What to look for on the Sunset?

[TN Tin Man]

Every year I try to go to Opening day in a new ballpark. This year I was presented with a chance to go a new route to a favorite park.

I'm going to Seattle from Birmingham and get to take the Crescent and the Sunset for the first time.

I've taken most of the Western Amtrak routes. (Some I wish would return), But I'm at a total loss with the Sunset.

What should I be looking for along the route? Any old Harvey Houses, Historic Stations, General historic landmarks, etc.?

I've looked over the trip reports and searched the other forums for information, but most are " I had the steak" or "my SCA didn't do such and such".

Route guides are great, but advice from people that know the route is what I'm looking for.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Sunset Highlites:

1) Huey Long Bridge across the Mississippi leaving New Orleans

2)Lake Charles: Lake and Casinos on left side of train after the quickie stop as you cross the trestle heading for the Texas Border

3)Old SP Station in Houston and Houston Skyline-(station work) inside the station there are pics and memrobilia on the walls of RRs that served Houston before Amtrak

4)San Antonio scheduled arrival 1205am/usually early)Grand Old SP Sunset Station and SP Steam Engine on display/ the Alamo and the River Walk Tourist District are a few blocks west up Commerce Street/ Train Leaves @245am

5) Lake Amistad/Rio Grande/Devils River West of Del Rio( 1st stop heading West) after Sun is up!

6)Pecos High Bridge- crossing Pecos River on way to Alpine, highest River Bridge on this Route

7) Alpine, Texas- crew change/ nice little Mountain town/ old SP station( unmanned) with new Platform

8)20 miles West of Alpine after going through Pisano Pass, highest altitude on this route/ artist colony and setting for multiple movies

9) EL Paso-Large UP Freight yards entering City/ Red Brick Station ( similar to Portland, OR) Burrito Lady sells delicious Green Chili Burritos outside Station/ You can see Juarez in Mexico as you enter town, its only a couple of blocks from the Amtrak Station/ El Paso is surrounded by Mountains on both sides of the Rio Grande!

As you leave El Paso you'll go right along the border ( left side of train)with Mexico alongside the River and the worthless Border fence the taxpayers paid for! You'll see plenty of Border Patrol Vehicles ( Green and White) along the border fence and be able to look into peoples houses and yards till you cross into New Mexico and then are in the desert all the way to Tucson

10)Tucson- you'll see the Airplane Graveyard on both sides of the tracks as you enter town on the Eastside through the AF Base/ the Old SP Depot has an old Dispatcher unit inside that's cool/ a Convienence Store ( and Expensive Cafe/Bar)/ across the street is the Famous Congress Hotel/ Definitely worth a look see during the crew change and stop!

11)After that it gets dark crossing the desert with stops in Maricopa ( Phoenix) with a nice old zephyr Dome Car that used to be the Station, then a midnight stop in Yuma.

If you're awake in the middle of the night and theres a moon, youll see the Salton Sea to the left of the train, a failed 50s Resort, sort of a a Salt Lake Lite!

12)Then will come a quick stop in Palm Springs, usually #1 is Early, so it will still be dark as you roll into the Greater LA Basin through the miles and miles of sprawl and into Beautiful LA Union Station arriving before 600am.

Sorry its so long, this is a looooong route and you asked! It was my first LD Ride in a Sleeper as a kid so I'm biased!

 

[oregon pioneer]

As you leave El Paso you'll go right along the border ( left side of train)with Mexico alongside the River and the worthless Border fence the taxpayers paid for! You'll see plenty of Border Patrol Vehicles ( Green and White) along the border fence and be able to look into peoples houses and yards till you cross into New Mexico and then are in the desert all the way to Tucson

After you cross the river leaving El Paso, you'll see a high hill on your left (probably with a few Border Patrol vehicles), and you may think that views into Mexico are over with. Not so! Keep watching for a few more minutes, and as you pass the hill, you'll get a view into a Mexican neighborhood with nothing but a few dusty yards and a fence between you and the next country!

 

[Seaboard92]

Look up Geno Dailey's trip reports and photos. He has some good photos west of SAS

 

[TN Tin Man]

Thanks all.

This is the kind of info I was looking for. (jimhhudson and oregon pioneer)

I found Geno Dailey's traveloges and photos on Trainweb. (thanks to Seaboard92) He does a great job of describing the train and route as well taking good photos.

Please keep the info coming. I find that the more I know before a trip the more I enjoy it.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

Sunset Highlites:

6)Pecos High Bridge- crossing Pecos River on way to Alpine, highest River Bridge on this Route

Try to be in the Lounge Car for this as it comes up literally with no scenic warning (though the Conductor will often make an announcements) and it is sure to generate a scream from someone not paying close attention when the world suddenly drops out from under! If you are following the Mile Posts it is at MP 428 between Lull and Shumla.

 

[TinCan782]

In Arizona between Tuscon and Benson is the Cienega Creek Bridge...the #1 Main passes over the #2 Main. I have done both the "over" and the "under" on two round-trips Los Angeles to Temple, Texas. The route runs through the Cienega Creek Natural Preserve in this area.

As for the Pecos High Bridge, it is crossed in darkness when traveling east. I've caught it westbound twice at about dawn.

Here are a couple of my photo sets from the two mentioned trips. I was in the 421/422 sleeper for these trips.

August 2013 ... https://www.flickr.com/photos/frensicpic/sets/72157635985530103/

December 2012 ... https://www.flickr.com/photos/frensicpic/sets/72157632626569620/

Also, search this board, there has been some recent activity regarding the SL and other discussions in the past. Enjoy the trip!

