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Coast Starlight Detour Trip 2019

Metrolink decided to rebuild bridges in the San Fernando Valley over the weekend of September 7th and 8th, 2019, so I bought Coast Starlight Business Class tickets for Bill Compton and I. The work was then switched to the following weekend (September 14th and 15th), so I changed the hotel reservation at the Jack London Inn to the next weekend. Chris Parker and his friend Nick decided to ride as well and we all looked forward to the detour over both Tehachaphi and Altamont Passes.

9/14/2019 After my usual Saturday duties, I was ready at 7:20 AM when Bill arrived and we drove to the Santa Ana station and parked in the parking structure. We took the elevators over to Track 1 to wait for Pacific Surfliner 763 to Los Angeles.

The first train of the day was Pacific Surfliner 1564.

Twenty minutes later Pacific Surfliner 763 came in and Bill and I took seats in the Surfliner coach. The train made its way to Anaheim and Fullerton before making the final sprint to Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal. Bill and I took a Red Cap ride to the Metropolitan Lounge where we met Brian and walked up to the platform to wait for the Coast Starlight to back into LAUPT.

Coast Starlight 14 reversed into the station and we boarded by giving the attendant our names, being told to remain seated until our tickets were scanned.

Brian sitting across from me.

Bill sitting next to me. The train left LAUPT on time and we were on our way to Oakland. Later the conductor scanned our tickets.

Chris Parker and Nick.

Bob Riskie and Brian in the lounge car.

Chris Parker took a picture of the author, Christopher Dean Guenzler.

The historic marker of the completion of the Southern Pacific Railroad at Lang, California in 1876.

The Vasquez Rocks.

More rocks east of the Vasquez Rocks.

Later the Palmdale Cutoff came into view and Bill Compton starts his new rail mileage.

Much later the Lockheed Skunk plant.

Leaving Mohave, the windmills are very plentiful on the mountains.

Looking back toward the tunnel section of our route.

Rolling west through Marcel. That would take us through the tunnel to the world-famous Tehachaphi Loop.

For the first time on these trips, there was a BNSF train on the Loop.

Looking down on the mainline we will be on in a few minutes.

The rear of the train on the Tehachaphi Loop.

The Coast Starlight on the Loop.

Completing the Tehachaphi Loop.

Curving below.

Later, looking out from Cliff Siding.

Looking down to Caliente.

Looking down on Bealvile.

Coming out of Tunnel 5.

The shoofly from the 1952 earthquake reconstruction.

Looking back on Tunnel 5.

Looking out from Bealville.

Coming out of Tunnel 2.

Looking down at Caliente.

The BNSF train waiting for us at Caliente.

The train took the Horseshoe Curve at Caliente.

We left Bakersfield at 3:52 PM and continued north on this trip. At Saco we met the southbound Coast Starlight then a Union Pacific freight at Cowelo, then at Tipton we went into the siding to wait for another Union Pacific freight that hit a car. We had a ninety-minute delay and we went to the dining car when I enjoyed a Signature Steak, eating my entire meal without moving an inch. The freight went by us and we took off at track speed heading to Tulure and beyond. The train then ran through Goshen Jct., Kingsburg, Selma and Fowler before entering Fresno in the last light of the day. By the time we got to Madera, we were a night train running through Chowchilla and into Merced.

From here we ran straight to Turlock, through Modesto and on to Manteca where stopped to switch train crews before the train was wyed at Lathrop and then headed to the former Western Pacific route to take us to Niles where we would run to Newark, ending our detour. From there we continued the rest of the way north to Oakland Jack London station where Bill and I detrained after midnight. We walked to the Jack London Inn.

9/15/2019 I arose and showered before walking over to the Buttercup Restaurant on Broadway and had excellant French Toast and really crispy bacon with orange juice. Our southbound train was over two hours late this morning and once Bill returned from the motel's breakfast, we checked out and set up for pictures to pass the time.

The first train of the day was a Union Pacific train switching.

Here he is again.

Next a Capitol Corridor train came by us on its way to Sacramento. I went into the station and bought us San Joaquin train and bus tickets, as well as tickets for Pacific Surfliner 792 back to Santa Ana. I was a happy train rider.

Next a Union Pacific auto train came by my photo location.

The Oakland Jack London Amtrak station.

San Joaquin 712 for Bakersfield arrived at the station and Bill and I boarded the second car. The train departed Oakland on time but was delayed getting into Emeryville by that Capitol train that left before us. We ran to Richmond then onto Martinez where we waited for the Coast Starlight to transfer to our train. We left Martinez and Bill was on new mileage all the way to Bakersfield. The train continued to Port Chicago then entered the BNSF mainline to Bakersfield for the rest of the trip then made its way to Antioch and crossed the California Delta on the way to Stockton. We ran through a BNSF construction zone but then resumed track speed. Chris Parker, on the other hand, was in Turlock-Denair as we were in Escalon and running over fifty minutes late. Mr. Parker's train was two hours and twenty minutes late. We stopped in Modesto then sprinted to Turlock-Denair before continuing Merced and a crew change. From there we ran to Fresno, Hanford and Corcoran before Wasco then the final sprint into Bakersfield, where we arrived at 4:41 PM {3:57 PM}.

Bill and I left the train and headed straight to the Amtrak Thruway Bus and took our seats for the train bus to LAUPT. The trip was fast and did not take all that long on this late Sunday afternoon. We arrived in Los Angeles and walked up to the platform for the final train of the trip.

The trip was fast, we departed on time and sprinted to Fullerton and Anaheim to our last stop of Santa Ana, where we walked to the parking structure and Bill drove me home, ending another great Amtrak adventure.

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