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At 8:12 PM the Southwest Chief pulled into La Plata with me getting back onto the Sleeping Car Missouri but this time in Room 2. The train set is exactly the same one that bought me eastbound to La Plata. Henry Ford is once again my Sleeping Car Attendant so I am in good hands. I settled for a good night rest as I watched the Missouri countryside from my darkened room. I called it a night right before we had reached the Metro Kansas City area.
2/12/07 I woke up in extreme Western Kansas. I went to the dining car for French Toast and sausage which I finished up before Lamar, Colorado.
A view of the snowy eastern Colorado plains on a morning when it is good to be on a nice warm train. At Las Animas we held the mainline for an eastbound BNSF grain train. Then at Casa we passed a BNSF coal train before we reached La Junta, a fresh air stop on a rather dark and dreary morning.
The Southwest Chief at rest at La Junta.
BNSF coal train arrived into La Junta prior to our on time departure. Later at Hoehnes we came to an unexplained stop at a red signal for Twenty minutes before we reached Trinidad. We climbed up and over Raton Pass exiting the Summit Tunnel at 7588 feet, the highest point on the old Santa Fe Railroad. A few minutes later we arrived at Raton, our next fresh air stop.
The Raton Station.
The tower of the Raton Station. Later I had lunch with Leslie and Gary traveling from Up State New York to Fullerton and Patty returning from Kentucky to Victorville. I had the Beef Angus Burger and a Chocolate Bundt Cake. After lunch my first music of the day was Queen "Live Killers". That music took me over Glorieta Pass, down Apache Canyon and beyond Lamy. I switched to Mark Knopfler and Emmy Lou Harris "All that Roadrunning". We arrived into Albuquerque early passing the eastbound Southwest Chief just east of the station. A trip to Coldstone Creamery was in order on this afternoon before returning to the station for some train action.
New Mexico Railrunner Train 512 ready to depart north for Sandoval/US 550.
New Mexico Railrunner 102 on the rear of this train.
New Mexico Railrunner 103 in their storage area.
Future New Mexico Railrunner Train 516 heading north to the downtown station.
Santa Fe M-190 recently returned from the California Railroad Museum in Sacramento back to Albuquerque on a flat car.
The rear of this unique unit.
Another view of this unique unit.
Still another view of the Santa Fe M-190.
Side view of the cab unit of the Santa Fe M-190.
The sun came out of for this view of the Santa Fe M-190.
The full sun view of the trailer of M-190.
Close up of the cab of the M-190 Motor Car.
Full frontal view of the Santa Fe M-190.
My Southwest Chief ready to hit the road west.
Isn't duck tape wonderful for fixing things like on our lead locomotive. We departed Albuquerque on time with me listening to Alice Cooper "Welcome to my Nightmare". That was followed by the Emerson Lake & Palmer "King Biscuit Hour" second disc of live Karn Evil 9.
The Southwest Chief runs west into the night. I had a 6:15 PM Dinner Reservation being seated with Mary and Dave Lewis riding from New York to Fullerton. I ordered Pork Shanks and a Chocolate Bundt Cake. My table mates told me quite an interesting story about them. They had been high school sweethearts in Connecticut but went out into life on separate paths. She had put up her info on Classmates.com. About a year later Dave stumbled onto Classmates and soon found her. Later they got married bringing a happy end to their single lives. I returned to my darkened room for the first disc of that ELP set on a bright star filled night. After the ELP I called it a night.
2/13/07 I awoke just outside of San Bernardino, changed into my work clothes and did the last call for breakfast in the dining car which I had my usual morning meal on the train which lasted until West Corona. I returned to my room, took my luggage downstairs and relaxed for the last few miles of this trip. We arrived into Fullerton at 6:56 AM and I detrained ending another great trip on the Southwest Chief.
The Southwest Chief has left Fullerton for an early arrival into Los Angeles Union Passenger Station this sunny February morning.
Metrolink 603 arrived into Fullerton while I waited for my train back to Santa Ana.
Metrolink 682 arrived into Fullerton to take me home to Santa Ana. After A red signal we run to Anaheim, Orange and onto Santa Ana where I detrained before I headed to McFadden for a day of work. This end yet another fantastic Amtrak adventure and a most wonderful stay at the Depot Inn & Suites.
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