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I have returned from my trip to Santa Fe which was great. I flew out there and came back home to San Francisco on Amtrak. A friend drove me to Lamy where we found a pretty much deserted site but a charming old quaint depot which was staffed to my surprise. The #3 was an hour late and about a dozen people boarded. The train was fully booked in coach and contained several dozen boy scouts returning to CA from the camp at Raton. There were 4 coaches and 2 sleepers (not full) plus a transitional. The coaches were old and kind of shabby but everything worked fine and I felt totally happy when I sat down in my little room and looked out the window! The #4 was in a lot more trouble; we met it somewhere W of Albuquerque. The stationmaster at Lamy said something about mudslides in Victorville which was now clear but left a huge backup of freight. The trip through NM was awesome; there was no guide boarding at Alb presumably because of the screwup in timing. Still, it was beautiful. It got dark around 7pm PDT before we got to Gallup. In the morning we had lost another hour or so; we sat E of Victorville for another hour while 4 EB freights passed. The announcements told us the primary problem was crews for these trains. The freight congestion was unbelievable to me; at times freights on both sides of us and others on the other sides of them. Four and five units of power on all of them. When we got to San Bernardino we had to wait E of the station because another #4 was in the station - this makes no sense to me, it should be there at 9pm. Was it 14 hrs. late? We arrive LAX at 1pm, 4 1/2 hrs late which of course was way beyond my connection with #14, but just in time to get the throughway bus to Bakersfield to get 3:45 San Joaquin which was OK with me as I'd not been over that route before. Those coaches are very nice though not as comfortable as the Superliners. For some reason it took us 2 hrs to cover the 1st hour of the schedule. Then we slowed through the wreck area which at Allenton or something like that which was pretty awesome: burned and smashed tankers lying around all over. The conductor said the line had been closed 3 days. We got to Oakland 35 minutes late - and only an hour behind the Starlight time if it's on time. No complaints from me. I had a great time. What's with mudslides? I did see a lot of bulldozers at some places and there was water around. Was there flash flooding or something? In SoCal? I'd to it again in a heartbeat.
Greg Member # 66
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There were thunderstorms and flash flooding last Saturday near Victorville. Both tracks were closed for several hours. While it doesn't rain much in Southern California in the summer, the monsoon spreads westward into Southern California from time to time during the summer, usually a few days at a time, bringing thunderstorms to the mountains and deserts.
The first time a tried a connection to the Coast Starlight from a 7 hour late Sunset Limited in 1989 (mostly not the fault of SP), I ended up with a bus ride all the way to Sacramento. It was too late to connect to the last northbound San Joaquin of the day. I still arrive slightly ahead of the Coast Starlight. While I got to see areas I hadn't seen before, the Coast Starlight scenery is far better.
The next time I tried a connection to the Coast Starlight, it was after spending a few nights in San Diego. I guess if I had a suggestion for people traveling west on the Southwest Chief or Sunset Limited (especially the Sunset), it would be to spend a night or two in San Diego or Santa Barbara, then head north. Even if the Southwest Chief or Sunset are running late, it'd be rare they'd be running so late one couldn't connect to a Pacific Surfliner to San Diego or Santa Barbara.
RRCHINA Member # 1514
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Extraordinary rains in the summer occur on the desert from time to time. There was info about flash floods in Death Valley that were probably from the same storm system.
Those who currently ride #3 or #4 between ALB and LAX will be astounded at the number of freight trains encountered, as was City of Miami. I have been informed that frequently more than 110 trains per day pass through Winslow, AZ, a crew change point for BNSF. It is amazing that #3 and #4 make it through on time, or near, baring acts of nature.
The next issue of TRAINS will feature a story about this BNSF operation along its route called THE TRANSCON.
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