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Coast Starlight to Portland, Oregon 1/4-5/2017

I really wanted to go for a long distance train trip during my Winter Break. I called Elizabeth and Bob Alkire to see if I could come up and they said "Yes!", suggesting we ride Sounder to Lakewood and the new First Hill Streetcar in Seattle. In addition, Seattle Link Light Rail had expanded by three more stations. Skytrain in Vancouver could also be ridden, but I would have to renew my passport which I did. I bought my Amtrak tickets from Santa Ana to Los Angeles in coach, then a sleeping car on the Coast Starlight to Portland with a night there, Business Class on the Amtrak Cascades to Seattle with three nights there. Coming home, a sleeping car on the Coast Starlight then coach home to Santa Ana. It should be an interesting trip.

My mother drove me to the northeast parking lot and dropped me off before I walked to Santa Ana Boulevard, crossed the tracks and walked to Track 1 where I waited for Pacific Surfliner 763 to arrive.

The Santa Ana station on a lovely cool morning.

Pacific Surfliner 763 to Goleta arrived and I chose a window seat on the left. The train departed and my first seat partner detrained at Anaheim so I enjoyed my two seats until Fullerton, where another gentleman joined me. The train burnt up the rails to Los Angeles where we arrived early on Track 10 next to the Southwest Chief and I walked around the front of the train towards where Sleeping Car 1432 would board.

Metrolink train on Track 8 with Metrolink-leased F59PH 18522, nee GO Transit 522.

Pacific Surfliner 763 departed for Goleta. A few minutes later, Pacific Surfliner 768 arrived, as well as all the Metrolink trains that originate or terminate here.

This Coast Starlight had a consist of P42DCs 13 and 510, baggage 61066, transition 39021, sleepers 32091 "Minnesota", 32097 "New Hampshire", Pacific Parlour Car 39975 "Willamette Valley", diner 38056, Business Class 34504, lounge 33027 and coaches 34099, 34031 and 31024. I boarded Room 8 in the "Minnesota", on the right hand side, with Miella as my sleeping car attendant. The train left on time and we quickly proceeded north then west into the San Fernando Valley. At Doran Street, we were delayed by a broken crossing gate before our first stop at Burbank Airport. It felt very good to be back aboard a sleeping car on the Coast Starlight listening to Emerson, Lake & Palmer's "California Jam" show from 1974.

I received a noon lunch reservation then listened to another later live recording of ELP "Works I and II" albums. West of Van Nuys, the train was delayed by Metrolink Train 112, then at Chatsworth, we met Pacific Surfliner 774 going south to San Diego, and it was here the rain started. The journey through the three tunnels was next then we entered the Simi Valley before rolling our way west to Oxnard. At lunch, I sat with a family who loved trains and their son knew who I was. I enjoyed the Angus Beef Burger with bacon strips and a chocolate pudding, then I showed the son the Business Class car. I stepped off for fresh air at Santa Barbara, where I was rained on and we left 45 minutes late, then I finished ELP and followed that with my DVD of Yard Goat Images' "Wisconsin Steam Stories".

I had the Rainbow Blues, a Jethro Tull song.

The Santa Ynez River as we continued north. High water was seen as we made our way through Grover Beach and it was raining hard as we made our way into San Luis Obispo. I detrained for some luggage tags with success then returned to the dryness of the train and watched Randy Rhoads' "Six String God" as we departed at 4:28 PM {3:35 PM} and made our way up Cuesta Grade.

The Coast Starlight rounded the Goldtree Horseshoe Curve on this very wet afternoon. At Chorro, we entered the siding for a late-running southbound Coast Starlight Train 11. As we ascended the rest of the Cuesta Grade, I went to the dining car for my dinner where I had a great steak and was seated with a man going to a wedding in Portland, a lady who owns scale models and another man going home to Yuba City. There was also one of our rare mileage riders, Judy, returning home to Klamath Falls and a man from Whitehorse, Yukon. We stopped in Paso Robles then about twenty minutes later, the DVD ended and I chose "Miley Cyrus Live at the O2" that took me to Salinas and beyond. At Salinas, I stepped off for a fresh air break and we departed after an extended stop for baggage at 7:51 PM {6:28 PM}, bound for San Jose. The last DVD of the day was "Best of Both Worlds Concert" that took me almost to San Jose, from which we departed at 9:46 PM {8:24 PM} and I made up my room on this very wet night.

