Best side on train #1

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AMTRAK-P42

Conductor
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Messages
1,181
Location
Redlands, CA
Hey guys, I know I have not been around the forum very much over the last 6 months. This school year has been real tough.

Anyways, I just made my first summer train trip plans. On June 8th, departing here in Atlanta, we will travel to New Orleans, spend one night, then catch the sunset limited to Los Angeles from there. I have wanted to ride on the sunset for sometime, but have always used a connection out of Chicago because of parents conferences in the Chicago area.

Anyways, since I am not familiar with this route, just curious of any interesting things that go on--Which stops are fueling stops for #1? Which stations are services stops? Any particular scenic spots where I should have my camera ready? What is the normal consist between NOL-LAUPT Etc...

Also, I have a standard bedroom, and I was curious what side would be best to be on, on #1?
 
Well the Sunnyset gets fresh power in NOUPT (for some odd reason they change engines there, probably because of the long distance the train travels), so obviously the pony/ponies are fueled up departing New Orleans. I believe the next fuel stop would be San Antonio as well as a 1,000 mile inspection, but I'm not 100% on that, and it seems like there should be another fuel stop in there too. As far as consist goes here how she lines up

Pony

Bag Car

Trans Dorm

Sleeper

Sleeper

Diner

Sightseer

Coach

Coach

Coach (on SAS)

Sleeper (on SAS)

Hope this helps
 
Heading westbound, I think the train is serviced in El Paso, and an inspection is done in Tucson later that night.

Shortly after leaving Del Rio, the tracks skirt the Rio Grande and Mexican border. Farther west of Del Rio, TX, the terrain gets quite rugged as you enter desert country.

You'll want to be sure to have your camera ready for the crossing of the Pecos River Gorge between Del Rio, TX and Langtry, TX. The train crew will make an announcement just prior to crossing the bridge. It is the highest mainline railroad bridge in the US, with the tracks about 265 feet above the river below. View from either side of train is equally spectacular.

The tracks also get fairly close to some smaller gorges of the Rio Grande just before Langtry, TX. Left side of train is best here.

The desert mountain country of West Texas is also quite scenic in its own unique way.

The ascent out of the Rio Grande valley just after leaving El Paso is interesting, and the Mexican border at some times is less than 100 yards from the tracks... visible from left side of train.

Depending on how close the train is to schedule, darkness will fall somewhere in western New Mexico, so there won't be much to see until you get closer to LA the next morning.

If the train is running quite late, you might get to see the Salton Sea (left side of train) before Palm Springs. I think the tracks are actually below sea level in this area.

The train also passes through a canyon somewhere around the Banning/Beaumont area as it approaches LA.

A few miles before arriving at LA Union Station, the train usually travels down the middle of I-10 Freeway. The Sunset runs 79mph here, so you will be going faster than the cars... most of them at least.

I really like the Sunset Route, I hope you do too. Enjoy your trip.
 
Also, Battalion51 has the consist correct with just one minor update... the Sunset has always run with two locomotives when I have ridden it... both needed for the mountainous terrain the trains traverses in the Southwest.
 
Aight, I always see it on the east side when it only has one pony for our flat terrain.
 
One should also have the camera ready right out of NOL, for the climb/run over the Huey Long bridge over the Mississippi River. I've yet to hit that bridge myself, but all reports are that it's quite a site. :)
 
AlanB said:
One should also have the camera ready right out of NOL, for the climb/run over the Huey Long bridge over the Mississippi River. I've yet to hit that bridge myself, but all reports are that it's quite a site. :)
Click to expand...
I love that bridge i go up it almost evrey day.If you want to see me waving at the train from my house sit on the south side i also highball amtrak when it goes by my house. :) :D
 
I didn't realize the Sunset only runs with one locomotive on the eastern part of its route. I always take it from San Antonio westward where it already has two locomotives.

Any idea where it picks up the second engine?
 
