning. The movie ended in Holbrook, Arizona and I made up my bed and called it a night.

8/10/2008 I awoke just before San Bernardino and enjoyed the fresh air there and while my room was being made up, went to the lounge car and bought a cinnamon roll and picked up some orange juice in the sleeper.

Past West Corona, Mount Baldy through the morning haze.

We ran by the last orange grove along the Southwest Chief's route as we made our way through Santa Ana Canyon on the way to Fullerton. Tom was waiting and handed me the memory card reader and I used it as the train made its final sprint into LAUPT, arriving early at 7:28 AM {8:15 AM}, ending the first part of the circle back to La Plata.

If you had an over three hour wait at LAUPT for the bus to connect with San Joaquin Train 715 (for which I was ticketed), or try to catch the earlier 7:45 AM bus to Bakersfield for San Joaquin Train 713, which would you do? The driver said "Hop aboard sir, no problem!" and I did. I took my laptop and camera bag on the bus with me and it was a quick trip to Bakersfield. I called the Santa Ana station to check on space on Train 713 and he replied that there wa plenty of room. We arrived at Bakersfield at 9:42 AM and the Amtrak agent met the bus and said "No need to change your tickets and enjoy the rest of your trip".

I put my bags next to the Moonstone Beach coach and acquired the consist before everyone boarded then called my brother Bruce, advising him of my change and we made sure there was an Elk Grove connecting bus which arrived at 3:00 PM. I told him I would keep him informed on how the train's schedule coming up the valley to Stockton.

The train consisted of F59PHI 2013, coach/baggage 8201 "San Francisco Bay", coach 6465 "Moonstone Beach" {Surfliner seats}, coach/café 8814 "Mission Valley" and cab car 8312 "Mount Inyo". We were allowed to board at 9:55 AM for a 10:15 AM on-time departure. I started this trip watching Rainbow's "Live in Munich 1977". Some alarm went off downstairs and it took a good eight minutes of ear-piercing noise before a conductor came and shut the blasted thing off, which made it a quieter trip to Wasco.

We took the siding at Allensworth, for San Joaquin 702 before proceeding to Cocoran. After Hanford, the café queue finally lessened and I bought a hot dog as Rainbow took me to Fresno, where I switched to Cheap Trick's "Live in Germany". We stopped at Madera then ran to Planda and took the siding for San Joaquin 714 before making our way to Merced, a fresh air stop on a very warm afternoon. The train departed on time and went straight to Turlock/Denair then on to Modesto before making the final sprint to Stockton, where I detrained. I boarded the bus to Elk Grove where my brother Bruce was waiting and he took me to his home for the night.

8/11/2008 Bruce awoke me at 4:25 AM and after I finished preparing my luggage, we drove to the Sacramento Amtrak station where he dropped me off while he drove to Old Sacramento to park for his day of work. I went into the station and while free wireless Internet was offered, the station agent could not give me a password. I rolled my luggage on a cart to the waiting train and waited for the crew to open the door.

This pre-dawn departure consisted of F59PHI 2008, coach 8016 "San Luis Rey", coach 8015 "Salinas Valley", café 8813 "San Fernando Valley", coach 6463 "Muir Beach"{Surfliner seats} and cab car 8414 "Mount Pinos". I chose a seat in "Muir Beach" and went to the café for a cinnamon roll before our on-time departure of 5:30 AM. The train ran through the darkness of the morning to Davis and Suisan-Fairfield before the bright morning sun rose. After the stop at Martinez, the Carquinez Straits were beautiful in the morning light. The train then ran along San Pablo Bay to Richmond, Berkeley and onto Emeryville, where I took the a picture as the train was leaving for San Jose. I went into the Emeryville station to wait before it neared the time when Train 6 would arrive. The first train to come into Emeryville was San Joaquin 712 which had a very colourful car in the consist.

Take Transit-Save Gas coach.

San Joaquin 712 departed for Bakersfield.

Capitol Corridor Train 725 was next to arrive and I went up the stairs of the pedestrian bridge to wait for Train 6.

This train, on its brand new first day 8:55 AM departure schedule, consisted of P42DCs 139 and 61, baggage 1756, transition 39027, sleepers 32067 and 32056, diner 38028, lounge 33047 and coaches 34042, 34137 and 34017. I was in sleeper 32056 with Reggie as my sleeping Car Attendant. We departed Emeryville on time and made our way to Martinez, being delayed by a late-running Coast Starlight Train 11 and a westbound Capitol Corridor train. My book for this trip was John Grisham's "Playing for Pizza".

