After attending Train Festival 2009 and arrived home, the final major trip the year was the National Railway Historical Society convention in Duluth, Minnesota as well as several new excursions trains beforehand in both Wisconsin and Minnesota. To get there, I would take the Coast Starlight to Portland and the Empire Builder to the Twin Cities then pick up a rental car and drive to Spooner, Wisonsin for the Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad. The following day would be a visit to Camp 5 Railroad in Laona then a drive to Janesville, the Brodhead Depot Museum and the Mid-Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom, followed by the mini train in the Wisconsin Dells and the Colfax Station Museum.
On August 9th, my plan was to be at the Excelsior Trolley and Station Museum in Dassel, Minnesota. Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 261 would be visited, then the Minnesota Transportation Museum followed by the Iron Horse Central Railway in Chisago City. The convention started on August 11th with a train to Duluth, The Lake Superior Limited, and the Vista Cruise Lines Harbor Dinner Tour that evening. The Hull Rust Mine Tour - Museum of Mining - Ironworld would was the next day's event, followed by the Arrowhead Vacationer steam train to Two Harbors and the Skally Limited Excursion Train that afternoon.
On the meeting day, I would take the Lake Superior Railroad Museum train to Two Harbors and go to the NRHS banquet in the evening. August 15th's convention event was a trip from Duluth to Grand Rapids, Minnesota, the Duluth & Grand Rapids Day Express Excursion Train, followed by the trip back to the Twin Cities. That night I would leave on the Empire Builder to Portland and the Coast Starlight towards home.
Carole Walker, my excellent travel agent, booked the rental car and all the hotels and I had everything planned before summer even started. I packed earlier and was all set to go the morning of the trip and my mother drove me to the Santa Ana station and I made it over to Track 1 to start my next adventure.
Pacific Surfliner 763 8/3/2009
I boarded Pacific Business Class on the lower level for my trip to Los Angeles and started to write this story.
A Note of Sadness: The Death of Richard Hamilton
Sunday night just as I was packing, I checked Trainorders.com for anything about the convention and first spotted a post that the Let's Talk Trains website was down. There had been no show last weekend due to Richard's illness, nor a show yesterday. That post was linked to another, entitled "A Sad Note" that informed me that Richard Hamilton had passed away either late Thursday night or Friday morning. That news really hit me hard. I had known Richard back in the days of the San Diegan Club which he formed and was a member until he started Let's Talk Trains. I listened to the first show and then called in on the second. CJ, his co-host, named me "the Amazing Chris Guenzler" and would say it with a bang. Richard could never say it the way she did.
Through the years, I was a guest many times on his show in the three sudios he used and I would take the train down to San Diego, usually stay in Chula Vista at the Best Western Baymont Inn and Richard would pick me up. He had the best handlebar mustache that I had ever seen and I always held him in the highest esteem. Richard also worked at the Poway Midland Railway where we would operate the trolley and twice took me on trips on the Coronado Belt Line. He used to just look at the pictures on my website and would only occasionally read the full stories. Richard was always full of life and a good friend and joined us on the Overall Million Mile trip and because of this, I had not only him, but also Harold Marshall on the Million Mile DVD set.
One of my fondest Richard moments was on that trip when we hosted a three hour show from the lobby of the Depot Inn & Suites in La Plata, Missouri. With no phone lines, he had the idea that to suggest sending an e-mail to Let's Talk Trains, and suddenly we received all sorts of e-mails, both the good and the bad. We had a blast together that day and I thought his show would be on for years. At least we all had seven years of Let's Talk Trains and I had all those years of Richard's friendship. He is one person whom I will never forget!
I wrote this tribute while aboard Pacific Surfliner 763 which arrived early at Los Angeles then I rented a luggage cart and walked down into the station to the Traxx Bar.
Pre-Departure Traxx Bar
I checked in and took one of the complimentary orange juices before working a liitle more on this story as I awaited the Conductor.
Conductor Bobbie Lee took tickets in the Traxx Bar area before we went up to the train.
A Gold Line train arriving.
A Metrolink train with former Utah Transit Authority Comet Car 319.
Coast Starlight 14 8/3/2009
The Coast Starlight with New Jersey Comet Cars on Track 13; where are we?! The train consisted of P42DCs 6 and 64, baggage 1720, transtion 39019, sleepers 32054, 32113 "Vermont" and 32115 "Washington", Pacific Parlour Car 39975 "Willamette Valley, diner 38040, lounge 33041, coaches 34059, 34113, 34055 and 34022. I was in Room 2 of "Vermont" with Veronica as my Sleeping Car Attendant.
Nice touches in this room were Coast Starlight antimacassars and a shower bag of goodies. We departed on time and made our way to the first stop at Van Nuys. At Simi Valley, off-duty conductor Bob Riskie stopped by for a quick visit then at 11:30 AM, I went to the dining car for lunch and had a Angus beef burger and vanilla ice cream, seated with a gentleman going to Portland and a couple visiting Sacramento, Seattle, Portland and San Francisco. Since I had an inland room, I sat in one of those big comfy chairs in the Pacific Parlour Car and enjoyed the coastal views along the way.
