The Coast Starlight arrived at Portland Union Station next to the Empire Builder with P32-8 507 and P42DC 122, baggage 1705, sleepers 32083 "Iowa", 32111 "Texas", 32019 "South Dakota" and 32113 "Vermont", diner 38068, lounge 33006 and coaches 34092, 34510, 34063 and 34113 with deadheading lounge 33041. I boarded "Vermont" with Louie Martinez as my Sleeping Car Attendant for Room 2 and he was fantastic, then walked the length of the train and on the way back, took one last picture in Portland.
An Amtrak Cascades train laying over between runs on this rainy day. I had a much-needed shower which refreshed me to no end. The Coast Starlight departed on time and Louie then commenced wine tasting for those who wanted it in their rooms. I watched "Kissology III, the Coventry Show from Queens, NY 12/22/1973" and it stopped raining just south of Portland until we reached Salem, where it started again. I then received a 5:00 PM dinner reservation.
The State Capitol in Salem, Oregon. I was told that the crew took the sub parlor car {diner} off in Seattle and we all know what train it went east on today, namely tonight's eastbound Empire Builder out of Seattle, the same consist that I was on that lost its diner at Oswego, Montana yesterday.
Just another rainy day in Oregon from a warm train almost to Albany.
The Willamette & Pacific yard north of Albany. I next watched Aerosmith's "Rip this Joint".
There was a hole in the sky.
The former Oregon Electric Railway approach to their Willamette River Bridge.
After no rain, it poured in Eugene, so no fresh air stop for me this late afternoon. At 5:05 PM, they called me in for dinner and I was seated with Vince, Carmen and Kathy. I ordered the flat iron steak and a chocolate and cherry tort then upon return to my room, I watched Jackie Chan in "Master with Cracked Fingers". At Hampton, we stopped to meet the northbound Coast Starlight so that our third dining car waiter could transfer to our train. Just as the film was ending, power was lost to both engines at Heather. We had passed a Union Pacific freight and they agreed to lend us an engine if they arrived before we could get going. It took almost an hour-and-a-half of rebooting the engine's computers, but the crew finally was able to restart them as the snow continued to fall outside. At this point, being extremely tired from the last two nights, I made up my bed and called it a night.
1/4/2008 I slept almost to Red Bluff, California and went to breakfast with Kathy and Barbara and enjoyed French Toast and pork sausage patties then after Chico, was back in my room and at Briggs, our train stopped.
The storm had knocked out the CTC signals on this cold and very rainy morning. The toilets went out in the "Vermont", so for the balance of this trip, I would be visiting "South Dakota" to take care of my business. The rain was coming down in sheets being driven by the wind as we sat along old Highway California 99. At 8:50 AM, we stopped once again because of a dark signal. Will the old Western Pacific route to Sacramento have the same problems? As we crossed the Feather River, there were waves going upstream. Talk about being in the heart of the storm!
The Starlight took the connecting track to the former Western Pacific then back in my room, we stopped in Marysville at the next dark signal and the train crew had to stop and realign all the switches by hand. At 10:02 AM, we resumed track speed but soon stopped yet again.
The Modoc Railroad Academy north of Sacramento with Rail Power Technologies "Green Goat" GG20B 2608, ex. Cloquet Terminal Railroad Company 2608, ex. Mid-America Locomotive 2608, ex. Illinois Central Gulf 8075, ex. Illinois Central GP9 9075, nee Paducah and Louisville GP10 8839 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1955.
We stopped again and it was really eerie listening to the wind howl outside. I made a few phone calls and at Del Paso, we met a Union Pacific freight in the siding waiting for our train to pass. We finally arrived in Sacramento at 12:26 PM and a fresh air stop.
There was not a dry spot on the Sacramento platform. I returned to the warm dry train as "Kissology I Disc 1" had brought me to Sacramento, all three hours and 23 minutes of it. Let us see how far Disc 2 gets me this afternoon. Passengers connecting with the California Zephyr made their connection here and their train departed just before we did and it arrived into Chicago at 10:46 PM Sunday night. The wind was rocking the train and it felt as though I was back on that Princess Cruise to Alaska. We departed Sacramento at 1:21 PM {6:35 AM} after being delayed by track workers working on weather-related issues and each and every signal had to be checked to ensure the crossing gates were working, and if not, stop and protect them. We stopped at Davis at 1:46 PM {6:50 AM}.
Later the Suisan Marsh.
The United States Navy Mothball Fleet.
Climbing the grade to the Martinez bridge and at Martinez, we had another fresh air stop and departed at 3:26 PM {7:34 AM}.
The train rolled along the Carquinez Straits. We were stopped by a red signal with one track out because of a weather-related problem and would have to wait for two trains to clear out of our way. "Kissology Disc 2" finished, a two- hour and fifty-six minutes affair, so I completed the whole first version today during our slow motion and other delays.
Along San Pablo Bay.
The Golden Gate bridge before we arrived at Emeryville at 4:50 PM {8:10 AM}.
An Emeryville station scene, where we departed 5:02 PM {8:20 AM}. Passengers with a 5:00 dinner reservation were called in and I was seated with Susan, Beatrice and Norman. We arrived at the Oakland Jack London Station at 5:12 PM {8:25 AM} and the SOO Line private car "Cyrus K. Holliday" was added to the rear of our train. We finally departed at 6:09 PM {8:50 AM} and I enjoyed the flat iron steak and chocolate ice cream then watched Jackie Chan's "Fantasy Mission Force" as the train headed to San Jose via Niles. At Santa Clara, a Caltrain passed us on the way to San Jose and we arrived at the station.
Coming into San Jose as we pulled into the station.
Station Scene in San Jose.
Caltrain scenes at San Jose. We departed at 7:33 PM {10:07 AM} and I finished the film before making up my room for the night.
1/5/2008 I was up by Van Nuys, which we left at 6:35 AM, almost according to the plan that I wanted, which was to take Pacific Surfliner 564 home to Santa Ana. It had been a relaxing, restful and interesting trip on the Coast Starlight, and in addition, I had an extra full night aboard the "Vermont" sleeping car at no extra cost. Our train arrived at Los Angeles Union Station at 7:00 AM {9:00 PM}, making it the latest non-detoured Coast Starlight that I had ever been aboard.
The Coast Starlight at LAUPT with the "Cyrus K. Holliday" on the rear after it was added at Oakland last night.
SOO Line business car 52 "Cyrus K. Holliday" built by American Car and Foundry in 1921.
The "Cyrus K. Holliday" drumhead.
Pacific Surfliner 564 1/5/2008
My connecting Pacific Surfliner was just across the platform from the coach section of the Coast Starlight. The train had F59PHI 453, Pacific Business Class 6852, coach/cafe 6301, coaches 6402 and 6452 with cab car 6907. We departed on time on this cloudy morning, stopping at Fullerton then Anaheim before Santa Ana, where I detrained, ending yet another interesting Amtrak train trip.
Pacific Surfliner 564 departed Santa Ana and a minute later, my mother arrived to take me back home to where this trip started.