 

[niemi24s]

I find that the more I know before a trip the more I enjoy it.

Me too! And two other ways to find out what may be of interest along the route are: follow the route using the aerial imagery of Google Earth; do the same using using USGS topographical maps such as those available here: http://www.mytopo.com/maps/index.cfm Here's the Pecos High River Bridge... https://www.topoquest.com/map.php?lat=29.70169&lon=-101.34423&datum=nad27&zoom=4&map=auto&coord=d&mode=zoomin&size=xl ...using the topo maps from this site: https://www.topoquest.com/ Well, as usual I'm have little luck with posting links to other things. Sorry.

P.S.: I'll try another method & see what happens: https://www.topoquest.com/map.php?lat=29.70169&lon=-101.36537&datum=nad27&zoom=4&map=auto&coord=d&mode=zoomin&size=xl It Worked! Anyway, as you can see from the 20 foot contour intervals, the area surrounding the Pecos River/Armistad Reservoir is a little on the flat side. This (if it works)... http://www.panoramio.com/photo/41711021?source=wapi&referrer=kh.google.com ...is a spectacular shot taken from water level. It was posted to Google Earth on the North side of the bridge. Swan dive anyone?

 

[TinCan782]

I find that the more I know before a trip the more I enjoy it.

Me too! And two other ways to find out what may be of interest along the route are: follow the route using the aerial imagery of Google Earth; do the same using using USGS topographical maps such as those available here: http://www.mytopo.com/maps/index.cfm Here's the Pecos High River Bridge... https://www.topoquest.com/map.php?lat=29.70169&lon=-101.34423&datum=nad27&zoom=4&map=auto&coord=d&mode=zoomin&size=xl ...using the topo maps from this site: https://www.topoquest.com/ Well, as usual I'm have little luck with posting links to other things. Sorry.

I typically have things I'm on-the-lookout-for set up in my Garmin GPSmap 64s as points of interest/waypoints with an appropriate proximity alert to let me know when we are nearing a point. I use the tracklog from that GPS to geo-tag my photos. My images in the Flickr links I posted previously are geo-tagged with the approximate location displayed on a map in Flickr.

 

[SarahZ]

Sunset Highlites:

6)Pecos High Bridge- crossing Pecos River on way to Alpine, highest River Bridge on this Route

Try to be in the Lounge Car for this as it comes up literally with no scenic warning (though the Conductor will often make an announcements) and it is sure to generate a scream from someone not paying close attention when the world suddenly drops out from under! If you are following the Mile Posts it is at MP 428 between Lull and Shumla.

Here's a great video, taken from the railfan window.



Edit: I just noticed the video belongs to saxman.

 

[TinCan782]

Sunset Highlites:

6)Pecos High Bridge- crossing Pecos River on way to Alpine, highest River Bridge on this Route

Try to be in the Lounge Car for this as it comes up literally with no scenic warning (though the Conductor will often make an announcements) and it is sure to generate a scream from someone not paying close attention when the world suddenly drops out from under! If you are following the Mile Posts it is at MP 428 between Lull and Shumla.

Here's a great video, taken from the railfan window.

You have to know/be expecting the bridge...it comes up on you "without warning"...all of a sudden the ground drops away from under the train! Also, look to the north, especially on the west bank, you can see the abutments from the original bridge which was completed in 1892. Here's an article on the bridge ... http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/erp02

 

[Dakota 400]

My trip on the Sunset Limited was much more scenic and interesting than I expected. In addition to the items other posters have mentioned, seeing oil rigs being built along the Gulf coast was interesting. I saw sugar cane fields, rice paddies, and pecans being harvested. Once in New Mexico, I was surprised to see Boarder Patrol cars stationed in the desert, some distance from the Mexico border. It was a great trip that I might do again.

 

[niemi24s]

Here's one of my favorite shots from the railfan window heading East last year, somewhere in New Mexico I think:



It's my favorite because it reminds me how astonished fellow passengers from the UK were, astonished at how far you could see without...uh...seeing anything. They were flabbergasted!

 

[KmH]

Miles and miles, of miles and miles.

 

[me_little_me]

You'll see this - but I have no idea were they were "heading". :giggle:

Taken on the SL returning to NOL from El Paso. Somewhere in Texas.

 

[the_traveler]

Were they facing west? :huh:

If so, HEAD WEST YOUNG MAN! :giggle:

 

[benale]

I love The Sunset Limited. I took it the entire length from LA to Orlando and return, Hard to believe it will be ten years since the Sunset started and terminated in New Orleans, You enter Texas at Orange and you are still in the state almost a full day later as you leave El Paso. Many people I talk to are amazed at how huge Texas is. The scenery is not spectacular, but fascinating. Going westbound you get daylight through most of West Texas, unlike the eastbound train.

We are traveling on The Texas Eagle in June from Chicago to LA, In San Antonio, the cars from the Sunset will be added to the consist. One more advantage taking the Eagle/Sunset to California..you get an additional day of train riding.

 

[cassie225]

Wish they would put Sunset back from NO to Orlando, then I would have no reason to ever take the plane. Disney should see this would be an advantage for them. From Bourbon Street to Disney. What a vacation

 

[DryCreek]

Wish they would put Sunset back from NO to Orlando, then I would have no reason to ever take the plane. Disney should see this would be an advantage for them. From Bourbon Street to Disney. What a vacation

Wouldn't it also be great if they were somehow convinced to also run a limited version of Disney's Magical Express like they do from MCO? That would be the icing on the cake!