DAY THREE
Portland Layover


Detraining at Portland, I took a moment to thank Ray for a job well done. It’s nice to see people who take joy in their work and by extension spread that joy to others. Smile and the world smiles with you. Ray epitomized this and though tipping is not required on Amtrak, I was happy to leave him with fifteen bucks. It’s interesting to note the number of people that don’t tip their servers and car attendants on Amtrak. It’s not required and while I’ve neither seen nor heard of any protocol regarding gratuities in this regard, the effort that Ray and many of his fellow employees have put into making my Amtrak experiences as nice as it can be certainly seems worthy of a little extra “thanks”.

I also bid farewell to Kate and Simon who would be spending a few days with friends in Portland before returning home to Alaska. Continuing on into the station, I picked up a copy of the Oregonian and then made my way over to the Metropolitan Lounge. This lounge is available to sleeper car passenger s only. It offers comfortable lounge seating, complimentary coffee and soft drinks, television and Wi-Fi. Most important to me, it also offered a place to store my roll-a-bord suitcase while I hoofed it across the street to the post office to mail some time sensitive documents related to my summer employment.

Later on I had lunch at Wilf’s Restaurant & Bar, an upscale eatery located on the south side of the station. I was joined by two friends who used to work in Denali National Park back in the eighties. We had fun reminiscing over the good old days while downing $7.00 pints and $14.00 hamburgers. Wilf’s ain’t cheap but the ambience is nice and the food and beer are good.




The interior of Wilf’s Restaurant & Bar at Portland Union Station


Later, we repaired to the Metropolitan Lounge where coffee and soft drinks sustained us while we awaited the delayed departure of Amtrak’s southbound Coast Starlight.





The interior of Amtrak’s Metropolitan Lounge at Portland Union Station


March 31, 2015
Amtrak Portland to Sacramento 335p – 645a +1 Coast Starlight First Class

It should be noted here that I was originally booked to ride the Coast Starlight from Portland all the way down to Los Angeles, there to connect to the eastbound Sunset Limited, departing Los Angeles at 10:00pm. Unfortunately, once Amtrak trains get delayed more than just a few minutes they then lose their slot to on-time freight trains. This means that on-time freights take precedence over delayed passenger trains, so on portions where there is just one track Amtrak’s delayed trains get shunted over to sidings to allow freights to come through. The result is that delayed trains often become even more delayed. In recognition of this I discovered that I’d been rerouted to Sacramento where I’d then catch a bus down to Stockton. From there I’d board Amtrak’s San Joaquin down to Bakersfield and then transfer to another bus that would deliver me straight to Los Angeles Union Station.

I can’t say as I was overly pleased about missing out on the beautiful scenery of central and coastal California, but at least I’d get into LA with plenty of time to spare and without worry of missing my onward connection aboard the Sunset Limited to New Orleans. That train operates only three days per week, so if I were to miss it the ramifications would be dire with regard to the rest of my trip.

Boarding commenced about twenty minutes prior to our re-scheduled 3:35pm departure. The delayed departure of the southbound Coast Starlight coincided with the on time arrival of the northbound Coast Starlight. The result was this nice bit of symmetry as both trains stood parked on parallel tracks in Portland’s Union Station…




North and Southbound Coast Starlights await departure at Portland Union Station


I noticed today that I was a good ten to twenty years younger than most of my fellow First Class passengers, many of whom grew up in an age when trains were still the best and most affordable means of getting around America. As they ambled their way down memory lane to their sleeper cars, I couldn’t help but wonder if I’ll still be doing Mileage Runs and trips like this when I’m seventy years old. I sure hope so.

Dan was my car attendant for this 640 mile run down to Sacramento. After directing me to my room, he was immediately hailed by an elderly couple who needed major assistance in getting up the stairway to their room on the upper level. Soon after that, he was explaining to another couple where the showers were and what time he’d be turning the beds down. I suspect Dan was going to be a very busy man on this trip.

