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My Life and a Trip to La Plata

While I was away on the Chicago and North Western Historical Society convention trip, I received a registered letter notifying me that once again, my job at Jefferson Elementary had been wiped out and I would be laid off as of June 30th, 2009. My last day was really June 18th, so we would see what problems the wrong date would cause. On June 2nd, I received a letter of Reasonable Assurance of Continuing Employment which was sent out by mistake, rubbing more salt in my wounds. I contacted my union who finally said the Santa Ana Unified School District had not violated the law, but a letter would be sent on my behalf. Here I was, a hard-working employee and I had little faith in those running the school district. I could only wait and see what the next chapter of employment with SAUSD would look like.

On May 25, 2009, I rode Metrolink to Los Angeles in an attempt to tour the Disney A Christmas Carol train.

The "A Christmas Carol" train had a five hour wait so I was not able to tour it. However, here is the rear with "Lamberts Point" which is owned by the Friends of 261. It was formerly Norfolk and Western 4, nee Norfolk and Western coach 200 built by Pullman in 1914.

Before the monthly get-together of the Train Travel Meetup Group in Fullerton, I caught a pair of BNSF freights on Monday May 25, 2009.

I accompanied the third grade class from Jefferson Elementary School on a field trip to the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Gardens. While the children were eating their lunches, I walked down Baldwin Avenue for pictures of the former Santa Fe Santa Anita station built in 1890.

I continued to ride Metrolink Comet Cars and here is the view from Saturday June 6th, 2009.

The new modified Metrolink paint scheme at Union Station on Sunday June 7th.

I also continued to ride Pacific Surfliner trains and here is a pair of views from Pacific Surfliner 589 on Wednesday June 10, 2009.

As the Anaheim Ducks were out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, I had to support another team. That team was the Pittsburgh Penguins. I grew a playoff beard and here it was the day after the Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings to win the Stanley Cup on Saturday June 13th, 2009. I worked the final four days at Jefferson Elementary and it was really hard for me to leave the great staff and children at that wonderful school. I went home and filed for Unemployement Insurance online and with some help from my brother Jon, it was quite easy.

I rode down to Solana Beach that Thursday, June 18th, then on Friday, made a round trip to San Diego in the morning and Saturday rode the "Overland Trail" from Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo and back (see the story below this one on the trip page). Sunday was a pair of round trips to San Diego then on Monday morning, I rode a round trip to San Diego and returned home to pack for the first of my summer trips, this one to La Plata, Missouri with a driving trip to Kansas to ride on the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad with Bob Cox.

My mother dropped me off at the bus stop on Santa Ana Boulevard and I walked over to Track One, bought my Metrolink ticket to Fullerton and waited for the train.

It arrived on time and I boarded the cab car. It was a quick trip to Fullerton, where I detrained to find Steve Grande and Tom Anderson waiting for me. We put my luggage into Steve's van and walked over to Knowlwood's for our monthly meeting.

I enjoyed a French Dip sandwich as the meeting was held. We had a good turnout but all too soon, it was time to go to the Fullerton Amtrak station across the parking lot to wait for my train for La Plata. Departure time came and went and I learned onboard the Automatic Train Stop {ATS} on the locomotives were not working, so the train stopped at the 8th Street Yard to have the problem fixed, which allowed us to run 90 MPH rather than 70 MPH without it.

I finally went up on the bridge to catch the train arriving at 7:48 PM. It had a consist of P42DCs 76 and 14, baggage 1716, transition 39029, sleepers 32076 "Florida" and 32075 "Delaware", diner 38059, lounge 38020 and coaches 34052, 34092 and 34111. I ended up with Room 8 in "Delaware" with Peggy as my Sleeping Car Attendant. Bob Manning from Palm Springs rode out to Riverside with me and we showed my room to a lady who was interested in upgrading to a room. I said goodbye to Bob at Riverside and took fresh air at San Bernardino then worked on the story before enjoying the climb over Cajon Pass and after Summit, made up my room and called it a night.

6/23/2009 It seems like every June 23rd, I am on a train and thus can only give my brother Jon a birthday greeting from afar. I took some fresh air at Flagstaff on a cool morning.

