Southwest Chief speeds

[coronado]

I'll be traveling on the Southwest Chief next week from Fullerton to Galesburg, then connecting to the Texas Eagle for my return to Dallas. Are there still any 90mph sections on the Southwest Chief route? And if so, can anyone give me the approximate locations? Thanks.

 

[Steve4031]

I think it travels at 90 mph across Arizona. When I traveled on the chief, we often traveled on the left hand main to overtake freights on the right hand track. Both trains were moving pretty fast too.

 

[Trogdor]

The 90 mph section from Newton to Albuquerque (I think the only 90 mph section left on the route) was downgraded to 79 as of November 1.

 

[MAW66]

I read on a different discussion board that only the Hutchinson-LaJunta segment had been downgraded. The train still runs 90 in Missouri, I'm told, and I'm betting it still runs 90 between Dalies (NM) and Barstow (CA). (Perhaps LaJunta-Trinidad is still 90???)

I'll be on this train in a couple of weeks (riding between Chicago, IL and Topeka, KS), so I'll try to find out what's up. BTW, I hear the Chief is running with only two engines these days, since the M/E is gone.

 

[coronado]

I rode the Chief this weekend and it still runs 90mph for much of the route. During the daylight hours the eastbound Chief ran 90mph from east of Flagstaff, AZ through most of northern New Mexico into Albuquerque. Slower speeds from Albuquerque through Raton to Trinidad, where we picked up speed from Trinidad through La Junta.

Although it was dark and I couldn't see the mile markers to measure the speed with my watch, judging by the speed the ground was passing by my window and the interval of the wheels rumbling over switches, I'm fairly certain we were doing 90mph from Trinidad to La Junta... I fell asleep after La Junta.

Also ran 90mph through much of northern Missouri, slowed to 80mph through Illinois... I got off at Galesburg.

 

[gswager]

Are the milk markers posted in one mile length? And what color and shape are they?

 

[coronado]

BNSF mile markers are posted every mile, UP has markers every quarter mile. They are white with black numerals, not very large, except for some on the UP which are leftover from the Southern Pacific days.