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I got the usual E-mail from Bart Jennings about the next rare mileage trips over both the San Luis and Rio Grande Railroad and San Luis Central Railroad. I sent my checks for both trips then started planning how to get there. I got vacation days from work so I was good at my job. Amtrak would be easy to take to La Junta and rent a car there. Guess what? No rental car company in La Junta and Enterprise would pick us up and go to Pueblo but too late in the morning to do anything on Friday. A conductor friend Jeff suggested JJ Motors in Trinidad. I called them then got my Amtrak reservation changed to Trinidad. Chris Parker would be joining me for these trips. I contacted the Manitou & Pikes Peak Railway and we set up a trip on Friday at 1:30 PM. The Pueblo Locomotive & Rail Historical Society was called next and set for 8:30 AM that Friday morning. Next the Pike's Peak Historical Street Railway Foundation was set up via E Mail for 11:00 AM Friday. Best Western Hotels were called for two nights in Trinidad and Alamosa. Chris Parker decided to fly to Albuquerque and board Amtrak there. After the trip on Sunday I decided to visit Great Sand Dunes National Monument. With that planned, all Chris and I would have to do is live for our departure dates.
Surfliner 583 10/25/06After an interesting day's work at McFadden, I drove home to finish packing for this trip. I fixed dinner before I loaded my Geo Metro then headed for the Santa Ana train station. I parked in the north parking lot then ran my parking permit into the station to Marti, my excellent night time Amtrak agent. Back out to the car, I unloaded the car before walking to the Santa Ana Blvd crossing to access the new east platform instead of using the new pedestrian bridge. My wait today would be short.
Metrolink 686 to Irvine arrived from Los Angeles.
Once he had left Santa Ana I heard another horn approaching from the south meaning my train would soon be crossing 4th Street.
My train came in with me taking a seat on the lower level of the cab car. The consist was Surfliner Cab Car 6905, Superliner Coach 31021, Coach 6400, Coach/Cafe 6304, Pacific Business Class 6852 with engine 459 pushing. We left Santa Ana on time and quickly stopped at Anaheim and Fullerton. We made the sprint from Fullerton to Los Angeles arriving early into Los Angeles Union Station early. A walk down, over and up took me to Track 12 and my waiting train.
Southwest Chief 4 10/25/06This train had engines 8,19 and 158, Baggage 1754, Transition 39026, Sleepers 32060 and 32025, Diner 38021, Lounge 33042 and Coaches 34075, 34024 and 34085. I got a big window seat 19 in the 34024. I settled in and relaxed before departure time listening to Keith Richards "Main Offender". We left LAUPT on time with Deep Purple "Come Hell or High Water" as I did several Sudoku puzzles. Conductor Pablo took my ticket on the way to Fullerton. A lengthy stop at Riverside when a drunken passenger was taken off the train then tried to get back on the train when it had tried to leave Riverside. The authorities were called and a Riverside station security guard sat with him as we left Riverside. I called it a night at that point. An Amish baby started to cry which was ok but not the three passengers in our car who started talking load and using their cell phone which kept the car up past Barstow. Every trip is an adventure!
10/26/06 I woke up east of Flagstaff in the predawn hour to a very clear morning. I sat down at a table in the lounge car waiting for the dining car to open this morning as the Southwest Chief burned the miles to Winslow off. When it opened I was seated at a table with Otto going to Albuquerque for the winter from Lakehurst, New Jersey and Rob from Flagstaff also going to ABQ. I enjoyed French Toast and sausage along with some interesting conversations. Back at my seat Rush "Vapor Trails" was my next musical selection. West of Gallup we got stopped in our tracks so I switched to Jeff Beck "You had it coming!" while we waited for a BNSF freight train before we could crossover to our station track.
Red Mesas of New Mexico. The Rolling Stones "Voodoo Lounge" was the next musical selection of the morning. At Grants, the music was switched to Jethro Tull "A Passion Play" followed by "Extra Thick as a Brick", the other Tull one track album. That took me all the way to Albuquerque which we arrived ten minutes late. I detrained first running into Conductor John Kennedy then I saw Chris Parker. His flights via Phoenix had worked out and took a city bus to the Alvarado Transportation Center next to the Amtrak station for just a dollar. Once we got onto the car and I showed Chris where to sit, we both returned to the 42 degree outdoor air.
Views of the New Mexico Railrunner.
The Southwest Chief being refueled during our station stop. Randy and his wife stopped by to visit with me. Randy rode with me on the Feather River Express earlier this year and would be doing our Saturday and Sunday trips. We talked until the all aboard and the Southwest Chief departed Albuquerque ten minutes late. Chris went to the dining car for lunch and I went to the rear door for pictures of the semaphore signals in the Rio Grande Valley.
I forgot the signals just west of Lamy so if all went right I would photograph those on my westbound trip on the way home. We paused in Lamy before I returned to the back door for the trip through Apache Canyon through Canyoncito.
