7/26/2013 I awoke to a rainy morning so slept in then had breakfast and worked on this story before packing and moving to Room N for the rest of my stay here. I then drove out to the old bridge on Cranberry Lane and had a train approaching. The rain certainly kept the dust down on the dirt road.
BNSF 7222 East with a stack train.
The clouds were interesting but at least it was dry.
The animals were interesting also.
BNSF 7368 West on an intermodal train.
BNSF 7032 East with a general manifest.
Interesting clouds this morning.
Double greens mean a freight train on the right track and the Southwest Chief on the left track.
BNSF 7211 East on a stack train.
Amtrak's Southwest Chief Train 4 heads for Chicago. From here I headed west to the old bridge on Titan Lane west of Gibbs.
I had to follow this Amish buggy and dog back to the paved road. At the Titan Lane old bridge I met a local family who drove up on a dune buggy to watch trains. We talked for a few minutes when I saw a westbound cresting the hill at Gibbs.
BNSF 7248 West with a general manifest.
BNSF 7814 East on an intermodal train. I then drove to the Chris Guenzler Million Mile Lookout Point and with an Internet connection, I uploaded the disc writer and successfully tested it.
BNSF 7248 West again as it had stopped by Archer Road when I crossed over the BNSF mainline on the way here.
BNSF 7070 West with a stack train.
Someone posted this in the Lookout Point. Thank you! I went to leave and the Ford Focus key would not turn and despite several attempts, it would not work so I called Enterprise and because there was no manual in the rental car, Megan said she would send out a driver.
Union Pacific 5453 West on a stack train was my last train here. I returned to the car, tried to start it and it worked so I called Megan to cancel the driver then went to Trainparty after filling the car with petrol. I returned to the Depot Inn and Suites, worked on this story and called Ray Burns, now a resident of Macon, and we had a great talk. I finished the story to this point then at 4:15 PM, drove north in the hotel's van to Colton's Steakhouse and had my final Missouri meal of this trip then relaxed until it was time to be driven down to the train. There were 23 Boy Scouts who were boarding the train tonight in La Plata and I waited at the station until my train came into sight for home at 7:42 PM.
Southwest Chief 3 7/26/2013
The conductor was at the door of the 10 Car and called my name so I boarded and Paul, my excellent Sleeping Car Attendant, took me to Room 20. This train had engines 14 and 137, baggage 1855, transition 39021, sleepers 32068 and 32056, diner 38061, lounge 33020 and coaches 34102, 34094 and 31032. I set up my room then pulled out the computer to catch up the story. My ticket was scanned then I went to the dining car for a dessert before relaxing across Missouri and calling it a night.
7/27/2013 The next morning I arose and had to put my name on a waiting list for breakfast. I waited in the lounge watching Kansas pass by before I was called in, being was seated with a Boy Scout and his father from Indianapolis who were going to Raton, then the Philmont Scout Ranch, and Bob Johnson of Trains Magazine. I always have enjoyed his writing. Good conversations were had at the table and the French Toast and sausage tasted really good this morning. I worked on my Year of Trains in the Life of Chris Guenzler 2013 before putting on my "Peter Frampton Live in Brazil" DVD. A fresh air break at La Junta caused me to pause that DVD.
The crew change in La Junta, from which we left on time, and headed the miles west to Trinidad. After that DVD, I watched "Ringo Starr and the All Star Band", took a fresh air break at Raton and called Let's Talk Trains, the Internet Radio Show. Ringo finished then it was time for lunch, and I was seated with a couple from Pennsylvania and an Amish gentleman from Indiana. I had the Angus Beef Burger and the chocolate swirl for dessert, after which I listened to Yes "Fly From Here" as I timed out the next Orange County Railway Historical Society program and completed that at Glorieta.
I then watched a live Queen DVD that took me through Apache Canyon, Lamy and beyond, all the way to just short of Albuquerque. We arrived there at 4:19 PM and Randy Jackson came down to see me during the layover and we were amused to see our conductor wearing a Detroit Tigers baseball cap. The train departed at 4:56 PM, 11 minutes late and we were off for Gallup. I had a 5:30 dinner reservation and listened to music until then, and was seated with the same people from lunch and learned a little bit more about the Indiana Amish. I had the steak and orange sorbet for dessert. I returned to my room for an evening of CDs and DVDs, staying up to Flagstaff to see my friend Danny. After a visit with him, I reboarded and made up my room before calling it a night.
7/28/2013 I woke up just after Summit and after my room was made up, had a quiet trip down to Cajon Pass, enjoying a cinnamon roll and Chips Ahoy cookies. The freight trains started below Devore then I took a fresh air break at San Bernardino, after which I put on my DVD of Jethro Tull "Around the World Live". The train went under the new Union Pacific flyover at Colton before we ran to Riverside and Fullerton before the final sprint to Los Angeles, arriving there at 8:30 AM {8:45 AM}.
Pacific Surfliner 768 7/28/2013I bought a Metrolink Weekend Pass and just as I reached the train, it left so I walked over to where the Pacific Business Class car would stop and at 9:00 AM, the train arrived from Goleta. I stored my heavy luggage downstairs before I took a right side facing backwards seat sitting in those seats I cannot stand. I caught up on the story before going online then the train departed on time for the quick trip to Fullerton, Anaheim and on to Santa Ana, where I detrained and my mother picked me up. It was good to be home but had been a fantastic trip, and thank you one more time to Dave Smetko for making it all happen.
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