For any of you more technically minded readers out there, today's Coast Starlight was led by two General Electric 4,250 HP Genesis Model P42DC locomotives. With each locomotive generating the power of 4,250 horses, we certainly weren’t short on power. The overall consist included a baggage car, a transition sleeper (For the crew and – if needed – any extra passengers), three Superliner II Sleeper Cars, the Pacific Parlour Car, a dining car, the Sightseer Lounge Car and three Superliner coaches.

Downstairs in room 11, I poured myself a bourbon and sat back to await the departure of our train. The scenery leaving Portland is not particularly outstanding, especially on a cloudy day. One highlight however comes almost immediately after departing Union Station as we cross the Willamette River over the old Steel Bridge. I had my camera out and ready.




Crossing the Willamette over the old Steel Bridge


An announcement was made that the dining car steward would soon be passing through the cars taking reservations for tonight’s dinner seatings. He’d be starting with the sleepers and moving backward to the coaches. A variety of times were available, ranging from 5:30 to 7:30pm. I stuck around until he arrived and then chose the 6:15pm seating.

Well alright then - Let’s head on up to the lounge for a spell!

Although all of Amtrak’s long distance trains provide a lounge car available to all passengers, only the Coast Starlight offers an additional lounge car called the Pacific Parlour Car. For some odd reason, Amtrak has chosen to use the British spelling of “parlour” rather than parlor. In keeping with the British affinity for class distinction, this car is available exclusively to First Class passengers only.

There are five Pacific Parlour Cars currently in operation. All of them were originally built back in the 1950s for the Santa Fe's El Capitan, an all-Coach streamliner that offered budget minded passengers traveling between Chicago and Los Angeles an inexpensive alternative to the all-Pullman Super Chief. I remember riding on these cars back in the early days of Amtrak during the 70s and 80s when they served as lounges on the Southwest Limited and the Sunset Limited. They still had their original Santa Fe interiors back then, complete with the original Southwest tones of turquoise, beige and rust accented with Navajo prints. Downstairs in what is now a movie theater was the Kachina Coffee Shop.

By the late 1980s these cars were showing their age. I remember one particularly unpleasant experience aboard the Sunset Limited when the air-conditioning went out in the lounge as we rolled westward through the deserts of New Mexico and Arizona on a particularly hot September afternoon. Surrounded by glass windows above and around us, it wasn’t long before the temperature inside the lounge soared into the 90°s – or higher. We were all forced to beat a hasty retreat back to the coaches until well after sunset.

In any event, as more Superliner equipment came online these old lounge cars were eventually retired to a siding in the LA railyards where they spent the next few years in a sorry state of neglect. I remember seeing them out there with broken windows after kids had used them for years of target practice. It was a sad sight for those of us familiar with their heritage.

In the mid-1990s, Amtrak decided to spruce up the Coast Starlight, which was at that time its most profitable train. The plan was to offer superior service, classier dining and a special lounge reserved exclusively for First Class passengers. Amtrak remodeled and refurbished six of the old Santa Fe cars at a cost of 2 million dollars each. The result is, in my opinion, one of the finest cars ever to grace contemporary American rails.

There are several types of seating available in the Pacific Parlour Car. At one end are eight large over-stuffed swivel chairs. In the middle of the car is a buffet area, used for the morning breakfast offerings and the afternoon wine tastings. Opposite it, a stairway leads down to an 18-seat movie theater. Just beyond the buffet area are two long rounded couches, intimately arranged around small tables suitable for drinks, very much like the seating you would find in a cocktail lounge. Finally, there are six booths with tables – three on each side. At the far end of the lounge is an attractive wooden bar and service area.




Pacific Parlour Car Swivel Loungers



Pacific Parlour Car Cocktail Lounge Seating



Pacific Parlour Car Buffet Tables



Pacific Parlour Car Front to Back


Entering the Parlour Car from the swivel lounger side, I encountered four of my fellow passengers comfortably enjoying the view…

Howdy! Mind if I join you?

