Travels with Trackwalker- Empire Builder 4/26/2021

Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum

Help Support Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I'm surprised they are refueled again so quickly. Doesn't the Starlight and Sunset only have one fuel stop altogether?
I'm pretty sure the eastbound Sunset takes on fuel at Tucson, El Paso and San Antonio at least. It's been awhile since I did that route so different locomotives involved, but I've seen them fuelling at Tucson on railcam and have a picture of it at El Paso. I do only remember one on the CS during daylight hours, but there may have been another while everyone was sound asleep.
 
6:10pm- The windmills of my mind.
A4651D7D-13D8-47C8-ADA8-D8AA0C5EFAFE.jpeg

4D7B7078-5396-4608-B0CC-DBB5B412A2D0.jpeg
6:16- ‘Yar! There be mountains dead ahead! And they look mighty rocky!

Did I ever mention that the cafe/lounge attendant said I’m the only one drinking the rum this trip?

CFFD485B-F67F-4E80-9DD1-51F847648DCA.jpeg
This is from the bridge west of Cutbank, MT. I always broke my couplers here playing Microsoft Train Simulator.
 
Last edited:
1A0F97B8-E361-4757-84B6-B9BE71B445F5.jpeg
Hugemungas BNSF snow fence as tall as the train and made from steel I-beams.

A9EC2ABF-C760-4178-A161-E265CCC52BDD.jpeg
Uplifted sandstone, mudstone, sand and silts west of Browning, MT. We ain’t in that flatlands no more.

F18FFF7F-C876-428C-8741-05E70B603834.jpegOriginal abandoned Great Northern mainline. I always keep my eye out for these. Drives DW crazy.
 
Last edited:
7:55pm- So since 7pm (or was it 6? Time is different out here) we’ve been doing walking speed (4mph) behind a westbound freight with mechanical issues.

Disabled westbound finally limped into a siding and we followed him in. Can you see where this is going? I knew you would. (For those in the dark see the “on the ground” thread , somewhere in Texas post.)

We just had an eastbound freight go by us and we are going to make a reverse move out of the siding to get around the disabled wb freight. Our horn just tooted three times and we are backing up now.

8:04- Two short toots and we are moving west to East Glacier Park again... at restricted speed. Sigh.

8:15 Moving track speed! That calls for a drink!
 
Last edited:
I'm pretty sure the eastbound Sunset takes on fuel at Tucson, El Paso and San Antonio at least. It's been awhile since I did that route so different locomotives involved, but I've seen them fuelling at Tucson on railcam and have a picture of it at El Paso. I do only remember one on the CS during daylight hours, but there may have been another while everyone was sound asleep.
The one stop I was referencing is Tuscan. When I was on the Eagle early this month I didn't see any refueling done at El Paso.
 
The one stop I was referencing is Tuscan. When I was on the Eagle early this month I didn't see any refueling done at El Paso.
You probably werent awake when they Fueled up in SAS.

Guess theyve quit Fueling up.in El Paso, used to be a Regular thing before UP built the Huge New Fueling Station West of El Paso.
 
10:20pm- Almost to Whitefish. Lots of eastbound freights on each other’s signal going up the hill. I stopped counting after seven. We just kept moving. Luckily a lot of the west side hill is multiple main 2MT.

Next refueling I was told will be in Spokane, WA.

10:25- Arrive Whitefish.
 
4/28/2021

2:45am PDT- I am awakened by a bright light shining through my window. Depot platform light in Spokane. HEP disconnected. We pull away from the Portland section of the Empire Builder and leave them to their fate as we exit Spokane and enter the eastern Washington scablands at 3:06.
97273C04-0F69-4796-A620-3B8FD9E491BB.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Back
Top