After that I went to the lounge car to visit with Chris and a few others passengers. I returned to my seat to get a dinner reservation but couldn't get one because they had given out all the early ones and since we were getting off in Trinidad we wouldn't get to eat. In 956,000 rail miles I have never not gotten to eat in a dining car on a train. Sam, the Dining Car Steward, later found me giving Chris and I a 5:30 PM dinner reservation. After we transversed the "S" curves I went to the back door for more semaphore action.
The westbound Southwest Chief was met at Sands on this afternoon.
Once we went by the last semaphores before Las Vegas I returned to the lounge car while we did our station stop. I returned to the rear door for the remaining semaphores.
Later we were about to run into the storm which is supposed to be a blizzard in Colorado.
Wagon Mound.
The last of the semaphores as we neared Colmer. I returned to the lounge car as the Southwest Chief headed straight into the blizzard. We arrived into Raton at 5:30 PM. Chris went outside into the snow and I went into the dining car to get seated for dinner. I was seated with Marcia and Bill going to Chicago and Chris soon joined us. Chris had the Half Baked Chicken and I enjoyed the Pork Chop. The snow continued to fall fast, getting deeper and deeper as we sat in Raton. The Thruway Bus for Denver wheels were just spinning and couldn't get away from the platform provided an interesting show during dinner as it tried to escape train side. We left Raton and I finished up in the dining car just as the train entered the Raton Tunnel. I was back in my seat as the train exited the Raton Tunnel into Colorado and down the grade to Trinidad. The highway Interstate 25 is snowbound and traffic was stopped blocking the paths of the snowplows trying to open the road. Our train on the other hand had no problem making it up and over Raton Pass and all to soon Chris and I were standing downstairs with Conductor John Kennedy as we pulled into Trinidad and we detrained.
Trinidad 10/26/06Walking in my boots I was careful where I stepped bypassing the ice and water on the platform. At the parking lot I the found the person from JJ Motors with the car, a Hyundia Sunatai, with the trunk opened. We were good to go and after we loaded our luggage into the trunk and he led us up the hill right to the Best Western Trinidad Inn. We checked in a received and downstairs room. Someone else was trying to get a room since he couldn't go south but got an offer of $150 at another hotel in Trinidad. We watched the Weather Channel with a "Big Go" for tomorrow forecast sunny and clear. We relaxed and enjoyed the rest of the evening as the storm ended in Trinidad.
10/27/06 We woke up and looking out the window did provide a clear day for our trip north out of Trinidad this morning. After a continental breakfast, we checked out of the Best Western Trinidad Inn and drove north on Interstate 25. Just outside of Walensburg we spotted a northbound BNSF coal train and decided to get a picture of it. We took the Colorado Highway 10 and set up east of town for the picture.
After a couple of pictures we were back on Interstate 25 for Pueblo. We exited at 1st Street which we took west to Union Avenue which we made a left on. At B Street we made a right and Pueblo Union Station was right there. We parked and walked to the north end where we found the Pueblo Railway Museum.
A CB&Q {C&S} 10538 Wooden Caboose and sign welcomed Chris and I to the Pueblo Railway Museum.
A unique looking box car
A Great Northern Express Car 2649.
DOT U-30-C #001.
A Colorado & Wyoming {C&W} 100 Caboose is also the gift shop.
C&W GP-7 104.
A short C&W caboose #3.
A narrow gauge wooden box car.
Passenger cars form both Via Rail of Canada and Amtrak.
A USRA Test Car.
C&W GP-7 103.
UP power switching one end of the Pueblo Yard.
CF&I GE 44 Ton Switcher.
Santa Fe 4-8-4 2912.
CF&I GE 25 Ton 3 foot narrow gauge switcher.
Another view of C&W GP-7 104.
Observation Car.
Rio Grande Box Cars 67508 and 67996
A former US Army 284 Crane.
A Rio Grande Caboose 1432.
Missouri Pacific Caboose 1234.
C&W Caboose 3.
Overview of the museum area.
BNSF 95168 Dining Car.
An ASFX Car also used as their Haunted House
BNSF 95164 Kitchen Car.
An ex Amtrak car.
Amtrak Slumbercoach Toledo Harbor ex NYC 10379. After this view I wanted a larger view of the museum area and noticing the bridge to the east, I walked around some buildings and up the bridge.
The view from the Union Avenue Bridge over the tracks and the Arkansas River. After I took these pictures I saw Chris speaking to someone so I high tailed it back and saw Chris up in the cab of C&W GP-7 104. Inside I met Ron of the Pueblo Railway Museum. We talked about the museum and their plans for a new home and more track for their excursion run. He had tried to start the 104 earlier this morning so we could get a ride but the engine wouldn't kick over due to the cold temperatures. We thanked Ron for having us and then had to leave a very interesting railroad museum.
Chris needed a phone to call his business he runs so we drove around Pueblo until we spotted one. After he finished we headed north up Interstate 25 stopping off at a Shell Station in Fountain where I got a candy bar and Chris sent a fax. We drove north into Colorado Springs exiting on Fillmore Street taking a right over the Joint Line and then a right onto Steel Drive Road until we reached the end at the Pikes Peak Historical Street Railway but that will be another story.
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