Route guide of the
Southwest Chief.
Chicago - Kansas City - Topeka, Kan. -
Southern Colorado - Santa Fe, N.M. -
Albuquerque -
Flagstaff (Grand Canyon) - Los Angeles
Trip Description:The Southwest Chief is a
two day trip from Chicago to Los Angeles.
Westbound,the train departs Chicago
in the afternoon, arrives Kansas City close to Midnight. The next morning,
travelers awake to western Kansas, set their watches back an hour as Mountain
Time is entered, and roll into views of the Rocky Mountains in southern
Colorado. While eating French Toast in the dining car, passengers can sometimes
see prairie dogs at play.
By afternoon, the stunning scenery of northern New Mexico, including the
Raton Tunnel and mountain streams, captivates views from the train's big picture windows. Late afternoon, the train arrives Lamy, the
station stop for Santa Fe, and later, Albuquerque.
In the dining car, travelers enjoy spectacular western New
Mexico sunsets at dinner.
Late in the evening, the train arrives Flagstaff, Ariz., the stop for the
Grand Canyon.
The train traverses the Mojave Desert overnight, crossing into the Pacific
time zone, arriving San Bernardino,
Calif., in the morning before arriving Los Angeles around 8:30 a.m., the second
morning out of Chicago.
Eastbound, the train departs the City of Angeles in the
early evening and arrives Flagstaff first thing in the morning. Indian cities
such as Gallup, N.M., and Winslow, Ariz., are seen.
By midday, the
train calls on Albuquerque and later, Santa Fe. The northern New Mexico scenery
attracts attention through the afternoon. Sunset begins to fall in southern
Colorado after the train crosses Raton Tunnel into Colorado. The Southwest Chief
crosses through the plains of Kansas overnight. Passengers are awakened to views
of the Kaw River just east of Topeka, Kan., and in Lawrence, Kan., home of the
University of Kansas.
The train pulls into Kansas City's
historic Union Station later that morning and picks up more speed across the
plains of northwest and northeast Missouri before crossing the Mississippi River
into Illinois. Chicago is reached by late afternoon the second day out.