Scenes between Oxnard and Santa Barbara, our first fresh air break. We departed on time and proceeded to San Luis Obispo, our next fresh air break.
I watchd my new DVD of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" special editon.
Scenes between Santa Barbara and Surf.
The Santa Ynez River.
The Santa Maria valley.
Union Pacific power at Guadalupe. The train ran the rest of the way into San Luis Obispo then departed on time and went over Cuesta Grade and down to our next station stop of Salinas. At 5:00 PM, I went to the dining car for dinner and was seated with a lady going to San Francisco and a couple going to Seattle. I had the Braised Flat Iron Bordelaise and snicker cake for dessert, then I returned to my room for more of the Holy Grail Disc 2 which was followed by "Jethro Tull 25th Anniversary" as we continued on the way to our next fresh air stop at Salinas.
Elkhorn Slough.
North of Watsonville.
Granite Rock Company 65 ton switcher 3891, ex. Granite Rock 891, nee Granite Rock 100 built by General Electric in 1951.
Granite Rock SW10 2000, ex. Union Pacific 1255, ex. Union Pacific SW7 1813, nee Missouri Pacific 1116, built by Electro-Motive Division in 1951. It went to Granite Rock in 1999.
My next DVD was Yes "Live at Montreaux 2003" as we made our way to San Jose.
One of our locomotive had been smoking like this since I saw it Los Angeles this morning.
A Caltrain train on its way back to the City by the Bay, San Francisco. We left San Jose and went out into the night, arriving at Oakland on time. After Yes, I called it a night just south of Oakland as I made up my room and that was it for tonight.
8/04/2009
Mount Shasta was outside my window when I awoke this morning. I went to the dining car for breakfast, sitting with my friend going to Portland and two gentlemen heading to Klamath Falls and enjoyed French Toast and sausage patties. After breakfast, I rode in the Pacific Parlour Car in one of those nice comfy chairs the rest of the way to Klamath Falls, where we arrived thirty minutes early and I enjoyed the fresh cool morning air, after which we departed on time. My next DVD was "Rush in Rio" then after Chemult, we finally made it through the siding at Mowich due to tack gang equipment on the mainline.
Odell Lake before the train entered the tunnel at Cascade Summit and dropped down one of my favorite segments of railroads in the United States.
Looking down before the tunnels near Cruzette. That DVD took me down to past McCredie Springs where I put on the Aerosmith's "You Gotta Move".
Lookout Point Reservoir. At Dougren, we were slowed by a crew working on the west switch before we continued the rest of the way into Eugene, our next fresh air break. We left eighteen minutes late and headed to Albany then lost fifteen minutes north of Eugene due the grade crossing gates not working.
The Willamette & Pacific shop complex at Albany just before we arrived at the station, after which we had to stop for a few minutes in advance of our stop at Oregon's state capital of Salem. The air conditioning went out in our sleeping car and our attendent called for help. From here, we made our way to Portland and met southbound Coast Starlight at Hito. As if it were magic, the air conditioning came back on and we arrived at Portland Union Station at 3:56 PM {3:40 PM}. I walked over to the Metroplolitan Lounge and learned that wireless Internet would be installed very soon. At 4:18 PM, we were walked out to my next train, the Empire Builder.
Empire Builder 27 8/04/2009
The Baby Empire Builder consisted of P42DCs 158 and 22, lounge 33021, coaches 31031 and 34024 and sleeper 32023. My Sleeping Car Attendent is Bouchaib and I had Room 4 in the 32023.
The train left Portland on time and headed towards Vancouver, Washington.
A BNSF train had crossed the Willamette River along side of us.
Our train crossed the Columbia River into Vancouver, our first station stop and I went to the lounge car.
Beacon Rock was passed.
The Columbia River Gorge came into clear view through the trees.
Bonneville Dam.
Looking up the Columbia River Gorge.
Bridge of the Gods with a westbound Union Pacific westbound train bound for Portland.
Views across the Columbia River towards Oregon.
A small island in this view.
Mount Hood.
Views across the Columbia River.
Looking up the Columbia River.
Mount Hood.
Wind surfers in the Gorge.
Looking across the Columbia River at Oregon.
The Dalles Dam.
The view across the Columbia River.
Looking upriver.
Mount Hood.
One more view across the Columbia River.
At Wishram, Washington is the Oregon Trunk Railroad bridge opened in 1912.
The Empire Builder at Wishram during a windy fresh air break. While this is not true, I think Wishram in the Indian dialogue must mean windy as every time I have been here, it has been windy. Back on the move, I cleared the camera's memory card and worked on the story as the train rolled along the Columbia River to Pasco, our next fresh air break. I then made up my room and called it a night as I wanted to be rested for Marias Pass in the morning.