Like I said earlier there is a power change during the layover in New Orleans. I'm not entirely sure, but it would seem like because of the distance the train travels Amtrak doesn't want to keep those ponies on the train for a 3,000+ mile trip without them going into the Diesel shops. Since New Orleans has engine facilities it makes a good spot to switch power. On the Eastern leg of the trip Auto Train P-40's are traditionally the power, but sometimes a P-42 will be in charge. At one point they did run two P-40's back-to-back on the Eastern side, thus allowing the power to run around the train at the Orlando Station (using Kaley Yard) and then double back to Sanford, rather than having to run down to Stanton to run around the train. (The trainset is run backwards to SFA so that the train is facing the right direction the next morning.) Lately it's been one engine on the train, but this isn't set in stone, as ocasionally the JAX switcher will come down on the Sunset for Maintenance in Sanford.
 
Well the City of New Orleans can handle 7-8 Superliners with one pony and I'm sure between ORL and NOL then Sunset Limited can as well with a similar train lenght. Plus, between ORL and NOL there's very little, if any, grade.
 
The largest grade the train probably encounters on its trip between NOL and ORL is the 1% grade at Buffalo Bluff.
 
bmlock said:
Go to Texas Eagle and you can get a fairly detailed route guide for the SAS to LAX portion of the trip. I printed FTW to LAX for my trip in June and it was 11 pages long.
Click to expand...
Aloha

Interesting Collection of travel on the Texas Eagle. Do you know if other routes have similar sites?

Mahalo

Eric
 
The Heartland Flyer has a dedicated site: Heartland Flyer website, but as far as I know, these are the only ones. The Texas Eagle site has sections on the Hearland Flyer, Missouri Routes, and the Sunset as you probably seen off the Main Menu. Trainweb has a bit on the Builder:Builder site as well as some other routes, but I have not explored those yet. The main reason the Texas Eagle and the Heatland Flyer have sites is that they are run by people who are trying to keep the routes going. Without local support in Texas and Oklahoma, these trains probably wouldn't be running today.
 
There is a huge, white statue of Christ that can be seen way up in the mountains west of El Paso. I was on the train once, eastbound, and on time, and kept seeing this "thing" from far far away, could not tell what it was until I got closer. I am told that it is actually overlooking Mexico but it is hard to keep your directions straight winding around in the desert.

On a westbound trip, El Paso, due at 3 pm-ish, we went through about 9 p.m. usual SL delays so I did not see it then. You are, of course going westbound so if it is still daylight when you leave El paso, you can look for it.

As with any train to NOL the swamps and bayous are interesting. And they look different one each route, i.e. the Crescent route, the SL(both sides of NOL) , the City, etc.

While most of us, me included, prefer the Rockies, still the desert scenery is beautiful in its own way, you can learn to enjoy it out of that sightseer lounge very easily. Of course as you get to LA, who knows how many hours late, you will see the palm trees,orange groves, etc which give it away that you are definately in California.

My eastbound trip, noted above, was in the Amtrak years, it was already a Superliner, and we actually arrived NOL 40 min. early. I took a trip or two east of NOL and was close to time but my last trip, w.b. got to LA eight hours late, an entire day .
 
There are several other train websites:

amtrakcrescent.com

antrakcityofneworleans.com

amtraksilverservice.com

Auto Train, Carolinian and Pidemont are being prepared. The sites are not meant for booking, but primarily for informaiton gathering, info on cities on the route and special packages.
 
I leave from Tuscaloosa, AL...TCL to NOL and then LAX this Thursday. Will be coming back June 2nd, by the same route....

I hope to have some travelogue info. If you want a rough draft, email me at [email protected].

I'll have a website up for all as soon as I can get it online.

Tideman

James McKenzie

:D
 
I'm suprised no one mentioned the event the train is named for "SUNSET". The name is discriptive of the great sunsets out of El Paso. Due to the mountains to the west of El Paso, very little Pacific moistures survives at lower levels of the atmosphere. There is almost always some very high clouds at about 20,000 feet that reflect sunslight long after sunset. I rode the Sunset Limited just last month and had a spectacular view of the sunset with almost all colors of the spectrum. The sunset lasted almost an hour from the last rays of actual sunlight to the last reflected rays by the clouds. This time of year is almost assured to see this event, as this is the dry time of year in El Paso.
 
I am truly looking forward to that view this weekend.

Thanks for the heads up... I have a nice Canon Digital CamCorder with me...so pics will abound.

Tideman

James McKenzie

:)
 
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