Additional detours of Amtrak's Coast Starlight over the Tehachapi Loop were announced on Trainorders.com and I decided to ride it one more time. It worked out that one of the southbound detours would be on a Sunday which worked with my schedule. I would travel to Sacramento on Saturday and stay at the Vagabond Inn that Carole Walker booked me into. I then worked two weeks at Jefferson Elementary School and was ready to take another train ride.
Thruway Bus 1/24/2009I drove down to the Santa Ana station at 4:50 AM after it poured with rain which lasted about 15 minutes but stopped long enough for the Thruway Bus to pick me up as the lone passenger. We drove north to Fullerton through the rain, picking up five passengers before I slept most of the way to Los Angeles. There we picked up about eight more before we were on our way to Bakersfield. It rained into the San Fernando Valley then on the climb to Gorman but once over the Tejon Summit, we came into bright sunshine as we dropped into the San Joaquin Valley. After the Interstate 5 spilt, we ran into the Tule Fog that was really thick, which lasted until Bakersfield where the fog lifted and we arrived at the Amtrak station early. The train was open but we were not allowed to sit in the comfortable Surfliner-style cab car.
San Joaquin 713 1/24/2009
San Joaquin 713 waiting to depart, which consisted F59PHI 2001, California coaches 8016 "San Luis Rey River" and 8026 "Petaluma River", Cafe 8806 "Salinas Valley" and cab car 6963 "Point Reyes". We departed Bakersfield on time as I watching Guns N' Roses "Live in Tokyo" which took me to above Hanford then it was Quiet Riot "Live" which lasted to above Madera and finally, "Southern Pacific, The Colorful Years" which lasted until near Stockton. I enjoyed the California Delta as the sun was out for our crossing. The clouds and wind returned as we ran west along the Carquinez Straits.
Plant switcher in Port Chicago. The train arrived at Martinez and I detrained to a cold windy afternoon and waited outside, talking with some of the station docents while I awaited my next train.
Looking across the Carquinez Straits.
A Union Pacific freight train arrived just before my Capitol Corridor train to Sacramento.
Capitol Corridor Train 736 1/24/2009
I boarded and soon we crossed the Carquinez Straits, passing the United States Navy Mothball Fleet, another Capitol Corridor train then a Union Pacific freight.
I finally took a picture of the Suisan Fairfield station. We sped to Davis then ran to Sacramento, where I detrained and walked over to the Vagabond Inn to check then went to Johnny Rockets for dinner before returning to my room for the night.
1/25/2009I arose at 5:15 AM and checked the Internet, learning that the Coast Starlight was over two hours late, finding out later that the it had been stuck up on the hill at Fields behind a freight train with DPU troubles. They picked up a Union Pacific patch crew at the crossing just below Fields and took the Starlight up to a freight train in the siding there, then the crew traded with the patch crew and the Coast Starlight took those two employees to behind the stalled-out train, where they ran the DPU's as a manned helper to the top of the hill.
I went to Denny's for breakfast then watched "Meet the Press" before walking over to the Amtrak station with a new ETA of 8:30 AM. I met some railfans and we all walked to Track 3 to wait for our train to arrive.
A rainbow with the pot of gold at the former Sacramento Shops. We waited out in the cold morning air for our Coast Starlight.
Coast Starlight 11 1/25/2009
The Coast Starlight arriving in Sacramento two hours and fifteen minutes late, at 8:25 AM. I boarded the second of three coaches but the last one was closed and gathered the consist of this train, which was P42DCs 66 and 67, baggage 1204, transition 39031, sleepers 32068 and 32009, Pacific Parlor Car 39975, diner 38040, lounge 33049 and coaches 34048, 34508 and 34117. John, one of the railfans I had recently met, joined at my seat for the trip south. At 8:50 AM, we began reversing out of the station.
The former Southern Pacific Sacramento Shops.
The Sacramento skyline as we continued our reverse move.
The former Western Pacific route looking south through Sacramento. Our train then switched onto the connection to the former Western Pacific at 8:56 AM.
Looking down the former Western Pacific route we would be taking.
The Haggin Control Point as we reversed past it. We continued reversing across the American River in order to pass the switch and signal so we could wait for a green signal to proceed south.
The American River. At 9:01 AM, we proceeded south down the former Western Pacific tracks and under the former Southern Pacific tracks.
The former Sacramento Western Pacific station, now the Old Spaghetti Factory. We joined the Sacramento Light Rail line which we would follow south out of town.
The former location of the Western Pacific Jeffrey Shops.
The Campbell's Soup Plant.
Once out of Sacramento, the rural countryside took hold.
A lake along our route.
Looking northwest across the southern Sacramento Valley.
The sky would prove to be interesting to watch.
Looking across the fields of green.
Water, water everywhere.
Let the vineyards be fruitful.
Interstate 5 with Mount Diablo behind.
More vineyards and Mount Diablo before we reached Stockton.
At El Pinal, we returned to the former Southern Pacific Valley Route at 10:02 AM.
The Southern Pacific Stockton station, now the Altamont Commuter Express station.
The former Western Pacific station was being worked on as we passed through Stockton without stopping.
At 10:07 AM, we crossed the BNSF at Stockton Crossing.
At the former Western Pacific Shops, the Altamont Commuter Express trains lay over for the weekend.
At 10:17 AM, we went through Lathrop with this track heading for Tracy.
At 10:19 AM, the Coast Starlight crossed the former Western Pacific.
The former Western Pacific line heading to Oakland.
A few minutes later, we started running along California Highway 99, which we would do most of the way to Bakersfield.
The Stanislaus River at Ripon.
Later, we passed the Modesto Southern Pacific station at 10:39 AM.
The connection to the Modesto Empire and Traction Railroad.
The Tuolumne River at Modesto, after which I went to the lounge car and visited some more with John, who had spent the trip so far here.
Bear Creek as we entered Merced.
We ran by the Southern Pacific station at 11:12 AM.
The main road through Chowchilla.
More of our sky as we rolled south.
The Fresno River as we approached Madera, passing there at 11:42 AM.
The San Joaquin River.
We stopped at Union Pacific's Fresno Yard to change our Union Pacific pilot crew.
Former Amtrak switcher 2046 at Fresno. We departed here at 12:09 PM.
The skyline of Fresno.
The Fresno Arch.
Norfolk Southern power in BNSF's Calwa Yard.
Relco SW8 903, nee Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific 825 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1952, at the south end of the yard.
The Southern Pacific Kingsburg station built in 1903.
The former Southern Pacific Fowler station, built in 1883, and relocated off the tracks.
The Kings River south of Kingsburg.
Zacky Farms CF7 2631, nee Santa Fe F3A 34C built by Electro-Motive Division in 1949, at Traver.
San Joaquin Valley Railroad locomotive at Goshen Junction.
Airplanes at the Visalia Airport. We ran south to Tulare, passing through there at 1:12 PM.
Locomotives at a plant south of Tipton. John and I went into the dining car for lunch and were greeted by Richard Talmy, an excellent Amtrak waiter. I had the Angus beef burger along with vanilla ice cream.
Union Pacific power at Famosa.
John enjoying the dining car.
The Kern River as we entered Bakersfield.
We stopped at Bakersfield station to change crews and a fresh air break.
Passengers enjoying the fresh air break.
The Southern Pacific Bakersfield station built in 1888.
The Coast Starlight at rest.
