Following our Panama Canal cruise aboard the “Island Princess” and a
day of sightseeing between San Pedro and Malibu, we headed to Los
Angeles Union Station to board the eastbound Sunset Limited. We
spent a couple of hours exploring the magnificent station and relaxing
in the Metropolitan Lounge located upstairs in the back corner of the
station.
The main waiting room in Los Angeles Union Station
Sleeper passengers were transported in motorized carts to the train by
redcaps and we were settled into our roomettes well before the 10:10pm
departure. As has been our practice in recent years, we booked
rooms across the hall from one another to prevent either of us from
having to sleep in the cramped top bunk. For this trip we had
rooms 3 and 4 in sleeping car 32093 “Missouri”. After passing the
site of the former Mission Tower, it was time to turn in as the Sunset
rolled eastward through Pomona, Ontario, and the outskirts of Palm
Springs.
The eastbound Sunset Limited prepares to depart Los Angeles
Morning’s first light found train # 2 stopped in Maricopa, AZ where the
short platform necessitated four stops to detrain and board
passengers. East of Tucson we passed below a tall railroad bridge
that carries the second main line track of the Sunset route. That
track roughly paralleled our line though often separated by a large
distance. Shortly before 10:00am the two lines rejoined after having
separated at distances up to approximately one-half
mile.
Desert scenery in Arizona
Railroad trestle carrying the second main line track
Saguaro cactus are plentiful east of Tucson, a few miles south of Saguaro National Park
The rear of the Sunset Limited with private car "Dearing" carrying the markers
The second main track is approximately 1/2 mile to our north
Heavy freight traffic was noted all the way from Los Angeles though we
navigated the route close to schedule. At 11:45am a large peach
orchard came into view amidst the desert undoubtedly requiring a great
deal of irrigation. An hour later we noted cattle grazing in
fields that stood out among the desert landscape. The stop in
Deming, NM revealed boarding passengers waiting in their automobiles as
station facilities are lacking. Just over an hour later the rail
line became twisting as valley communities came into view on the left
side. Border fences separating the US from Mexico soon paralleled
the railway on the right and moments later we crossed the Rio Grande
River and entered Texas. On the east bank of the river we passed
above the BNSF line from El Paso to Albuquerque and spotted a BNSF
business car train parked in a small rail yard. Soon after
crossing the Rio Grande we stopped and waited for the westbound Sunset
Limited which rolled by at 3:48pm. After a 20 minute delay we
eased forward to El Paso where there was time for a short walk on the
platform.
A peach orchard interrupts the desert scenery east of Wilcox, AZ
Rock formations provide contrast to the desert views
Desert sands give a foreboding look beyond the rails
Freight cars parked in the desert north of the Sunset route outside Lordsburg, NM
Desert scenery makes the Sunset route interesting
Mountains west of El Paso
A BNSF business car train parked along the El Paso-Albuquerque line
El Paso train station
"Dearing" brings up the rear of Amtrak train # 2 at El Paso
Superliner lounge 33006 at El Paso
Superliner II dining car 38058
Sleeping car 32093 "Missouri"
Dinnertime came at 5:30, about 45 minutes after departing El Paso, and
we enjoyed a delicious meal highlighted by great service from “John”
the friendliest waiter we have encountered in our many Amtrak
travels. Throughout the trip John provided service with a smile
and a kind voice that made us feel like welcomed guests. While we
dined, we overtook a pair of eastbound Union Pacific freights whose
crewmembers stood in the desert sand inspecting our train during its
roll by. The pace of our dinner was relaxed as the train was not
overly crowded and we enjoyed taking our time and savoring the fresh
cooked food.
Amtrak's national menu
An Amtrak poster featuring the Sunset Limited
Veteran dining car waiter "John" is among Amtrak's best
This chicken dish was an excellent choice for dinner
Back in our rooms we enjoyed a brilliant desert sunset primarily from
Chris’ south-facing window. This pointed out another advantage of
booking two roomettes as we could move back and forth to view
interesting sights on either side of the train. During the
evening the Sunset Limited passed through Marfa and stopped at Alpine,
gateway to Big Bend National Park. The desert scenery took on a
different appearance at night with various features silhouetted against
the dark sky. The constellations were clearly visible with the
desert sky providing perfect conditions for star gazing. We slept
soundly as train # 2 barreled eastward over the smooth rails and didn’t
notice our stops in Sanderson and Del Rio.