1/5/2017 I arose at 6:00 AM and after my morning preparations, went into the Pacific Parlour Car, which was an ice box this morning, to wait for breakfast. At 6:30 AM, I was seated with a man going to Dunsmuir and my friend from Whitehorse. I had buttermilk pancakes along with sausage patties, tea and orange juice and during breakfast, we stopped in Dunsmuir then afterwards, and armed with a second cup of tea, I made my way back to my room as the train rounded the Cantara Loop. The climb out of the Sacramento River Canyon was beautiful as the ground was snow-covered and I called my friend Chris Parker to catch up with him.

Mount Shasta in all her glory this morning.

The tracks of the former McCloud Railroad.

McCloud Railroad SD38 37 was waiting for the Union Pacific to pick it up at Mount Shasta City.

Black Butte was looking good as well. We continued to Black Butte then waited for a Union Pacific freight train, Union Pacific 2623 West before resuming our journey as I watched my Los Angeles Kings Stanley Cup DVD from 2012.

The north face of Mount Shasta as we were proceeding to Klamath Falls. The bad news was that we would not be leaving there until 1:00 PM since we needed a rested crew and the Coast Starlight, Train 11, did not arrive there this morning until 2:41 AM, 4 hours and 51 minutes late. In addition, we had to wait for the switch to be cleaned out before we could enter the station.

We moved up to the hand-thrown switch and after our conductor threw it, we arrived just as BNSF 7878 South passed.

BNSF ET44C4 3954 West was also in the yard. The train next stopped a train length from the station.

Icicles on one of the buildings in the yard. We arrived at Klamath Falls at 11:03 AM, where I detrained into the 7 degree air.

My first view from where I detrained.

The Coast Starlight at Klamath Falls.

Amtrak B32-8WH 510, built by General Electric in 1991.

Looking toward the station. I returned to my nice warm room and watched The Ramones "Gabba Hey" during the delay then had a noon lunch reservation and sitting a table across from me were Jeff and his wife; Jeff is a Coaster conductor whom I know from riding Amtrak. I sat with a nice couple going to Portland and enjoyed the Angus Beef Burger which was as good as yesterday. The new crew arrived, the Ramones DVD finished and I switched to Alice Cooper's "Cooperstown Reunion 1998". The train departed at 1:44 PM {9:17 AM} but stopped again because the switch at the north end of the station had not been cleared. Union Pacific 8048 East went by us slowly and then stopped before we left here for good at 1:55 PM.

Upper Klamath Lake. Jethro Tull's "Nothing is Easy Live at the Isle of Wight 1970" was watched next.

A piece of railroad I still need to ride is from Chemult to Bend. We stopped at Chemult and left at 3:23 PM {9:32 AM} and would now travel over the Cascade Mountains then down to Eugene.

Snow-covered trees as we neared Cascade Summit.

Odell Lake.

Climbing to the Summit Tunnel, which we went through, then descended the grade.

A few scenes from our descent from Cascade Summit. I started to watch "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and obtained a 6:30 PM dinner reservation, learning that due to our lateness, all coach passengers would be fed by the dining car staff and our estimated time of arrival in Portland was now 8:51 PM as of 6:00 PM. I went to the dining car at 6:30 PM and was seated with Jeff and his wife and enjoyed the steak and lava cake for dessert. We stopped in Eugene and left there at 6:38 PM {12:36 PM}, then after dinner, we stopped in Albany, departing there at 7:24 PM {1:22 PM}, then it was onto Salem, where we left at 8:14 PM {1:56 PM}. Now we made the final sprint into Portland, arriving there at 9:22 PM {3:22 PM}. It had been a unique trip aboard the Coast Starlight.

I walked from Portland Union Station to the Green Line MAX station and boarded the first trolley to 82nd Street, where I detrained and walked over to the Days Inn for the night.

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