At Noon, Nathan, Ted and I started this week's Let's Talk Trains show, during which I would take pictures of all the trains that passed the Chris Guenzler Million Mile Lookout Point.
The three of us hosted this week's Let's Talk Trains episode.
BNSF 5012 East came first.
BNSF 7809 East came next.
BNSF 6632 East.
You can make out Ted through the rain-splattered window.
BNSF 7579 East.
BNSF 6620 West.
I had the chat room open on my computer.
Nathan had the LTT studio on his computer.
Ted had the ATCS on his.
BNSF Norfolk Southern 9662 East came through next.
The Chris Guenzler Million Mile Lookout Point cat.
BNSF 5050 East was the final train of the show. The two hours went by fast and soon we packed up and returned to the hotel, finishing the train photography for this trip to La Plata. I wrote this part of the story then listened to my Pittsburgh Penguins on Pittsburgh Penguins 24/7 until I went to the Red Rooster for dinner. I enjoyed a final sauna tub before washing my hair and packing for my trip home. I was driven back to the Amtrak station to wait for my train then visited with Bob Cox and the two young railfans we had on the show today before Ted and his wife came down to see me off. All too soon the gates went down and here came the train, early tonight.
Southwest Chief 4/7/2012
The train arrived and I boarded the 330 car. The train had engines 61 and 837, baggage 1857, transition 39023, sleepers 32018 and 32019, diner 38024, lounge 33022, coaches 34088, 34095 and 31030, along with deadheading sleeper 32032 and BNSF business car 7 added at BNSF's Argentine Yard for the trip to Los Angeles. I had Room 3 in 32019 with Gregory as my excellent sleeping car attendant. I watched the second disc of Queensryche "Mindcrime at the Moore" before calling it a night.
4/8/2012 I arose at 5:30 AM CDT and went straight to the dining car for a breakfast of French Toast and bacon then returned to my room and slept almost all the way to La Junta, where I took a nice fresh air break on a crisp cool morning. Back on the move, my room was made up and I read the Sunday Chieftain and Star Journal. My first DVD of the morning was "Led Zeppelin Live" as the train rolled onto Trinidad and beyond Raton, where I paused the DVD to take a fresh air break. That lasted beyond French, New Mexico and I then was ready for lunch at noon, having the Angus Beef Burger and vanilla ice cream for my dessert, with a mother and two children going to Flagstaff.
After lunch I watched the DVD of "Alice Cooper Live in Montreux 2005" from Las Vegas. At Fox we went by the eastbound Southwest Chief who was there waiting for us to clear. That lasted until we reached Apache Canyon so I then worked on the timing for my May Orange County Railway Historical Society Meeting, listening to my Jethro Tull CD of "A Passion Play" until we arrived at Albuquerque, where I detrained for some well-deserved fresh air. I managed to get on-line here and cleared out my e-mail. The train departed on time and headed west on the way to Gallup, our next stop. I enjoyed a New York Steak and chocolate cream puff for dessert with two very interesting ladies.
Next it was my DVD of "Jethro Tull Live at the AVO Session Basel" that took me to Winslow and most of the way to Flagstaff where I took my last fresh air break of the day and met Danny of ProAmtrak fame on Trainorders.com. After we left there, I made up my bed and called it a final night on this trip.
4/9/2012 I got out of bed just before San Bernardino and took a fresh air break there. Once on the move, Gregory made up the room as I had my donut holes and orange juice. The train stopped at Riverside as I changed clothes before I relaxed all the way to Fullerton, where I detrained just as the Pacific Surfliner departed. I thanked Gregory for the excellant trip before taking the elevators and bridge to get to Track 3, stopping at the Metrolink ticket machine to buy an Orange County Day Pass then waited for my train. I saw four Metrolink trains and one BNSF freight before Metrolink 682 picked me up for the quick trip back to Santa Ana. My mother was waiting for me and I arrived home, ending another excellent Amtrak trip to La Plata and back.
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