7/18/2020 We woke up at the Ramada Inn in East Ely and wrote both stories of yesterday's two trips. We left the key in the room, loaded the car and left for the McDonald's down the road. After we ate in the car, we took Highway 50/6 east and stopped at the Great Basin National Park Visitors Center since neither of us had ever been here and I had heard about it last night aboard the Nevada Northern Star Train.
The sign as we turned in. We visited the hardly-open Visitors Center and after using the facilities, we left heading east.
Elizabeth and the Great Basin National Park sign. We took US 50/6 east to Delta then turned south onto Utah 257 following the Union Pacific tracks all the way to Milford.
The Milford Lions Club meets in this former Union Pacific dining car 4053, built by Pullman in 1929 as Union Pacific 326. It was rebuilt in 1946 to a maintenance-of-way dining car.
We had seen this Union Pacific stack train in Delta and we never saw it again until we arrived in Milford.
Union Pacific 7361 West departing Milford after a crew change. From here, we took Utah Highway 21 to Utah 130 into Cedar City. Here, this time, I was going to find the real Union Pacific passenger station. On the way to it, we found a pair of surprises.
Southern Pacific caboose 4618 built by Pacific Car and Foundry in 1978.
A mine steam shovel for iron ore loading.
The former Union Pacific freighthouse in Cedar City. From here we found the Union Pacific station.
The Union Pacific Cedar City passenger station built in 1923. We had dinner at Sizzler across the street before Elizabeth drove to Exit 2 on Interstate 15 then I drove the rest of the way to Mesquite, pulling into the Best Western and checking in. We unloaded the car in 108 degree temperature and quickly were inside the air-conditioned room.
7/19/2020We woke up early at the Best Western Mesquite Inn, checked our e-mails and other things before we left and to gas up the car. I drove us to Barstow driving Interstate 15 and took Elizabeth to the Western American Railroad Museum and the restored Casa del Desierto, a 1911 Harvey House and train station.
Santa Fe SWBLW 1460 known as the "Beep". It was built by Baldwin in 1943 as Santa Fe V0-1000 2220 and rebuilt into Baldwin-Geep hybrid in 1970.
Santa Fe SD40 6307, ex. BNSF 6307, exx. ATSF 5007, nee ATSF 1707 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1966.
Union Pacific caboose 25599, built by International Car in 1964.
Santa Fe caboose 999728 built by International Car in 1978.
Union Pacific SD40-2 9950, nee Missouri Pacific 3320, built by Electro-Motive Division in 1980.
Arizona and California Railroad Business Car 58, built by Pullman in 1924 as Santa Fe 38.
Santa Fe three door baggage car 199860 built by Pullman as a horse-express car.
Santa Fe FP45 95, ex. Santa Fe 5945 1970 nee Santa Fe 105, built by Electro-Motive Division in 1967.
United States Marine Corps 44 ton switcher 268236 built by General Electric in 1941.
An observation car.
A BNSF freight went east through Barstow during our stop here.
Fruit Growers Express (JFSX) caboose 447, built by Illinois Central in 1972 as Illinois Central 9447.
SFCM 950003 and 950004 A stack containers.
The Barstow station and Casa del Desierto Harvey House built in 1911 by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and replaced an earlier one built in 1885 that burned in 1908. It was designed by renowned Fred Harvey Company architect Mary Colter in a synthesis of Spanish Renaissance and Classical Revival architecture styles. The historic structure is an elegant presence in the Mojave Desert beside the intermittent Mojave River. Santa Fe then closed the station in 1973 and the City of Barstow obtained the station in 1990's.
The Historic Harvey House operates as a professional office building, exhibit space and has two large ballrooms used for social events. Other public institutions located here are the Western America Railroad Museum on the east side and the Barstow Route 66 "Mother Road" Museum on the north side. It also currently functions as an Amtrak stop on the Southwest Chief.
Elizabeth and the Casa del Desierto. Elizabeth drove home from Barstow. We took Interstate 15 over Cajon Pass then Cajon Blvd to Devore due to Caltrans road work down to a single lane of traffic. We took Interstate 215 to the CA 210 back onto Interstate 15 into the carpool lane on CA 60 and 57 and then CA 22 to Tustin Ave to our apartment thus ending our Honeymoon safe and sound in Santa Ana. Total miles driven was 5,003.
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