Unusual rock formations in west Texas
Magnificent desolation in western Texas
A west Texas sunset
Sunset west of Marfa, TX
The sun appeared to rise and set as it was blocked by rock formations at times
Twilight near Marfa
I awoke as we eased to a stop in San Antonio at 6:05am, 75 minutes
late. The San Antonio station and the HemisFair tower from the
1968 World’s Fair filled my roomette window. A great deal of
switching ensued as the Chicago bound coach and sleeper were dropped
from our train and added to the Texas Eagle that waited on the adjacent
track. The Eagle actually originates in San Antonio but three
days a week includes the two through cars from Los Angeles.
Complicating the switching activities was the presence of private car
“Dearing” on the rear of the train making an additional switching move
necessary to return that car to the end of our train to New Orleans.
The HemisFair tower behind the San Antonio station
We headed to the dining car for breakfast at 7:20 and dined while our
train sat in San Antonio. We finally departed at 8:02am but
stopped just east of the station to refuel the engines. After
being conditioned to relax during the cruise, we returned to our
roomettes and napped a bit more while being lulled to sleep by the
melodious rhythm of the rails. We awoke in time to see the
suburbs of Houston including several railroad junctions as lines from
around the state converged. Arrival in Houston at 12:28pm was
just over 75 minutes late but generous schedule padding cut that down
to 45 minutes tardy upon departure.
Pancakes and grits for breakfast
San Antonio station
Protect sleeper 32099 "New Mexico: and coach 34031 at San Antonio
The Sunset Limited backed out of Houston until reaching South Belt
Jct., where we switched over the former Missouri Pacific line that runs
north of the ex-Southern Pacific line historically used by the Sunset
and still used by Amtrak on the westbound run. This was my first
known ride over the old MoPac line though I may have missed it
previously when the train covered the route at night. The most
notable feature on this line was massive Lake Houston which we crossed
during lunch in the dining car. Once more we had the pleasure of
being served by John who, we learned, has worked for Amtrak for over 40
years. Originally from Birmingham, John today is based in Los
Angeles.
Lake Houston along the former Missouri Pacific line
We rejoined the former SP line at 2:48pm and met the westbound Sunset
Limited as we arrived in Beaumont 4 minutes later. Beaumont is a
crew change stop and the new station/shelter is a vast improvement over
previous facilities awaiting passengers. Train # 2 departed
Beaumont just over one hour late which projected to an early arrival
into New Orleans if the afternoon went smoothly. But things
unraveled a bit as we were over 90 minutes late at Lake Charles.
Dinnertime brought a delicious steak dinner accompanied by a baked
potato, mixed vegetables, and vanilla pudding served by the affable
John. His colleague Debbie made pleasant and concise
announcements concerning dining times that epitomized a smooth-running
dining car. The view from our dining car window revealed miles of
flooded rice fields lining the railway.
New station at Beaumont
Crossing a river into Lake Charles, LA
Flooded rice fields
Grain elevators evoke memories of Canadian train trips
A trackmobile used for switching cars
Another 30 minutes was lost by our next stop, Lafayette, which left us
expecting to be at least one hour late at our destination, and we held
steady at two hours late at New Iberia. An hour later we crossed
the Atchalafaya River, a tributary of the Mississippi River, at Morgan
City with the impressive US 90 highway bridge visible to the
north. We fell back another 25 minutes by Schriever then endured
several stop and go stretches as we dropped even more time. The
towering Huey Long Bridge carried us high above the Mississippi a few
minutes after 11;00pm and we finally reached New Orleans at a rather
uncivilized 11:39pm, just shy of two hours late.
A BNSF freight rests for the evening
Fortunately, our lodging for the night was a very short taxi ride from
the train station. The Hampton Inn and Suites Convention Center
was excellent with a clean and comfortable oversized room. This
hotel was repurposed from an old warehouse located close to the
Mississippi River yet its interior possesses all the modern amenities
one could want. Along with being close to New Orleans Union
Passenger Terminal, this hotel is just a short walk from trolley stops
connecting to the French Quarter in one direction and the Garden
District along St. Charles Avenue in the other. A nearby
Enterprise car rental agency picked us up at the hotel and soon we were
motoring eastward toward home.
Overall our Sunset Limited trip was the perfect post
cruise means of travel as there was no hurry, enough scenery to avoid
being totally bored, yet not enough scenic highlights to make it
difficult to take a nap. The dining car service was outstanding
and we had enough time to reflect upon our wonderful Panama Canal
cruise from the prior two weeks.
