Nostalgia & History > A Passing Wind

By virtue of its singularity, i.e., the only daylight passenger train in the neighborhood, it stood to reason that the Desert Wind would have been a highly photographed train, and a quick scrutiny of my own negative files suggests this to be true. The following eight frames come from a roll of film that was partially damaged in developing, but through the miracle of Photoshop have been rendered at least minimally passable and made of value only because the train is history. So, here is Number 35 shown departing Pomona with a very mixed consist—and the only logical reason I can think of for shooting the whole train this way must have been as an auto winder test. That way, I get to blame the cut-off sleeper on something other than my own ineptitude. Additionally, the frames also prove that no amount of polarization will ever successfully negate the reflected glare off metallic surfaces. What I really can’t believe, however, is that twenty-five years ago I was shooting Amtrak when I could have been down the street shooting the Southern Pacific—ah, there were slow orders on the SP no doubt thus making it unsuitable for the auto winder test.
Be of Good Cheer,
“I can’t believe I shot the whole thing” —Mac

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Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Wouldn't it be great if #35/#36 were resurrected? During that era, it was neat watching Amtrak change as the Superliners were delivered. All sorts of equipment was in the consist, as your pictures show. Ah, the good old days...

Ah, yes! The Desert Wind was a nice ride. Used the train several times. It was always a delight to ride over Cajon Pass in the daylight on #36. It seems to me the old Hi-Level coachs off the Santa Fe rode better than the new Superliners. Also it seemed the seats were more comfortable. I did a great trip once going from San Bernardino to L.A. on #35 then to Seattle on the Starlight, then to Denver on the Pioneer and back to San Bernardino on the Desert Wind sleeper from Denver. Bud

25 years ago? That would make it 1981. Who would have thought that 25 years later there would be no Amtrak through northern Pomona, but 34 commuter trains a day? And if things work out as planned, dozens of electric railway cars running parallel to the former Red Car line ten or twelve years down the road.