Station scenes at Flagstaff and we departed an hour late. I read USA Today while waiting for the dining car to open at 6:30 AM and enjoyed French Toast and sausage patties on this sunny morning. My tablemates were a gentleman going to New York who had also ridden to Lynn Lake, Manitoba, as I had once done, and two men going to Albuquerque then onto Los Lunes.

The Arizona scenery on the way to Winslow.

In Winslow I spotted an old friend of mine, the private car "Pony Express". My first DVD of the trip was "Pirates of the Caribbean, The Curse of the Black Pearl".

Later we entered New Mexico.

A scene after Gallup.

After I watched some of the bonus disc, the Southwest Chief crossed the Rio Grande River and then arrived early in Albuquerque at about noon, where I detrained and went to see what became of the Coldstone Creamery.

I walked over to the Sweet Berry Gelata Italian Ice Cream Sandwiches & Coffee and bought a small chocolate ice cream to try, which was very good. Back aboard the train, I started to watch "Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Man's Chest".

The Rio Grande Valley on the way to Lamy. Climbing Glorieta Pass, I put on the final movie in the trilogy, "Pirates of the Caribbean, At World's End".

Starvation Peak stands out across the valley.

The Pecos River. Later at Ojita, we met the three-hour late-running westbound Southwest Chief, Train 3. The only dinner reservation I could get was at 5:15 PM, which will still be when my movie was playing.

Later nearing Wagon Mound. At 5:15 PM, I went to the dining car for the Braised Flat Iron Bordelaise that was unique then took a fresh air break at Raton before returning to the rest of "At World's End".

Old building foundations on the upper Colorado side of Raton Pass. That movie lasted past Trinidad where I started reading "What Would Keith Richards do? Daily Affirmations from a Rock 'N' Roll Survivor" by Jessica Pallington West.

Scenes on the way to La Junta. I took a quick fresh air break at La Junta before making up my bed and calling it a night.

6/24/2009 I awoke at the BNSF fueling racks at Argentine Yard in Kansas City and went to have French Toast and sausage patties. At Santa Fe Junction, we stopped briefly for a northbound grain train before an early arrival at Kansas City Union Station and a fresh air break.

Missouri River Runner Train 312 departs for St. Louis and we departed time as I watched "Mamma Mia".

The Missouri River. We ran the rest of the way to La Plata, arriving early and ending yet another fantastic Amtrak adventure.

I stepped off to Bob Cox, the Amtrak station docent here in La Plata, who told me Maria from the Depot Inn & Suites would be here in a few minutes, which she was. She drove me to the hotel I obtained the key to the Pullman Suite and Maria came with me to see if I could see what had been added. It turned out to be a railroad clock over the vanity area. I picked up a Coca-Cola from the machine and acquired the key to the golf cart to drive over to the Chris Guenzler Million Mile Lookout Point. It felt really good to be driving the golf cart instead of walking. Once I arrived, I met a couple from Florida who were staying at the hotel. It did not take long for the first train, as well as thunderstorms, to arrive.

First a pair of BNSF westbound stack trains came by with one on each mainline.

Next a Union Pacific westbound stack train went by.

An eastbound BNSF stack train with twelve units on the point.

Another westbound BSNF stack train came through during the last downpour while I was out there. I returned to the Pullman Suite just before the next series of thunderstorms rumbled through La Plata and I worked on the story and watched a little television. The electrical storm knocked out the Internet both in town and at the hotel so I returned to the Lookout Point but had no luck there. At 4:00 PM, I walked over to the Red Rooster for a Filet Mignon for dinner and the Internet was restored at the hotel after 5:00 PM.

Tonight was the first Managers Reception, a new initiative for the guests to mingle and get to know each other. This was held in the Reception Room and noted in the Depot Inn & Suites room guide.

At the event there were drinks and popcorn. I returned to my room and worked on this story while watching television.

I walked back out to the Lookout Point and caught one more westbound BNSF stack train. Amtrak was an hour-and-a-half late tonight, so I took a man from Topeka back to the Inn and gave him a tour of the Exhibition of Amtrak History then returned to the Pullman Suite and after a fantastic bath in the sauna tub, called it a night. Tomorrow, Bob Cox and I drive west to the Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad to ride it, but that will be another story.

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