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A Return to La Plata For New Attractions 9/1-3/2009

After that quick weekend trip to El Paso, I decided to not sit at home and wait for Santa Ana Unified School District to get its act together and start hiring. The latest job I applied for closed on the afternoon of September 5, 2009 so there was no point in waiting for a call or e-mail that would not come until Tuesday. I decided to go back to La Plata for the Soybean Festival and the Steam Engine Corn Maze, as well as seeing the new deck added to the Chris Guenzler Million Mile Lookout Point. Getting the tickets for this trip became comical at several points but in the end it all worked out.

I packed my bags and drove to the Santa Ana station and stopped in to say hello to Marti, my excellent night-time Amtrak agent then went across the bridge to wait for a late-running Pacific Surfliner 583.

Metrolink 689 met another while I waited.

Pacific Surfliner 583 arrived with the low-level set which included "Great Dome". I boarded, left my luggage and went into the Great Dome.

Departing Santa Ana for Los Angeles.

I wished Amtrak took some pride and washed the windows of the dome car.

The sun was an eerie sight to see on the way to Los Angeles because of all of the brush fires. We arrived at 6:28 PM, 43 minutes late and a Red Cap took me over to the waiting Southwest Chief.

I was ticketed for the transition car but this train did not have one assigned to it so I was put in sleeper 32053 and given Room 8 with Angee as my Sleeping Car Attendant. This Southwest Chief had P42DCs 83 and 69, baggage 1245, sleepers 32009 "George M. Pullman", 32053 and 32022, diner 38044, lounge 33025 with coaches 34008, 34092 and 31044. We departed on time and since I was not hungry tonight, skipped dinner and I watched Jackie Chan in "Police Story 2", taking a fresh air break at Fullerton. That movie lasted almost to Victorville, where I made up my room and called it a night.

9/02/2009 I awoke just as the train arrived at Winslow and went back to the lounge car, waiting for the dining car to open, which it did at Holbrook. I had my usual French Toast and sausage patties before returning to my room to read USA Today.

This was the scene after we entered New Mexico prior to our station stop at Gallup. My laptop's DVD player was not working this morning so I listened to Metallica's "Death Magnetic" instead, followed by Alice Cooper's "Along came a Spider".

A BNSF piggyback train waiting for us at Isleta. That Alice Cooper CD took me the rest of the way to Albuquerque, where we arrived almost an hour early. During my visit, I bought a hot dog from a vendor and a Coca-Cola from the station then called Richard of Midcom and he walked me through a system restore that may fix the DVD.

I enjoyed this screen for a little while as the computer updated itself. We departed Albuquerque on time and I was able to watch Emerson, Lake & Palmer's "Beyond the Beginning" and was a happy train rider once more.

Clouds on the way to Lamy.

Later the Southwest Chief on the "S" Curve near Blanchard.

Starvation Peak.

Hust south of Las Vegas, New Mexico.

Shoemaker Canyon. No one had come around to obtain the passengers' dinner reservations and I had had my door open all afternoon for that reason. I went to the dining car to get a reservation and was told to come back when the first announcement was made. Is this the proper way to treat a Sleeping Car passenger? I think not! I told Conductor Nancy Wolf my problem and she said she would try to solve it, which she did, getting me a 6:00 PM dinner reservation. After Raton and passing through the Raton Tunnel, I went to the dining car and was seated with a grandmother from Twin Lakes and her granddaughter from Kenosha, both in Wisconsin, and a gentleman going to Chicago to see his family. I had the Braised Flat Iron Bordelaise and Oreo dessert. Afterwards, I watched Frank Zappa's "We Don't Mess Around" and enjoyed that on the way to La Junta, where I hopped off for some fresh air then made up my room and called it a night.

9/03/2009 I awoke after the fuelling stop at BNSF's Argentine Yard in Kansas City and went to the lounge car to get a cinnamon roll for after Kansas City, where we arrived at 6:45 AM. I detrained to look around this overcast morning.

I walked through Kansas City Union Station and out of the back door where there was a line of private railcars as well as Kansas City Southern FP9A 34, ex. Kansas City Southern 4, exx. VIA 6507, nee Canadian National 6507 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1954 on display.

Union Pacific Promontory Point 6 single room, four rommette, four double bedroom sleeper 800724, ex. Union Pacific 105 "Houston", exx. Union Pacific 105:5 "Little Rock", exxx. Union Pacific 109 "Little Rock", exxxxx. Missouri Pacific 2, exxxxxx. Atantic Coast Line 101, exxxxxxx. Chicago and Eastern Ilinois dormitory 652, nee 902 "Lobolloy Pine," built by Pullman Standard in 1953.

