Passenger Trains > Amtrak #11 EMY-LAX on Tuesday April 12

Now that I have gotten back to Boston from my 48 hour trip out to California to ride the rerouted Coast Starlight through the Altamont Pass and the Tehachapi Loop, I have posted a few photographs that I took from inside the train. This was basically my first time over all of this track so feel free to correct or append any of the descriptions that I have provided.

One interesting fact: We left Bakersfield a little after 4:00 p.m. local time and would have arrived at LA Union Station by 7:30 p.m. if we hadn't had four long stops to wait for outbound Metrolink Commuter trains west of Palmdale. I mention this because it seems that with a few more sidings west of Palmdale the time from LA to Bakersfield via Tehachapi could be 3.5 hours, not 5. Yes, this is still longer than driving, but if you consider a through train from LA to Sacramento, you are now talking about a running time from LAX to SAC (via Tehachapi and Bakersfield but not Oakland and Emeryville) of nine hours: four and one half hours faster than the current Coast Starlight running time. Given the scenery and the ability to avoid a bus transfer, this seems pretty compelling to me.

A. Just crossed edes ave. with douglas st. on the left at the start of the coast sub. (thanks to cherrycitycinderdec)
B. "Niles" visible in the hill (note front of train on right side of picture).
C. Niles junction, the track is going over alameda creek heading to oakland on the Niles sub. (thanks to cherrycitycinderdec)

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D. Heading east toward Altamont Pass.
E. Same.
F. View of abandoned Southern Pacific (ex-Central Pacific) grade going into tunnel (thanks to Yarddogh and GPutz).

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G. TrainOrders member bsmff photographing at Tracy when the train was wyeing.
H. UP Modesto Depot
I. UP Merced Depot (I presume)

GenePoon posted this map

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/attachments/fullsize/528000/scan0001.jpg

illustrating the wyeing operation at Tracy as part of his earlier post here:

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,2441409,2442396#msg-2442396

The picture of the photographer (bsmff) was taken while backing up on the red track about where "Lathrop" is written and looking toward connecting track marked as "2".

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J. UP Fresno Depot
H. UP Bakersfield Depot (we had a crew change here).
I. Heading toward Tehachapi Loop

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M. Completing the loop
N. Looking out past the loop
O. Windmills seen in the distance from the Pacific Parlour Car as we head toward Mojave.

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photo A just crossed edes ave. with douglas st. on the left at the start of the coast sub. did you take any rocks from the locals? photo C is showing niles junction, the track going over alameda creek is heading to oakland on the niles sub.

Really enjoyed those . . don't worry about the mislabeling.
That abandoned tunnel at Altamont is former SP. Glad you
caught the lower Loop tracks crossing the Loop tunnel 9.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/14/11 09:29 by Yarddogh.

Great trip. Thanks for the images. Image F is the ex-SP, exx-CP, grade. Gerry

Really nice....

Nice group of photos. That hill in "F" looks like a ready made advertisement for Amtrak.

John

billwood Wrote:
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> M. Completing the loop

You got the one I couldn't on April 13. A BNSF met us on the Loop so I had to shoot the lower loop track on the INSIDE of the loop.

billwood Wrote:
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> G. TrainOrders member bsmff photographing at Tracy
> when the train was wyeing.


aka the "Lathrop Shuffle" (Tracy is 10 miles to the West!) and looks like TO member guy is shooting video, not photographs (well unless he has a combo SLR/video camera but the headphones are the video giveaway clue).

;)

Thanks for sharing your ridealong photos!