The Mothball Fleet of the United States Navy as the train proceeded to Davis followed by Sacramento, the first fresh air stop of the eastbound journey. We continued to Roseville, then at Rocklin a signal dropped from green to red. After the crew checked the signal, we went up the steeper line through the Bloomer Cut to Bowman, passing a waiting eastbound freight train there and crossed over to our normal route to Colfax. I enjoyed an Angus beef burger from Bowman to almost Colfax then watched Disc 2 of Led Zeppelin's "Live" DVD for the rest of the climb up Donner Pass.

Looking down into Long Ravine.

The American River Canyon from Cape Horn before we ran through Gold Run.

Later, more views of the American River Canyon.

A look back to where we were a few minutes ago above Emigrant Gap. We continued to Yuba Gap and Shed Ten. A few miles above there, we passed the westbound California Zephyr running a couple hours late. Our eastbound Zephyr then ran to Soda Springs and Norden before entering the "Big Hole" Summit Tunnel of Donner Pass.

Donner Lake was below us before we descended down Coldstream Canyon to Truckee, where the Zeppelin DVD ended just before.

We paralleled the Truckee River.

A flume the once carried water above the Truckee River.

There were rapids on the river which we followed to Reno, our next fresh air stop.

The Reno station platform.

The lower level of the Reno station. We departed at 4:30 PM {3:51 PM} and we made our way to Sparks, after which, we headed east out across the Nevada Desert.

The Fernley station now houses a museum. At 5:30 PM, I went to the dining car for dinner and enjoyed a flat iron steak and vanilla ice cream, after which I watched the Rolling Stones' "Shine a Light" as the train made its way to Winnemucca and beyond. Winnemucca was a brief fresh air stop back at the first coach door.

At Weso, we swung over onto the former Western Pacific so here's looking at the former Southern Pacific.

The Rolling Stones. I took a break taking a fantastic hot shower before returning to more of the Stones then made up my room and called it a night.

8/12/2008 During the night, the train crew put off a drunk in Wendover, Utah before arriving at Salt Lake City early but with a late departure. I awoke near Sandy and rode the lounge car into Provo, passing where US Steel once had a major plant. I bought a cinnamon roll and a cup of green tea, enjoying that as we made our way towards the Narrows to start the climb over Soldier Summit. Back in my room, passing through the Narrows, we passed an empty Utah Railway coal train climbing the grade before we neared Thistle and the line relocation after the major slide.

The twin tunnels installed after the slide occured in 1983.

Looking back towards the Narrows. The grade of the former Rio Grande route that I rode on the Rio Grande Zephyr can be seen to the left of the stream.

The slide came down that valley, blocking the Rio Grande and US Highway 6, which both had to be relocated after the slide created Lake Thistle behind it, where the town of Thistle once stood.

This is where Lake Thistle once was.

A look back to where we had been.

One more view of the valley where Thistle used to be. Above here, we ran along an eastbound Union Pacific train climbing the grade about five miles an hour slower than us. As our train took the curve at the bottom of the Gilluly Loops still running beside the freight train, our train pulled by him as we both started up the middle level of.

The Union Pacific freight climbing the Gilluly Loops on Soldier Summit. We finished the climb to the summit and started down the grade to Helper.

Scenery near Kyunne.

The tunnels at Kyunne. Our train continued the descent, passing Castle Rock and Utah Railway Junction before arriving at Helper then continued through Price and descended onto the Utah Desert.

The view to the south of our train near Grassy.

Looking south towards distant peaks.

The Book Cliffs to the north as we crossed the Utah Desert.

Later, some interesting geology of the region.

Crossing the Green River which was very muddy this morning after our stop at Green River, Utah. The train passed my favourite siding of Solitude before we lost head-end power and stopped.

Interesting mounds dot the landscape on my side of the train.

The Book Cliffs are always on the north side of the train when you cross the Utah Desert heading eastbound. The crew finally fixed the head-end power problem using the lead engine's HEP generator and switching off the second unit's HEP. The California Zepyr passed through Thompson then descended to the Colorado River at Westwater. From there we would be following the Colorado River for 238 miles on this scenic journey starting with Ruby Canyon, my favourite canyon on the Amtrak system. Since I photographically covered this route extensively over the years and in both of my million mile stories, I would enjoy our journey on this train and take only a few pictures today. I started to listen to Trevor Rabin's self-titled album as well as "Face to Face". Now, a trip through Ruby Canyon.

I enjoyed the incredible beauty of this canyon. We then entered Grand Valley and ran on to Grand Junction, our servicing stop and fresh air break.