I
awoke at 6:30am, much too early for me, but I looked out the window and saw
the upper reaches of Lake Shasta. I had never been on this train here in
daylight before, so I had to look. We crossed over Interstate 5 and went
into the Sacramento River canyon. I had always wanted to see this from the
train, and this was my chance. I grabbed my camera and snapped away as the
train snaked in and out of the curves ahead of us.
At 7:25 we got our first peek at Mt. Shasta, and about the same time Castle Crags appeared briefly on our left. Dave, who was still clutching his pillow, was in awe of the scene unfolding before us, as was I. We would point out different things to each other as we passed. Dave turned out to be a terrific companion for the rest of the day.
I was getting hungry so I opened my muffin and finished my juice. That was not a completely satisfying breakfast, but it would do for now. I would get breakfast later, once the cobwebs were out of my head. As I finished with the juice I noticed you could win $25,000 if you got the lucky bottle. I peeled off the label to find I had indeed won...$5.00. I came out ahead on that deal. The juice and muffin only cost $3.75.
At 7:40
we had completed a stop in Dunsmuir . As we pulled away I saw a funny looking
rail contraption. It looked like an office building on rails. Through the
windows I could see desks and people working. The outside had the UP logo
and the words "TODAY'S DATA, TOMORROW'S TECHNOLOGY."
Within a few minutes we worked our way up a narrow forested canyon which
I had never seen before. I've driven up Interstate 5 dozens of times, but
the train knows of hidden treasures unknown to the American motorist. By
8:10 we were passing through the town of Mt. Shasta and the spectacular snow
capped peak was alongside.
But something was not quite right. We had been moving very slowly for the last 20 or 30 minutes. As we crossed Interstate 5 again we saw Black Butte and we stopped dead for a few minutes. When we started again we were still going very slowly. At 8:30 an announcement was made that Union Pacific had ordered speed restrictions. We would be limited to 10 MPH for the next nine miles. There goes another hour. Seven minutes later we had to stop five minutes for a passing freight train, then we would follow another freight through the speed restricted area. It was interesting that although we were on UP tracks, most of the trains we waited for had BNSF locomotoves.
It wasn't until much later that I learned that UP was doing track work in the area. New ballast needed time to settle before a train could travel safely at a normal speeds. I never did find out how long it needed to settle.
At 9:00 I went to shave and clean up a bit. While I was doing that they announced that passengers transferring to the Empire Builder in Portland would have to catch a bus in Klamath Falls. Back at my seat, Dave and I looked out on some lava beds, wondering how such large piles of boulders got from the mountain to here.
At 10:00am I heard the last call for breakfast. I told Dave I was going ot take advantage of that and went to the diner. Von seated me with a couple from Windsor California destined for Portland. I don't recall their names, but he sported a goatee and she had fairly dark skin. I believe he said he was a telecommunications technician, recently laid off. But they didn't seem to be hurting financially. This was their second trip on the Starlight, and while they were annoyed at being late, they were enjoying the trip overall. I found this typical of attitudes on the train throughout the day.
I had the window seat facing rearward, and on my left was a lady who was a retired occupational therapist from Portland. We all discussed a number of issues, including the problems Amtrak has with the freight railroads. I told them about the concert I was expecting to attend that evening, and I was wondering if I would make it. By now we were back to a good speed, but I certainly couldn't afford any more delays.
I ordered a simple plate of scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, and toast. Nothing fancy, but it seemed a little overpriced for what I got. The man across from me had a scrambled egg "fiesta" with cheese and sausage and salsa. That looked more interesting, but a bit too bold for my breakfast. We watched as we passed more lava beds. On the left side of the train we were overlooking a broad valley, while Mt. Shasta stayed mostly on the other side, occasionally peeking out behind us on the curves. Freight traffic delayed us again at 10:30 as we pulled onto a siding for several minutes. We had to back out of this one before proceeding.
I was glad I decided to have breakfast in the diner, and not from the snack bar. The company was delightful, and the conversations fascinating.
I returned
to my seat and watched the forest go by. At 11:00am we were still nowhere
near Klamath Falls, though we were supposed to have been there at 8:15. And
here we were stopped on yet another siding to wait for another freight train.
It soon passed, but we didn't start moving. At 11:10 they made an announcement
that the operating crew, the engineers and conductors, had reached their
12 hour legal work limit so the train could not proceed until the relief
crew arrived from Klamath Falls. A lot of puzzled passengers, unfamiliar
with that little law, were beginning to gripe pretty loudly.
At 11:15 they decided to open the door in car 1412 to allow passengers to get off to smoke or just stretch our legs. We were prohibited from going more than 10 feet from the train because there might be rattlesnakes in the rocks, or so they said. Still, it was a unique experience. A mini adventure. People weren't sure whether to be upset with Amtrak or Union Pacific or both, but while everyone was annoyed almost nobody was too unhappy. Most were just treating this as one of life's little wierd adventures.
Outside was pretty warm, and there was not much to do, so I returned to my seat. I was mulling over whether I wanted to ask for a voucher. I decided I would consider it only if I missed the concert, but not otherwise because the on board service was top notch.. I reached into my bag and pulled out a weekly Bible lesson. My eyes first fell on this passage from Psalms 62:5: "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him." That seemed like excellent advice given the circumstances.
Meanwhile Dave had returned to his seat. He said he gotten back on the train in the sleeper section and had seen the Pacific Parlor Car. He said I should check it out. I knew the parlor car was only open to sleeping car passengers, but I thought I might ask for a peek. I wanted to go through the train and take pictures of each car, so I grabbed my camera and went walking. The diner was between meals, and Von was doing some paperwork at a table. I asked him if I could peek into the parlor car and he said "Yes, but I didn't tell you so."
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I went into the parlor car, and it looked much like the lounge cars I remembered from the 1970s, which were actually built decades before that. Plush furniture, cocktail tables, and table booths provided a variety of social or relaxation opportunities. I snapped a photo at the bar end, then went towards the stairway. As a former theatre manager, current a/v technician, and movie buff, I had to see the theatre downstairs. I looked first into the back corners, as any good theatre buff would do, and much to my delight I saw surround speakers. At the front were the proper right, center and left channel speakers. Amtrak did it right. They've got Dolby Stereo!
Upstairs I snapped a photo from the front end of the car, and resumed my photo tour through the rest of the train. On the way back through the diner I stopped to tell Von, "Thanks, but you didn't hear that from me." He chuckled.
At 11:40 another freight train passed, this one northbound. Soon after a rumor was floating around that the relief crew had arrived, but there was no official confirmation. In fact the crew did not arrive until 12:22pm, when they announced "We have been rescued!" They needed a few minutes to brief the crew, and we were moving again at 12:33. As we proceeded I saw a road sign that indicated we had stopped at the Penoyar Road crossing.
