This trip wouuld be unique as I was flying one way from Ontario, California to Kansas City, Missouri then would be driven to La Plata for one night's stay at the Depot Inn & Suites. The next day, Saturday, was the Grand Opening of the Exhibition of Amtrak History on the grounds of the Depot Inn and later in downtown La Plata, the Grand Opening of the Silver Rails Event Center. I would return to the hotel and have dinner before being taken to the Amtrak station to board the Southwest Chief so I could return home Monday morning, if everything went according to plan.
I worked most of the week at McFadden Intermediate and was ready to return to La Plata once again.
2/22/2008 I returned from work and relaxed as I did my laundry then after a good steak dinner, finished packing as I watched television until it was time to drive to the Santa Ana station where I would park my car until Monday morning. I walked inside the station to give Marty, my excellent night-time Amtrak agent, my parking pass then returned to the parking lot, finding the Trainparty.com van with Steve Grande and his wife Barbara Cepinko. Steve helped me load my luggage and we proceeded to Interstate 5 to California 57 to Interstate 10 where we exited as 4th Street in Ontario then arrived at the Travelodge for the night. I listened to last week's second segment of Let's Talk Trains, the Internet Radio Show, before I called it a night.
To La Plata by Air and Car 2/23/2008I was up early and at 7:30 AM, the now four of us, as Bob Carpenter flew in from San Jose last night to join our party. It was a very short drive and soon, while the others checked their luggage to Kansas City, I went through the security line with no problems but did not expect there to be two Gate 210s whose doors were two doors apart from each other. I waited and did some Sudoku puzzles and saw a westbound Union Pacific stack train pass then checked the status of the westbound Sunset Limited. The rest of the group arrived, along with Carole Walker, my travel agent, who was joining us on this trip.
Express Jet then announced the boarding of Flight 0012 to Kansas City and we lined up and went out of the door, carefully negotiating the wet stairs since it had rained and I thought the steps should have been swept off. We all made our way to the plane and passengers left their larger bags on a cart. Everyone had boarded and we all settled in for the flight to Kansas City. Then the stewardess announced that this plane was going to Colorado Springs. The first comment from someone was "I thought this was a non-stop flight to Kansas City". The stewardess then asked how many of us were going there and every passenger's hand went up. She asked the Captain and soon we all were told that this was not our flight and we must leave. Everyone on the plane had to get off and return to the terminal. I thought this was really funny and cracked a few jokes that made everyone laugh as we waited. The good news is that we saw the westbound Sunset Limited pass by the Ontario Airport.
About forty minutes later, we boarded a jetway to the correct plane and departed forty-five minutes late. The clouds did not part until we were over the San Luis Valley and a highlight was seeing the Department of Transportation Test Track from the air. We landed at Kansas City forty-five minutes late and our group gathered then Steve and I took the rental car shuttle to the Hertz desk and received a twelve-passenger Ford van. Back at the airport, we picked up everyone, including Barbara's parents, who had flown to Kansas City from San Jose. Steve drove Interstate 29 south to Missouri 152, which we took east to Liberty then turned left onto Interstate 35, taking that to Cameron and exiting onto US 36 East. We stopped at a Walmart at Chillicothe before continuing east to Macon, where we turned left on US 63 to La Plata and arrived ato the Depot Inn and Suites.
La Plata 2/23/2008I checked in, receiving Room J and then Carl Morrison, Bob Carpenter, Carole and I went over to the Red Rooster where I had a T-bone steak. After dinner, I excused myself and went back to the hotel to get my cameras and went for my first look at the Amtrak material handling car that is now the home to the Exhibition of Amtrak History.
Preview of the Exhibition of Amtrak History 2/23/2008
The interior of the car from December 2007 before work commenced to convert it to the Exhibition of Amtrak History. I walked in and could not believe what I was seeing. From that empty shell, there was now a unique collection of Amtrak memorabelia and history.
Amtrak Working Together For Our Success.
Dining car table and Gate F sign.
Los Angeles to Las Vegas Talgo arriving 1998, Not!
Amtrak California Zephyr 50 Timeless Years of Service.
Railpax
Looking both ways down the rail car.
Cups, post cards, safety hard hat and Operation Red Block.
Coffee mugs from many named trains.
Operation Red Block and several other items.
Glassware from many named trains.
A photograph of the Empire Builder near East Glacier Park, taken by the author.
Various posters.
More posters.
Introducing the Most Scenic Ski Lift via Amtrak.
Experience the Renaissance of the Coast Starlight.
Hats and T-shirts.
Amtrak San Diegan Clock, Empire Builder and Desert Wind
Lake Shore Limited dining car menus.
Empire Builder hat, Cardinal hat and Surfliner items.
Auto Train and Talgo.
Hats, Sunset Limited and others.
Two cases of Coast Starlight materials.
Coast Starlight poster.
Amtrak's High Speed Service coming in 1999 with the Acela trains.
Amtrak trains with Viewliner Sleepers.
Amtrak America serving over 500 Destinations.
National Timetables, Capitol Corridor and Sunset Limited.
Trainee uniform and Twilight Shoreliner.
Amtrak Supervisor Uniform of Raphel Davis, conductor's hat and employee ties.
Corridor timetables, wine glasses and postcards.
Invest in the Guest banner.
An Amtrak display cube.
Books, station stamps, wine glasses and other items.
Amtrak Pioneer and flashlights.
Books and various Amtrak objects.
More Amtrak books.
San Joaquin dining car poster.
Student Advantage poster.
We Just Made Love, a First Class Journey aboard the Coast Starlight.
Acela Excellence poster.
North America Rail Pass poster.
Amtrak Mail and Express.
Another North America Rail Pass poster.
Take a Scenic Trip by Train poster.
Rail Res When Quality Meets Technology.
Other Amtrak posters.
Sunset Limited, Acela and buttons.
Try Our Car Instead poster and Amtrak Service Policy and Procedures Manual.
Amtrak souvenir blanket.
Amtrak Superliner poster.
Two Amtrak Discover The Magic posters.
California Car and Amtrak photo albums.
Empire Builder, Amtrak Vacations and the Southwest Chief.
Amtrak slides, National Timetable and the old Amtrak pointless arrow symbol.
Silver Service.
Menu Service Guides and Crescent.
Amtrak chef jacket.
Lounge car menu cards.
North America Rail Pass posters.
Amtrak books.
Passenger Train Annuals.
Cascade Talgo Service mobiles.
July 12, 1971 National Timetable.
The first day of Amtrak Timetable May 1st,1971. After that very interesting visit to the Exhibition of Amtrak History, I returned to my room to work on this story but that was only until the telephone rang.