Introductions were exchanged revealing that I’d joined John and Julie from Antioch, CA; Bob from somewhere in Tennessee and Justine from Melbourne, Australia. John and Julie were returning from a family visit in Vancouver, Washington – just across the Columbia River from Portland. This was their first time ever traveling by train – except for Cal Train, John quickly added – and they were really surprised at how nice it was, especially the Pacific Parlour Car. They knew they’d be getting a room but beyond that had no idea there was a lounge car like this on board. It was fun to share in their excitement.

When the question came up as to which river we were rolling along, I said it was the Willamette. Justine interjected to say that it was pronounced “Will-ah-mette”. Perhaps so if we were in Australia, I said, but here in Oregon it’s pronounced “Will-a-mette” with a short “a”. Justine held her ground however and insisted it was “Will-ah-mette”.

This was Justine throughout the afternoon – headstrong, opinionated, she reminded me of the matriarch on Downton Abbey. She had an opinion about everything, and often a not very positive one at that. She seemed to take particular glee in comparing America with Australia to the detriment of America in every instance. It became clear early on that countering her commentary with objective, rational responses mattered not a whit to her, so we politely minimized interaction with her as the afternoon went on.

Bob was an interesting guy, dressed very comfortably in jeans and an old plaid shirt while sporting a well-worn Tennessee Vols baseball cap. He spoke with a pretty strong Tennessee brogue in contrast to Justine’s cultured Australian accent. (That’s right – not all Aussies speak like Paul Hogan in Crocodile Dundee…the Australian accent can be very nice sounding) He was quite knowledgeable about trains, too. He wasn’t a “foamer” per se, but he had some interesting stories and facts to relate. I enjoyed listening to his stories.

I think that most everyone who chooses to ride a train in this age of exceedingly affordable air travel is a railfan to some extent. Consider that on many longer routes it’s more expensive to take the train than to fly, especially when you add in the cost of meals. Many rail passengers are willing to pay a bit more if only because they enjoy the leisurely pace of train travel. Others are full blown railroading fanatics (otherwise known as “foamers” because they practically foam at the mouth in their exuberance for all things about railroading) who can quote chapter and verse the pre-Amtrak history of Southern Pacific’s Daylight and Starlight trains through California or the gear ratios on GE’s new Genesis Class locomotives. I’m definitely a railfan but outside of having ridden every Amtrak route in America over 200 miles in length, I can’t keep up with most of the history and technical buffs. The one thing we all share in common is the pure enjoyment of traveling somewhere on a train and since that’s exactly what we were all doing at the moment, we were all having a great time.

At one point Dan the car attendant came up and joined us for a while. He gave Justine a hard time about taking bottled water from the coach cars. He wasn’t totally serious by any means but of course she thought he was, so that was fun to watch.

A very friendly guy named Mitch manned the bar. I purchased a bottle of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and returned to listen as John and Bob compared the respective strengths of the Giants and the Braves. It was about this time that Justine took leave of us, organized sports perhaps being beneath her presumed intellect. Remarkably, I didn’t see her again for the remainder of the trip.

I was enjoying another steak dinner as we accelerated out of Eugene, Oregon. From here the Coast Starlight climbs 4000 feet up to Cascade Summit. Without question, this is one of the most scenic parts of the trip as the train climbs through 22 tunnels and two long hairpin turns. Unfortunately low clouds and rain accompanied us as we left Eugene and by the time we got up near the summit it was dark. The best time to enjoy this portion of the southbound trip is during the summer months. Northbound trains traverse this section entirely during daylight hours year round.




Springtime in the Cascades


After dinner I made my way back to the Pacific Parlour Car but except for Mitch and I it was deserted. I bought another beer and enjoyed a bit of banter with Mitch about everything from Amtrak to Angostura Bitters. It was about 9:30pm when I called it a night and headed back to my roomette. My bed hadn’t been made up yet but Dan was only a push button away and in short order had the room ready for night time occupancy. It was interesting to watch.