Santa Fe 52 coach 3079 "Diablo Canyon" 800379 built by the Budd Company in 1937. All were placed in service on the Scout. Coach 3079 was among the 29 cars sold to New Jersey Department of Transportation in 1969 and it was reconfigured to seat 84 commuters. NJ Transit donated the coach to the United Railways Historical Societies of New Jersey and a private owner purchased the car in 1991, who configured it for personal use and renamed it "Coco Grove". The coach interior was removed and rebuilt with four bedrooms, kitchen, small dining area and a solarium lounge at the vestibule end. In 1996, the car met the requirements for Amtrak service and has continued to be mechanically certified. In 2005, the car changed owners and was re-decorated in colors of the Southwest, fluffed up and refurnished to a very comfortable ride. The car is the oldest Amtrak-certified and operable Budd-built car in the country.

Rock Island coach 330 "Des Moines" built by Pullman Standard in 1947. Re-named "Jane Marie" and owned by Bart Barton, one of the founders of the Arizona Railway Museum.

Santa Fe one double bedroom/four drawing room/observation car "Vista Canyon" 800504 built by Pullman in 1947; one of four built for the Super Chief.

Creative Charters 14-section lightweight sleeper "Evelyn Henry" 800149, nee Union Pacific 5551 "Alpine Peak built by American Car & Foundry in 1954. It was later rebuilt to a 44-seat coach then sold to Amtrak in 1973 and purchased by Rail Ventures, Inc. in 2001 from the Wisconsin & Southern, where it was named "Gallatin River". The car was then purchased in 2004 by Patrick Henry (Creative Charters) and renamed Evelyn A. Henry after his mother.

Creative Charters Astra Dome "Warren Henry" 800148, nee Union Pacific dome-lounge 9007 built by American Car and Foundry in 1955 for the "City of Portland" passenger train. The car was acquired by Rail Ventures, Inc. in 2001 from the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad and renamed "Glacier Park". It was sold to Patrick Henry of Creative Charters in 2004 and renamed the "Warren R. Henry" after his father, who was a long-time executive with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.

Santa Fe business car 37 "Chico" 800145, built by the Pullman Company in 1925.

Kansas City Union Station from the parking lot.

Kansas City Public Service PCC car 551, ex. Western Railway Museum 1190 1979-2006, exx. San Francisco Municipal Railway 1190 1973-1979, exxx. Toronto Transportation Commission 4752 1957-1973, nee Kansas City Public Service 551 built by St. Louis Car Company in 1947.

The Southwest Chief at rest before the on-time departure. My next stop was La Plata and I watched "Blackmore's Night Castle & Dreams" on the way. The Southwest Chief arrived at La Plata early this morning, ending yet another fantastic trip aboard Amtrak.

I was met by Bob Cox, station caretaker, Steve Grande and Ray Burns, among others. After Steve's relatives boarded the train, we drove to the Depot Inn & Suites where I was dropped off, saw Andrea at the counter and she gave me the key to Room E where I stored my luggage, then saw Maria who gave me the key to the golf cart and keys to the new model railroad display in the second former Amtrak Express Car. I drove the golf cart there first.

This train layout was designed and built for the Depot Inn and Silver Rails Resort by Darrell Reinwald, President of Trains Across America..

I hoped you enjoyed the new O gauge model railroad layout in the north former Amtrak express car behind the Depot Inn & Suites. I returned the key to Marie and drove out to the Chris Guenzler Million Mile Lookout Point to see the new feature added.

The path to it is as nice as ever.

The sign is gone from the roof.

The decking does not allow direct access from the west side.

All deck access is from the east side.

The decking that puts you closer to the BNSF rail action than before in a safer environment for watching trains.

The RailLookout.Com sign is still there.

Down below is the official sign of the Chris Guenzler Million Mile Lookout Point.

On the slope is this new BNSF no trespassing sign. Stay on the deck and have no problems. Now let's see a few trains.

This eastbound BNSF 4657 East stack train had a Canadian National locomotive in its consist.

We passed this single unit BNSF 779 East baretable train on my way here this morning.

I really like the path to the lookout point because it makes you feel like you are out in nature somewhere. My next stop was just east of the trees, the new La Plata Flower Garden.

The flowers in the new La Plata Flower Garden. I returned to the hotel and relaxed for a few hours but later returned to the Chris Guenzler Million Mile Lookout Point where I helped put in the next new feature to this unique railroad-watching location.

First this westbound Union Pacific came by the lookout point.

The ATCS monitor on the table.

The box on the north wall which will house the unit when installed.

The hard-working Randy whom I helped install the monitor.

I took time out for an Amish Buggy break.

The monitor came to life.

Next after Randy used the mouse, the ATCS display was on the screen.

Randy shrunk the information boxes to display only the ATCS screen.

ATCS working in the Chris Guenzler Million Mile Lookout Point. I returned to the hotel and relaxed before joining Steve Grande and his extended family at dinner at the Thousand Hills Lakeside Restaurant west of Kirksville in Thousand Hills State Park. After a great dinner, we all returned to the Depot Inn & Suites for the night.

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