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Tioga Pass over Tehachapi and north on the former Southern Pacific Valley Route 11/14/2008 Part 5

The train speed increased as we reached the San Joaquin Valley.

The train went through crossovers at Sandcut.

Let the vineyards be fruitful.

A BNSF freight train as we passed through Edison.

The BNSF DPU's is helping this eastbound train at Edison.

Our train rolled through Edison.

The train ran under the Signal bridge at the east end of the Bakersfield Yard.

Today it was a very empty Bakersfield Yard.

We came to where the San Joaquin Valley Railroad line to Buttonwillow takes off from the UP mainline.

Two views of Kern Jct. They had crossed us over so we could use the platform at the Bakersfield Station where we get a fresh air stop during the crew change there.

Our Tioga Pass passengers detraining at Bakersfield. Here three of our passengers left us.

View of the Tioga Pass in Bakersfield. We reboarded and headed to Sacramento.

There was a San Joaquin Railroad train switching the Bakersfield Yard.

The San Joaquin Railroad train and the UP freight we passed at Marcel.

The train ran by the former Southern Pacific Bakersfield Station.

Looking back as we leave the Bakersfield Station behind.

The end of two main tracks at Chester Avenue.

Our train crossed the Kern River.

Here is where the San Joaquin Railroad Landco Sub joins the UP mainline after running over the former Santa Fe line.

Oil Jct. I went back inside the Tioga Pass and worked on the story in the Dining Room until they had to set up the table for the first seating for Dinner.

Before that the end of a fantastic day of train riding aboard the Tioga Pass. The train would continue through the night to Sacramento .

A close nit group on one of the coaches in the Tioga Pass. I worked on my story until I was called in for dinner. Some passengers continued to ride the open platform after dark.

My first seating for Dinner with Tom Geer of the Pacific Railroad Society and Bob Johnson in the lower picture. I had an excellent roast beef for my dinner.

The lounge area of the Tioga Pass.

The second seating of dinner in the Dining Room as the our train continued it non stop running north up the San Joaquin Valley. I went to the back platform as we neared Manteca to see which way we would run up to Stockton. The train ran to Lathrop then turned north to Stockton.

The Altamont Commuter Express facility in Stockton.

The signals for the BNSF crossing in Stockton.

There was an ACE Train at their Stockton Station. The train ran nonstop until we neared Elvas where we came to a stop. On a signal box we saw some writing that caused us all to have a good laugh. The train ran past the former location of Elvas Tower and then we all had to clear the rear platform as the conductor had to back the train all the way to the Sacramento Station which arrived at 8:58 PM. A special thank you to the owner Norm, Bartender Todd and Chef Victor for an excellent trip aboard the Tioga Pass. Chris wanted to stay and shot some night shots and I went to the Vagabond Inn and got our room. I checked things on the Internet then showered before I worked some more on my story before Chris arrived. We soon called it a night after a great day of train riding.

11/15/2008 After the clock radio went off twice set an hour off, we decided to get up and get ourselves over to the Sacramento Amtrak Station. Chris got his ticket from the Amtrak Ticket Machine and soon we were outside waiting for the train to arrive from its overnight storage area. The southbound Coast Starlight was there but was a very odd train. It had engines, Transition, Dinner, Lounge, four Coaches, three Sleepers and a Pacific Parlour Car on the rear end.

Chris and I boarded the train and I started working on the story again as the train headed south. Before Stockton the crews announced that they would be no buses in Bakersfield due to the fires and that if anyone wanted to cancel their trip today to get off in Stockton or if they had checked baggage, get off in Modesto. We got delayed by a freight train for nine minutes and I finished the story by Madera so far. Remember every trip is an adventure! The train made it to Figarden where we waited for a BNSF westbound.

As we waited I noticed the nice reflections in this pool of water. The train made its way to Fresno and proceeded to Bakersfield with no further delay arriving twenty minutes late.

Since there was no LAUPT or just Los Angeles Bus to take since Interstate 5 was closed, we asked if we could take the Oxnard Bus and connect with a Surfliner there to get home to Santa Ana. The driver said "Yes" and soon Chris and I plus our new friends Rufino and Theo all boarded the bus for Oxnard. The bus left Bakersfield at 12:15 PM and all was normal until after Lake Hughes Road where the traffic on the Interstate 5 came to a halt at 1:45 PM. We crept along very slowly, stopping and going then stopping again and again and again.

The four lanes of traffic were trying to get into one lane to exit the freeway at California Highway 126. I listened to all of the new Alice Cooper before we ever left Interstate 5.

The view looking down California Highway 126 once we turned on to it.

A look back at our escape route from Interstate 5. The detour was to Fillmore then California Highway 23 and back to California Highway 118. After about another mile of bumper to bumper traffic the road opened up and we all thought we were home free. Wrong! About five miles east of Piru, the highway grounded to a stop. For over the next two hours we crawled along stopping and going all the way into Fillmore. The sun had long set before we crawled into Fillmore. Once the traffic turned off onto CA 23, the bus picked up speed and ran to Santa Paula where we dropped off one passenger and we took a ten minute stretching break. That felt really good and soon we were on our way to Oxnard arriving there at 6:30 PM. That was the longest I have ever spent on an Amtrak Thruway Bus. As we pulled in, we spotted the Ruby Cafe and decided to all go have dinner there. I enjoyed a New York Steak which made me happy and enjoyed part of the Jackie Chan Movie "Who Am I". After dinner we walked back to the Oxnard Station and went out on the platform to wait for our train.

I took a picture of the moon from the platform as we waited for the train on a nice warm balmy night.

Surfliner 796 came into Oxnard to take us all home. They boarded all of us bus riders in one car and soon we were on our way south. After Simi Valley we spotted our conductor friend Bob Riskie waving with a big smile on his face. The train made its way into LAUPT where Chris detrained with Theo who Chris would drive home to UCLA. The train changed crews in Los Angeles before it made its way to Fullerton.

The moon as seen through the smoke during our Fullerton stop. The train then ran to Anaheim and onto Santa Ana at 11:00 PM where I detrained and drove home ending the longest trip home from Sacramento that I have ever made.