First, he lowered each seat in my roomette to its flat position. When flat, both seats meet in the middle to create a 6’ 6” flat bed. He then lowered the upper bunk and retrieved a full length mattress (about 2 1/2 “ thick) already made up with sheets and a blanket. All he had to do was lift it down from above, place it atop my bed and smooth it out. A couple of pillows completed the ensemble and voila! Your bed is ready! All I had to do was hang up my clothing and call it a night.




Amtrak’s Superliner Roomette – Nighttime Configuration


From my perspective, one of life’s great travel experiences is having the luxury of your own private sleeper aboard a train speeding through the night. It has been my good fortune to have done so while travelling aboard trains through every continent except Antarctica. I generally sleep pretty well on trains as the overall motion of the train is quite relaxing. Add to that the clickety-clack of the rails speeding underneath and the occasional muted whistle from the locomotive and sleep comes quite easily.

I should note however that I’m not overly fond of the tight sheet and blanket arrangement on Amtrak’s mattresses. I much prefer the sheets and large, fluffy duvet proffered by Canada’s ViaRail. As such,, I bring my own wool blanket along – the same one I use when sleeping in airports – and just snuggle under it while lying atop the mattress. Works great for me!


DAY FOUR

Unfortunately we made up a bit of time overnight and so it was 5:45am when Dan’s knock on my door announced that we were a half hour out from Sacramento. I like being up in the early morning but I hate getting up early in the morning. I’d managed about six and a half hours of sleep – not bad, but I could have easily logged a couple more – so I was especially thankful when Dan offered to bring me a cup of coffee. What is this – Singapore Airlines?! Nice job, Danny Boy!

Detraining at Sacramento in the early morning dew, I left Dan a nice tip and made my way down the long walkway into the big Sacramento Valley Station building. It’s in the process of being refurbished at present and so offers passengers little more than scaffolding, plastic and hard backed railroad pews. A couple of vending machines offer dubious sustenance at inflated prices. For the adventurous, there’s a Starbuck’s a block and a half away.


* * * _ * _ * * *


Okay, so today I’ve got to ride a bus to Stockton, a train down the San Joaquin Valley to Bakersfield and then another bus down to Los Angeles Union Station.

At this point in our journey do you really want to read about all that?

I think by now you all get the gist of what it’s like to travel by train – and that for me at least train travel is an experience every bit as social as it is scenic. This is an eleven day train trip however and while I like to ride trains with as much fervor as some dogs like to chase sticks, there’s a big difference between actually doing it versus reading about it. I fear I run the risk of becoming a bit superfluous describing yet another day on the rails, another nice meal, another interesting group of passengers and yet another scenic vista… Yeah, yeah, we got it already!

Not wanting to hoist my own petard through – of all things - redundancy, I propose that we temporarily go into more of a photo report mode with an occasional paragraph or three as needed should I deem anything interesting enough to be worthy of comment. Examples of this might be historical, behavioral or service oriented in nature. Knowing me, I’ll probably find a way to squeeze another 2 or 3000 words or so out of all this before detraining in Seattle a week from today. That’ll be better than another 6000 words however, the difference of which could be much better employed to describe my week in California, flying First Class down to Santiago, or continuing on to South Africa via Colombia, Panama and Brazil in some rather nice Business Classes…

Here’s a shot of the Stockton Station, built in the popular adobe style commonly seen along the Santa Fe’s San Joaquin route.




Stockton Station


Following a four hour train ride down to Bakersfield, Los Angeles bound passengers transferred to an Amtrak bus direct to Union Station. My lasting impression from this portion of the trip came as we drove through Castaic Junction, where the old back road from Santa Paula meets Interstate 5. I remember stopping out there for breakfast early one morning back in 1974. We ate at a coffee shop called Henry’s that was notable for the fact that aside from a gas station, it was about the only other business out there at Castaic Junction. I liked it – a little oasis in the middle of nowhere.

Alas, not so anymore. Today Castaic Junction is wall to wall warehouses, outlet malls, hotels and shopping centers. Oh yes, there’s also the Six Flags over Magic Mountain amusement park. The old back road from Santa Paula has become a four to six lane highway. Forty years of progress, I guess. I didn’t like it.

