A Short Trip on the Sunset Limited by Robert Manning
A Short Trip on the Sunset Limited
by Robert Manning, February 9, 2007
Driving into Los Angeles from Palm Springs with the
miserable traffic is now a horrible experience and driving into Los
Angeles on a Friday is even worse. So when I can, I take the train
which is the Sunset Limited. This train originates in New Orleans and
on its west bound journey arrives in Palm Springs at 6:37 AM and is
scheduled to arrive at its final destination Los Angeles Union Station
at 10:10 AM. However this train rarely runs on time and is often many
hours late. Now the eastbound Sunset Limited departs Los Angeles Union
Station at 2:30PM Sunday, Wednesday and Friday arriving into Palm
Springs at 5:06 PM and even with this short distance the train can be
late. .With this said, For some unknown reason this train had been
running fairly on time. And by that I mean an hour or so late which is
not too bad especially if you don’t have to put up with the Friday
drive. So I had a lunch meeting scheduled for 12 PM Friday February 9,
2007 at LA Union Station and of course purchased a ticket on the Sunset
Limited for this date. I checked with Amtrak at 10PM Thursday night
before my departure and was informed the Sunset Limited was running on
time. Well, Friday morning the day of my departure the train arrived at
9:05 AM at the Palm Springs station. I was hoping that we could make it
into LA around the noon hour. I boarded the train and met the conductor
Dan Compsano whom I have met on prior trips. Dan stated the train was
late due to freight traffic and we would have to wait for an east bound
freight before the train could depart.
We waited until 9: 30 AM before leaving the station.
This area is double track and I could Not understand why we had to
wait. I remember one time on a prior trip the train backed up a short
distance then we headed west bound as an east bound freight went by us.
Well, any way I knew I would be late and I planned on making a phone
call as the train arrived closer to the station in order to change my
plans. I then decided to go into the diner and talk to some passengers
and staff. I talked to a young couple from Texas who said they had
taken prior trips on this train and sometimes they drive but the
problem with the train is dependability. The train could be many hours
late. This couple also said when they arrive into Los Angeles they are
met by their grandparents and the can use their car so they would
rather take the train. I then asked how they liked the food in the
diner and they stated it is kind of like Denny’s but not the variety
that Denny’s offer and the paper plates and plastic cups are “crummy”.
I then met a retired couple from Portland Oregon. This
couple had taken the Empire Builder from Portland to Chicago, spent
several days in Chicago then traveled on the City of New Orleans to New
Orleans where they stayed for three days. They were now traveling on
the Sunset Limited to Los Angeles where they would spend the night
before departing the next morning on the Coast Starlight back home to
Portland. This couple stated that they like to travel on the off season
and they both like to take the train and see the country. This couple
both agreed that Empire Builder had the best food and amenities on any
of the Amtrak trains they had traveled on And that the food on
this train was very basic.
I met the lead service attendant Casey Kahler, who
stated that some food entries such as omelets, egg dishes, French
toast, hamburgers and pork chops are now cooked on the grill and this
is accomplished with only one person in the kitchen. I must add that
Casey was very friendly and enthusiastic.
Later I talked with Dan Compsano and assistant
conductor Mathie Pierotti who said that the reason we were now stopped
was that we had to wait for a rock train to pass our train. Then
as we were coming into the Colton Yard we had to stop in order for a
number of BNSF freight trains at the interlocking to pass. This time we
had to wait twenty five minutes. We also had to wait for a Metrolink
train to pass and after that another freight train. As we came close to
the LA Station we again stopped for a freight train and by now the time
ran out for the train crew, in other words this crew had worked twelve
hours and by federal law they could work no longer. We then waited as
another crew took control of the train and once the train started it
took fifteen minutes to arrive into Los Angeles Union Station at 1PM.
I would also like to add that Dan Compsano is one
very conscientious, dedicated and friendly conductor. He and and Mathie
Pierotti always made clear announcements and would always state why the
train was stopping, and how long we would be stopped.
At 2:20 PM I boarded the eastbound Sunset Limited
for Palm Springs and the train departed on time at 2:30 PM. And arrived
at Palm Springs at 5:26 PM. Only twenty minutes late which was not too
bad, and when we arrived twenty passengers detrained at this little
unmanned station.
I remember many years ago I began asking our local
authorities why we don’t have regular passenger train service from the
Los Angeles area to the greater Palm Springs area. Everyone had a
different answer and none made any sense. So now I have become an
advocate for this service and I am not alone. The Coachella Valley
Association of Governments which includes all of the desert cities has
funded at least two studies in order to determine if train service
between LA and the Coachella Valley would be feasible. Both studies
(the last feasible study was in 1999) concluded that passenger rail
service would definitely be viable. However two things stand in the
way, the Union Pacific Railroad and money. First the Union Pacific
states because of freight congestion it is not going to happen and the
second is the cost estimated to be around five hundred million
dollar’s, maybe. The other thing is that a second track is needed
through the desert and maybe we could use that term “public private
partnership “ because the Union Pacific needs a second track through
this desert and it is the UP’s desire to double track the “Sunset
Route”. This will be a very interesting year.
