6/29/2012 I arose at the Depot Inn & Suites and following breakfast, a shower and checking the Internet, I drove US 63 to Missouri Highway F, turned right onto Missouri Highway V, to Missouri Highway 6 to Hurdland. I took Route J north to Missouri Highway 11, then turned right on Route P to the bridge over the BNSF mainline and parked on the southeast side just as a train was coming west.
BNSF 7540 West at the Route P bridge.
BNSF 6693 West.
Union Pacific 7385 East. From here I drove east on Route P before turning left on Road 119 and took it to the old bridge.
The Road 119 old bridge.
Me and my shadow.
BNSF 7247 West.
Union Pacific 6025 West
A unique view here.
BNSF 7288 West.
BNSF 7594 East. From here I back tracked to the Route J grade crossing and set up there.
BNSF 7233 West. I then drove down to Hurdland but turned right on Route Z taking it to the grade crossing at the Hurdland Crossovers.
The grade crossing here at the Hurdland Crossovers. I then went to the old bridge just west of Gibbs. A call was made to Bob Cox and I learned the mainline was quiet so I returned to La Plata, stopping at Casey's then went by the Silver Rails Gallery where Amy Cox showed me all the changes that had been made since my last visit. I stopped by and saw Tom and Kelly Marshall before driving out to the Chris Guenzler Million Mile Lookout Point to wait for the over hour late Southwest Chief and had a bonus while I waited.
BNSF 6728 West at La Plata.
The high clouds were floating by overhead.
A track worker running to get off the BNSF mainline.
A quiet La Plata for the moment.
The Southwest Chief arrived this morning, running one hour and 15 minutes late. I took my luggage back to the Depot Inn & Suites before returning the rental car to Enterprise in Kirksville, who gave me a ride back to La Plata and I relaxed the last afternoon away. I went to the Red Rooster for dinner and had a sirloin steak before returning to the hotel to relax before packing for the last time on this trip. Taylor drove me to the station and I waited for my train back to nice cool California. That 105 degree mark yesterday and today made me not to want to come back here in the summer ever again.
Southwest Chief 3 6/29/2012 The 1,350,000.0 Rail Mile Trip
The train arrived this evening and I boarded the 331 sleeper with Joan as my Sleeping Car Attendant and I was given Room 11 for this trip. The train had a consist of engines 193 and 169, baggage 1242, {no transition}, sleepers 32011, 32109 "South Dakota" and 32118 "Wyoming", diner 38056, lounge 33014 with coaches 34049, 34137 and 31043. I was aboard "South Dakota" and we departed La Plata at 8:20 PM and by Ethel, the sun had set as we raced across Missouri in the twilight chasing the night. Tired from all that heat, I called it an early night.
6/30/2012 I awoke in western Kansas and had breakfast just as we departed Dodge City. Richard Talmy was my server and I had French Toast and pork sausage with a couple going to Santa Fe. I was in my 'I want to be home mood' so napped to Lamar then listened to my CD of Ian Anderson "Thick as a Brick II" which took me to La Junta and a fresh air stop, on what else but a hot morning. The train departed La Junta 45 minutes late as I listened to my CD of Yes "Union" while I read The Pueblo Chieftain newspaper as we headed to Trinidad. The smoke from the fires around Colorado Springs and some growing thunderheads were blocking my normal clear view of the Front Range of the Rockies this morning.
The bouncing across Kansas made my body sore. I guess I could be 'trained out', a feeling I tend to get every year after attending and working the NRHS conventions. I think I need my own bed and much cooler temperatures to return me to my normal mood. I decided to re-time the Orange County Railway Historical Society meeting show for Monday night as that would take up some time. That took me all the way through Trinidad over Raton Pass to Raton where I took a one minute fresh air break after I had called "Let's Talk Trains".
Next I waited for noon to have lunch in the dining car and was seated with a lady going from La Plata to Albuquerque. I enjoyed the Angus Beef Burger with pudding for dessert, along with seeing a pair of baby antelopes. I visited the lounge car for a cinnamon roll for tomorrow morning then returned to my room for my DVD of Poison "Live Raw & Uncut" to watch on the way to Las Vegas and beyond. It looked as though we may be headed into some storms on the way there which we did indeed run into just before, during and leaving our Las Vegas station stop.
That DVD lasted to just beyond the Pecos River. We had to line our train into the siding at Gise to let the eastbound Southwest Chief get by us on their way to Chicago. I switched to a CD for my next choice, Metallica's "Master of Puppets" to get me most of the way to Albuquerque. We gad to go through the area of slow orders around MP 846 before speeding up to reach Albuquerque which we did after a local freight train cleared out of our way at 5:29 PM {3:44 PM} and I enjoyed some fresh air. The car temperature reading said it was 146 degrees outside. I would see what the bank said, which was 97 degrees outside.
Deluxe Bedroom C in Sleeper 330 had a major water leakage problem that the servicing crew here in Albuquerque tried to fix, which added to our delay here. So we did not depart until 6:20 PM {4:45 PM} at which time I was having dinner with an Amish couple from outside of Maysville, Kentucky. We then came to stop at Abajo and waited for a southbound New Mexico Railrunner train heading to Belen, following it south to Isleta before we headed out across New Mexico. For dinner, I enjoyed the Amtrak Signature Steak and cream puff for dessert then had a shower before watching a movie. I then shot some pictures for my August OCRHS show and when the movie finished, called it a night with a very tired Chris making up my room and going to bed, wondering where I would wake up.
7/1/2012 The train stopped in Needles and I arose by Cadiz then went to the dining car for my last meal of the trip. I was seated with a couple from Joplin going to Huntington Beach and a lady who once ran a dude ranch. I enjoyed French Toast and sausage patties this morning. Joan had made up my room and I then put on my DVD of Jethro Tull "Live at the AVO Sessions Basel" to pass the time as the train crossed the High Desert. I took a fresh air break at Barstow on a delightful morning. The train left here for Victorville at 7:37 AM {3:39 AM}, departing there at 8:13 AM {4:18 AM} and the train would now climb up and over Cajon Pass. Below the old Cajon campground, the Tull DVD ended, so I switched to my CD of Chicago "If You Leave Me Now" that would take me to San Bernardino and beyond. We did a fresh air break at San Bernardino and our Coast Starlight passengers would be bussed from here. The train left San Bernardino at 9:21 AM {5:32 AM} then headed to Riverside, from which we departed at 9:41 AM {5:53 AM} and in a few minutes, a brief moment of personal celebration.
Me getting my 1,350,000.0 rail mile at Magnolia Avenue in Riverside, California at 9:52 AM on July 1, 2012. Special thank you to Joan for taking these pictures.
The sign I made for the event. I relaxed the rest of the way to Fullerton, where we left at 10:26 AM {6:34 AM} and now the train would make the final sprint to Los Angeles, arriving there at 11:04 AM {8:15 AM} on Track 10, ending another excellent trip aboard the Southwest Chief. I walked over to the waiting Surfliner train for home on Track 11.
The Southwest Chief at rest at Los Angeles from Surfliner 572.
Pacific Surfliner 572 7/1/2012
I boarded Pacific Surfliner 572 for the fast trip home back to Santa Ana. We back-tracked to Fullerton, stopped at Anaheim then at last, Santa Ana, where this trip ended.
Where this trip all started, back at the Santa Ana station where my mother picked me up, thus ending an excellent trip to and from the 2012 National Railway Historical Society convention in Cedar Rapids. Once again, many thanks to all the people who made this convention such a great success and one last thank you to Bart Jennings and all of his hard work and planning that made it a fantastic event.
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