We pulled into Los Angeles Union Station at about 5:30pm. I stored my bags in the Metropolitan Lounge and then headed up the street for a bite to eat. On my way out I paused a moment to admire the main hall. The leather-upholstered wooden chairs in the main hall look to be original issue, so I sat down a moment and took it all in.

Built in 1939 in the Mission Revival style, the Los Angeles Union Station is not a large building on the scale of New York’s Grand Central or Chicago’s Union Station, but its art deco interior flourishes, high wooden-beam ceilings and red-tiled floors inset with colorful mosaics make it as inviting and aesthetically pleasing a station as I’ve ever been to.




The Main Hall at Los Angeles Union Station


Returning to the station about 8, I spent a pleasant hour and a half in the recently remodeled Metropolitan Lounge until the call came to board the Sunset Limited at about 9:30pm.


April 01, 2015
Amtrak Los Angeles to New Orleans 1000p – 940p +1 Sunset Limited First Class

Although Amtrak offers complimentary golf cart transfers to those who “may need a little extra assistance” in getting to the train, I elected to head downstairs, walk down the subterranean concourse and then up the tunnel to the train. Truth be known, with my arthritic back and pronounced limp I wouldn’t have minded taking a ride out to the train on that golf cart but when about forty elderly people stood up to heed the call I just couldn’t be bothered to wait in line. As it is I still live in a dry cabin in Alaska and amongst other chores have to haul in 40 pound 5 gallon containers of water every four or five days. I reckon I can still handle the long walk out to the train.




The ramp to the train at Los Angeles Union Station



Sunset Limited poster in the entryway


I was greeted by my car attendant Yvonne – a seasoned old veteran who was not overly gregarious but was otherwise okay with regard to performing her duties throughout the two day ride to New Orleans. My roomette was ready and waiting for me with all the usual amenities. Yvonne said to just let her know when I was ready for bed and she’d take care of me. Right on, Yvonne! If you would please, go ahead and setup my bed now. Ah ‘mon pop on up to the lounge car for a quick visit!

Okay, okay, so I promised you less commentary and more pictures but I can’t resist. Bear with me for a little history if you will …

The \Sunset Limited is the oldest named train in the United States, operating since November 1894 (though it was originally named the Sunset Express). The name Sunset Limited traces its origins to the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway, which was known as the Sunset Route as early as 1874.

Once upon a time the Sunset Limited was Southern Pacific's premier train, initially operating an all-Pullman consist (All sleeping cars, no coaches) between New Orleans and San Francisco via Los Angeles. These days the Sunset Limited offers both Coach and First Class, operating over tracks jointly owned by the BNSF Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad.




The route of the Sunset Limited


True to its name, the train does occasionally offer some pretty nice sunsets while speeding westbound across the Sonoran Desert. Here’s a pretty shot I took a few years ago…




Sunset on the Sunset Limited


The late departure time of this train (10:00pm) combined with a fairly light load out of LA this evening translated to a totally deserted lounge car. I discretely poured myself a bourbon and spent the next forty minutes or so watching as we rolled through the suburbs of greater Los Angeles. Aside from the lounge car attendant downstairs, I was the only one seated upstairs.

The next morning I awoke to bright sunshine flooding the vast sandy expanse of the Sonoran Desert. Also known to some as the Painted Desert, the Sonoran is the classic southwestern desert most people associate with saguaro cactus, gila monsters, coyotes and the like. Truth be known, it is home to a surprisingly diverse collection of plants and animals and is generally regarded as the prettiest of the four major American deserts. Unfortunately the prettiest parts of the Sonoran are crossed at night, but I still enjoyed the contrast of big blue sky against sandy yellows and browns as we sped eastward at 79 mph.




Eastbound and Down – Speeding across the desert sands



Lunchtime on the Sunset Limited


As we continued on into New Mexico and Texas we transitioned into the Chihuahua Desert. When we pulled into El Paso at 3:30pm the temperature outside was a pleasant 84°F. Inside the train it was an even more pleasant 70° or so.




