Steam & Excursion > AFT Confidential 92- The Trip Home, Day 4

AFT Confidential 92- The Trip Home, Day 4

Aboard the Southwest Limited, fourth day out of Miami. It was January, and it looked the part too! Of course I had no idea at the time, but starting nearly 8 years later I would make this trip many times as an Amtrak employee in On Board Services. In fact, #3&4 would be my first regular bit job when I escaped the Extra Board.
SR Bush
Dutch Flat

Photos 1-3. Early morning in Kansas. Looks like they a
had a good freezing rain that night! I'm not sure where the ATSF 2-6-2 was.

Photos 4&5. I got a chance to step off in La Junta CO where the 3rd SDP40F was added. I was never crazy about this color scheme, but I always liked the way the stripes were handled in the notch for the headlights (although only the earliest SDP40F's had the notch).
Photo 6. What became of these Baggage/Dorms? Did they live on without the bump up?

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7&8. The HiLevel Lounge car inside and out. I worked these cars before Phoebe had them captured to become the California Parlor Cars. I can't say I much cared for them- the SuperLiner Lounge Cafe was MUCH easier to work!
Photo
Photo 9. The interior of the HiLevel Diner. Amtrak had it's way with the colors, but the Kachina survived. Cool!
Photos 10&11. Climbing Raton Pass. In those days Amtrak still followed the El Capitan/Super Chief practice of low level first class cars- including the Pleasure Dome. (They kinda had to- there were no HiLevel sleepers) This would end when the SuperLiners came about 4 or 5 years later.

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BoilingMan Wrote:
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> Photos 4&5. I got a chance to step off in La Junta
> CO where the 3rd SDP40F was added. I was never
> crazy about this color scheme, but I always liked
> the way the stripes were handled in the notch for
> the headlights (although only the earliest
> SDP40F's had the notch).

I was never crazy about that scheme, either, but your fourth photo is the best one I've seen of an SDP40F in the Phase II scheme.  Very sharp!

Compare that with today train. Two lounges and two diners, one for each class of service. 

BoilingMan Wrote:

> I'm not sure where the ATSF 2-6-2 was.

That's also in Dodge City, KS at the Boot Hill Museum.  It's still there: https://goo.gl/maps/w2CiKtchNsumx1f58

Nice pics, back when Amtrak was slowly getting better and it showed!