We started the line to board the train and fifteen minutes before departure, we boarded a Horizon coach and I started working on the Arkansas Railroad Museum story as Elizabeth would enjoy the scenery along her new route to Kansas City.
Missouri River Runner 313 4/22/2021As we left St. Louis I wanted to take pictures of St. Louis Union Station from the train.
Views as we left St. Louis and started the trip home. We stopped in Kirkwood.
A St. Louis Metrolink train as we exited the city. We went through a pair of tunnels and kissed through both like we always do.
The Missouri River, the train's namesake. We stopped at Hermann, Washington and Jefferson City, the state capital of Missouri.
We stopped next at the Missouri Pacific Sedalia station built in 1885. We ran to Warrenburg, then Lee's Summit and Independence where I finished the Arkansas Railroad Museum story. The train ran into Kansas City and we detrained and made our way into the station. Elizabeth watched the luggage while I took a walk.
Kansas City Union Station.
A railroad painting as I made my way to the parking lot.
10 room-6 double bedroom sleeping car "Pacific Sunset", ex. Amtrak 2883, exx. Union Pacific 2627 "Pacific Range", nee Union Pacific 1434 built by Budd in 1950. It was sold in 1995 to private ownership.
Union Pacific five double bedroom/lounge/buffet car "Ogden" built by Pullman-Standard in 1956. It was re-designated by the railroad as staff car 126 in 1967 and sold to Great Western Enterprises in 1971, where it became the 126 "Redwood" and was later sold to Chicago Medical Equipment and named "Silver Foot" since CME was owned by a group of podiatrists. It was later assigned Amtrak 800279 and was rebuilt into an open-platform car.
The neon on Kansas City Union Station built in 1904.
Kansas City Union Station.
Kansas City Union Station Great Hall. Before the train arrived we had our tickets scanned and then they turned us loose. We took the elevator down to the tracks and waited for the train to arrive.
Southwest Chief 3 4/22/2021.
4/23/2021 I arose, dressed and went to the dining car to get a voucher then had my breakfast of a cinnamon roll and orange juice. I came back just as Elizabeth was heading to the dining car then had the room made up by our sleeping car attendant. I started working on the Museum of Transportation story. In Eastern Colorado as I started the story.
The train stopped at Lamar then made its way to La Junta, our first fresh air breaks of the trip Here I saw Chris Parker, Norm Orfall, Dave Abbott and back at the Tioga Pass, Anton Lazzaro who was riding it with his girlfriend. The train left La Junta and headed west. No more wig wag at Delhi.
The old Santa Fe freight house does not have long in this world. The train stopped at Trinidad and I had to add more picture captions. Elizabeth and I enjoyed our trip across Raton Pass and we took fresh air at Raton.
High plains running after Raton. Just before Las Vegas I finished up that story. I started the trip home but had to go see Elizabeth to get the station names for the trip we took yesterday. She was in the lounge car working on proofing the annual Signal publication for the Fraser Valley Heritage Railway. I started that on but had to pause for pictures.
The "Tioga Pass" brought up the markers on the Chapple S Curves. Bob Gordon came to our room so I could show him two Winterail programs and Elizabeth returned and showed him her updated 25 Years of Railfanning Adventures and Excursions program which he really enjoyed. Since he was not at Winterail 2017, he did not see my program from that year so I showed it to him and he was equally impressed. We crossed the Pecos River and headed to Glorieta Pass through Apache Canyon and into Lamy. The train stopped at Bernarlillo for the eastbound Amtrak Southwest Chief and a New Mexico Railrunner train.
Sandria Peak to the east of the train.
Rio Grande caboose 01423 was on the outskirts of Albuquerque on a siding. After that we arrived at Albuquerque and we both needed a fresh air break. We departed Albuquerque and headed west on the way to Gallup.
The mesas after we left Albuquerque and passed many freight trains on BNSF's main line. We went to the dining car at 7:00 and ate with Chris Parker and Bob Gordon. I had the Braised Beef as usual with a Coca-Cola and Elizabeth enjoyed the chicken fettucine with apple juice. Chris Parker had meatballs and pasta and Bob Gordon had the enchiladas. Good conversations were had between friends. We finished yesterday's story and uploaded it then relaxed. We had the room made up and called it a night/.
4/24/2021 I woke up at Pisgah and went to the lounge car to get my breakfast of a cinnimon roll and orange juice as we were delayed an hour by a BNSF freight derailment west of Kingman while I slept. I enjoyed the trip through Daggett where Chris Parker was now in the lounge and after Barstow, Bob Gordon joined us. We all enjoyed a trip over a foggy Cajon Pass with plenty of trains. Elizabeth got her breakfast and the train ran to San Bernardino then onto Riverside. The train then rolled west through Corona then through Santa Ana Canyon into Fullerton. The train ran the final sprint into Los Angeles Union Pasenger Terminal, ending an excellent trip aboard the Southwest Chief.
Pacific Surfliner 768 4/24/2021Elizabeth and I boarded this train for the trip home to Santa Ana. Our train was delayed in La Mirada as they routed a BNSF freight train by us, a case of bad dispatching. The train stopped at Fullerton, Anaheim then to our final stop at Santa Ana. It had been an incredible trip to Georgia and all of the other things we did on this trip. Marty Smith picked us up and returned us to our apartment.
If you wonder how we find all of the stations and steam engines, we have three websites that we consult and print the applicable pages in our planning process. For stations, the Railroad Station Historical Society gives a state-by-state (and in some states, county-by-county) listing of all existing railroad structures. Dynamic Depots gives a Google Map of each state with the station location shown by a coloured pin (zoomable) which assists when pin-pointing the location of the station if the Historical Society listing does not give an address or cross-streets. For steam engines, steamlocomotive.com is our go-to website.
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