Looking over the border fence into Mexico



Train time at El Paso’s distinctive red brick station



A double stacked container train makes its way through downtown El Paso



The hills of West Texas



One of many shallow canyons we traveled through



Passenger resting comfortably at a table in the lounge car


The next morning found us in San Antonio, Texas. It takes a full twenty-one hours to cross the breadth of Texas and in the process we transitioned from the arid desert of West Texas to the lush green wetlands of East Texas. Soon afterwards, we crossed the Sabine River into Louisiana and began to traverse thick cypress swamps. This was bayou country and later this afternoon a special treat would await me during our brief station stop at Lafayette.

Three or four years ago I started a thread over in the Travel Buzz forum titled “Old Timer’s Airline Quiz and Discussion”. I posted a set of seventy questions related to airline operations back in the 1960s and 70s. As an example of some of the questions asked :

1. What airline flew The Great Silver Fleet?
2. Name six US airlines that flew the Boeing 720
3. Which airline was the launch customer for the 727?
4. What airline’s jets were called “Pacemakers”?
5. Name seven US airlines that flew the British built BAC-111


I honestly didn’t expect this thread to last more than a few days and was quite surprised that a handful of people actually knew all or most of the answers. A few more questions were posted and over time this thread began to take on a life of its own. Today it has over 437063 hits and 8041posts.

A major contributor to the success of this thread has been Flyertalker jlemon. Without his considerable contribution with hundreds of questions along with his always positive bon homie, the “Old Timer’s Airline Quiz and Discussion” would likely have dissolved years ago as I would have gladly run off most of the participants for transgressions such as answering more than three questions at a time (On the rudeness scale right up there with taking too much food off the platter at Thanksgiving and thus not leaving enough for everyone else to equally enjoy).

In any event, when jlemon heard I would be rolling through his hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana on the Sunset Limited, he promised to come down to the station and deliver unto me one of his favorite concoctions – a Cajun Bloody Mary. And so it was that during our five minute stop in Lafayette I met jlemon, his good friend Kate and their little dog Bella and was handed a large plastic thermal cup filled with a delicious ice cold Cajun Bloody Mary. Even car attendant Yvonne was impressed, though rules forbid her from sampling a proffered sip of the tasty cocktail. Thank you, JL, for making my quick visit through Louisiana so tasty and memorable. ^

The sun sat low in the sky as we rolled out of Lafayette through the farm country of south central Louisiana. At sunset an interesting cloud formation cast a giant “Z” across the face of the setting sun. I had my camera ready.




Late afternoon rolling through Louisiana



Black and Gold – the colors of the Saints



The mark of Zorro across the setting sun


A highlight of coming into New Orleans aboard the Sunset Limited is the crossing of the Huey P. Long Bridge. Located just west of New Orleans and spanning almost 4.5 miles in length, the bridge is one of the longest railroad bridges in the United States. It takes the train 135 feet above the Mississippi River. Although it was dark when we crossed, lights on the bridge and in the area still allowed me to get a good sense of the length and height of this bridge.

It was almost 10:00pm when we eased into New Orleans. We were running about twenty minutes late, the first time we’d run late at any time on this trip. That’s notable because many people have this perception that Amtrak trains often run late. Certain trains have and some trains still do but overall I believe the majority of Amtrak’s operations still run within 30 minutes of schedule.

Once again it seems that, like last year I have arrived in New Orleans on the eve of the Crescent City Classic, a 10K foot race that attracts runners from all over the country. As such, all of the affordable accommodations have long since been reserved. The traditional ones, that is. I’m a guy who is still willing to consider hostels however and so it is that I’m booked into a nice old place called Site 61. Located just an $8.00 cab ride from the train station, the recently remodeled house provided me with a comfortable bunk bed in a quiet room that I shared with two other people.

In the morning I walked a couple of blocks over to a small café where that old New Orleans staple of coffee and beignets got my day off to a tasty start. I had the luxury of taking a leisurely morning as my next train, the City of New Orleans, wasn’t due to depart New Orleans until 2:25pm.