I checked to see if it was on time, found out it was an hour late, so I planned to get there just before 1:00pm. I might have made it but I got a little turned around in downtown Salinas and had to go around the block twice to find my way into the station. Just as I was parking the train pulled in. I was too late to photograph its arrival.

But I did take time to snap a few photos and I was surprised at the assortment of locomotives on this train. I'm not real familiar with types, but the lead unit was a Genesis. The second and third looked like F40s or something similar, one was painted silver or grey and light blue with "Amtrak" in bold lettering while the next had the standard Amtrak red, white and blue stripes. The fourth locomotive was an Amtrak California unit, the type usually seen pulling California Cars. To this novice trainwatcher it seemed like an unusual collection on one train.

Through the windows I could see a lot of happy travelers, one even waved at me as the train pulled out and I was snapping photos. I wish I could have been on it. (sigh)

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Here now is that message about Amtrak 11 southbound in CA on 2-24:

From:
xxxxx
To:

Subject:
Surfliner F40 and SP 8013
Date:
Sat, 24 Feb 2001 13:59:16 -0800

Amtrak F40PH 415, recently repainted in Surfliner blue and silver,
was the second unit on Tr. 11, the southbound Coast Starlight
that passed through Oakland this morning (2/24). It is one of the
F40's Amtrak bought from GO Transit years ago, and the
locomotive still has its Canadian style vertical rear headlight
to prove it. The full consist of the Starlight was P42DC 117,
F40PH's 415 and 369 (the latter in standard Phase III paint),
and CDTX F59PHI 2004.

Also, the last B39-8 in SP paint was in Oakland today. I caught
SP 8013 sitting under the Adeliene/Middle Harbor Rd. overpass
near Magnolia this morning. The unit's front number boards have
been painted black for some reason. By the way, Middle Harbor
Rd. has been relocated between the old WP yard office and
7th St. It now veers to the west through the still-under-construction
Joint Intermodal Terminal, intersecting 7th St. well west of where
BART enters the tube.