Photography
Related: About this forumSeattle to L.A. on Amtrak's "Coast Starlight"
Good Morning DU'ers,
Happy 4th of July!
Hope everyone is enjoying themselves and keeping safe.
Once again as a weekend distraction my wife and I thought we might share some pics, this time from our journeys years back on Amtrak's Train #11, the "Coast Starlight", which runs on what we found to be an incredibly scenic route along the Pacific Coast from Seattle, Washington to Los Angeles, California.
The pics are a composite of several separate trips that we took on Train #11 and attempt to show some of the regions traversed, in geographical order from north to south.
The pics are from our website, https://northamericabyrail.info/
Hope you enjoy!
Cheers, Pete
FIRST, A PIC FROM ONBOARD THE 'COAST STARLIGHT' CROSSING THE TRESTLE AT GAVIOTA, CA
NOW FROM NORTH TO SOUTH:
KING STREET STATION, SEATTLE, WA
ONBOARD THE COAST STARLIGHT PASSING THE 'NEW' TACOMA NARROWS BRIDGE [NOT THE OLD INFAMOUS GALLOPING GURDY]
ALONG PUGET SOUND
PACIFIC PARLOR CAR ON THE COAST STARLIGHT
PORTLAND UNION STATION
WILLAMETTE FALLS, OREGON CITY, OR, AS SEEN FROM THE COAST STARLIGHT
UNION PACIFIC YARD AT EUGENE, OR
WILLAMETTE PASS, SPRINGFIELD, OR
KLAMATH FALLS NOCTURNE WITH TRAIN #11
ONBOARD THE COAST STARTLIGHT, PASSING SUSPENSION BRIDGE OVER THE CARQUINEZ STRAIT
ON THE COAST STARLIGHT, STREET RUNNING THROUGH OAKLANDS JACK LONDON SQUARE
PASSING THROUGH THE SANTA CLARA VALLEY
ENTERING A TUNNEL ON THE CUESTA GRADE AT PASO ROBLES, CA
CUESTA GRADE, PASO ROBLES, CA
THE COAST STARLIGHT DESCENDING THE CUESTA GRADE
FRONT OF OUR TRAIN, PASO ROBLES, CA
WINDING THROUGH THE HORSESHOE CURVES AT PASO ROBLES, CA
AMTRAK P42DC #189 ON THE POINT OF THE COAST STARLIGHT, SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA
SAN LUIS OBISPO AMTRAK STATION
NEAR PISMO BEACH, CA
PACIFIC COAST, SANTA BARBARA, CA
THE COAST STARLIGHT TRAVELLING ALONG THE PACIFIC COAST, SANTA BARBARA, CA
PACIFIC COAST SOUTH OF SANTA BARBARA, CA
LOS ANGELES UNION STATION
mahatmakanejeeves
(57,488 posts)That's the old alignment. On that one, you headed west from the Tacoma passenger station and went though a single-track tunnel. That was a bottleneck. A new alignment opened in December 2018. (?) That's the one where the train went off the curve on the first day of operation.
Klamath Falls, old school. The caption says Dunsmuir, but someone corrected it. I've been to Dunsmuir and Klamath Falls both. It's Klamath Falls.
Source: https://streamlinermemories.com/2014/07/06/southern-pacific-shasta-daylight/
Another one from the Godfather of Rails:
{I can't link to it from this page. I'll get it at Dziobko's page.}
Source: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/shasta-daylight-john-dziobko.html
Here you go. It's still not Dunsmuir.
Source: http://www.godfatherrails.com/photos/pv.asp?pid=1405
The train is headed north, away from San Francisco, so it's even-numbered.
Southern Pacific train numbers - Classic Trains Magazine ...
Hiawatha Pete
(1,799 posts)I'm familiar with John Dziobko's excellent work, some of which is posted at railpictures.net, where I have my own gallery: https://www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php?userid=63021
Those Southern Pacific Alco PA's sure are gorgeous.
I've got the Lionel model of the SP 4449 from 1983 in the Daylight scheme, one of my faves: https://northamericabyrail.info/model-railroading/20-lionel-mpc-milw-ep5-gp9/
I remember hearing about that tragic derailment after the opening of the new alignment...
AllaN01Bear
(18,247 posts)to a fam reunion in canada. brings back memories .
Hiawatha Pete
(1,799 posts)and be able to ride that old Amtrak heritage equipment...
CaliforniaPeggy
(149,629 posts)They make me wish I were on board going nearly anywhere, right now!
There is something so special about traveling for several days with your own sleeping compartment and the dining car and the car for great views!
Hiawatha Pete
(1,799 posts)I agree that there is nothing quite like having your own compartment, while also being able to enjoy the views in the lounge cars. Also for us, meeting and conversing with fellow travelers in the dining car was one of the highlights of every trip.
Unfortunately travel is not in the cards for us at the moment for obvious reasons. Hopefully things will take a turn for the better in the not-too-distant future.
PoindexterOglethorpe
(25,862 posts)In 2015 I took the Southwest Chief from Lamy, NM, to Los Angeles, then the Coast Starlight to Portland, OR, to visit my son who was then living there. It was a wonderful trip. At the time they had the lounge car you've pictured. I understand it has since been eliminated. What a shame.
At the beginning of April I was to have taken the Southwest Chief from Lamy to Chicago, then the Empire Builder to Seattle. The event I was going to Seattle for was cancelled in the middle of March, so I cancelled the entire trip. I really hope that in a year or two I can actually take that trip.
Hiawatha Pete
(1,799 posts)It's a shame Amtrak got rid of the Pacific Parlor car. I believe they do still run a regular sightseer lounge car on the train, however.
That's an interesting trip you had in 2015. Hopefully within a couple years you will be able to take the trip you had planned, we're also abstaining from travel at the moment and hope to ride the rails again once the covid thing passes.
liberal N proud
(60,335 posts)Hiawatha Pete
(1,799 posts)Blue Owl
(50,407 posts)Hiawatha Pete
(1,799 posts)I enjoy sharing them, thanks for checking them out!
Best Regards,
Pete