# I am on the Texas Eagle!! Yippee!!!



## iliketrains (Jul 8, 2019)

I officially now have some street cred as a railman!! I just boarded 421 headed all the way to Los Angeles from Texas!! This trip was kind of impromptu. I will be taking the one I’ve been planning later. As a kid my family traveled Amtrak all the time. As an adult I always had to fly due to my job. I did manage to get a few short trips in over the years. I am now semi retired and ready for Amtrak.

I decided to get a roomette after researching and realized because I’m a stocky guy the roomette is best. I am so glad I did!! I love it. It’s just the right size. The attendant is very nice!! She took my dinner reservation as I was boarding. The larger bathroom and shower are just a few steps away!! I am shocked that the train arrive just a few minutes late. I’m even more shocked that the speedometer app on my phone says we are traveling at 80 MPH!! This train is moving!!! There is not much rocking!! Oh yea I have 4 bars on my Verizon LTE. I’m sure that wont be always but so far so good.

8:02 PM - I just had dinner with 2 guys who were awesome dinner company. They travel Amtrak frequently and currently on a cross-country trip!!. They had not heard of this Amtrak site and immediately want to join!! When I told them about the upcoming gathering one of them was very interested. Also, they mentioned the Burrito Lady and said thats one of things they look forward to. Here are some pics of my dinner and folks enjoying the dining car.


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## OBS (Jul 8, 2019)

You are off to a good start!


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## Michigan Mom (Jul 8, 2019)

How's the scenery


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## iliketrains (Jul 8, 2019)

Michigan Mom said:


> How's the scenery



The scenery is great but so far I’ve only taken one picture. It was raining and I thought I saw a tornado LOL. It’s dark outside now. I will take more tomorrow.


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## iliketrains (Jul 8, 2019)

We arrived in San Antonio a few minutes early. The Sunset Limited from New Orleans is running 3 1/2 hours late. Hopefully it gets here in time for us to depart on time. I came off the train because the attendant (the lady in the picture) said she would let us back on as long as the trains aren’t being connected. In that case she said we would have to wait until the connection process is complete. She is super nice and friendly. Here are some pics at San Antonio. I am the big guy and the little guy is the one who is an Amtrak fan and wants to join this forum. Now you see why I was concerned about the seats. The seat in the diner was very comfortable!!! My roomette is also very comfortable!! Big guys and gals like me Amtrak is great!!!! The other guy I met in the lounge car. The train is full with very few empty seats !


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## dogbert617 (Jul 9, 2019)

iliketrains said:


> I officially now have some street cred as a railman!! I just boarded 421 headed all the way to Los Angeles from Texas!! This trip was kind of impromptu. I will be taking the one I’ve been planning later. As a kid my family traveled Amtrak all the time. As an adult I always had to fly due to my job. I did manage to get a few short trips in over the years. I am now semi retired and ready for Amtrak.
> 
> I decided to get a roomette after researching and realized because I’m a stocky guy the roomette is best. I am so glad I did!! I love it. It’s just the right size. The attendant is very nice!! She took my dinner reservation as I was boarding. The larger bathroom and shower are just a few steps away!! I am shocked that the train arrive just a few minutes late. I’m even more shocked that the speedometer app on my phone says we are traveling at 80 MPH!! This train is moving!!! There is not much rocking!! Oh yea I have 4 bars on my Verizon LTE. I’m sure that wont be always but so far so good.
> 
> ...



Was picture 1 the Land and Sea Combo, for I believe $39? I remember ordering that for dinner when going east(and back home) on the Empire Builder from doing a recent trip to Glacier National Park, and really enjoyed ordering that a LOT. Also, what dessert did you get in picture 2? I'm not sure if that was served(a tart?), on the Empire Builder's dessert menu. Also weird I remember that I couldn't order dessert, except during dinner for whatever odd reason.

Have fun, on your trip. I still have yet to travel beyond Saint Louis on the Texas Eagle(and ditto with the Lincoln Service Illinois trains to STL), and not yet on the Sunset Limited. But I want to change that, someday! I kinda have considered in my mind at some point down the road doing a trip to Little Rock, and perhaps mildly wonder if I should go to the gathering in either Dallas or Fort Worth later this year(wherever that's being held). It's too bad when I looked up what depots looked like between El Paso and Tucson, that the original train depots/stations were all demolished years ago for blah open shelter buildings. That honestly to me look even worse, than the meh looking shelter buildings that exist in Crawfordsville, IN, and Elyria, OH. At least Alpine and Del Rio still have their original station depot buildings, but too bad Sanderson appears to not have a proper station building anymore due to the deterioration of its former depot. A site where you can look up pics of more Amtrak station depot buildings, if you're curious: http://www.trainweb.org/usarail/


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## iliketrains (Jul 9, 2019)

dogbert617 said:


> Was picture 1 the Land and Sea Combo, for I believe $39? I remember ordering that for dinner when going east(and back home) on the Empire Builder from doing a recent trip to Glacier National Park, and really enjoyed ordering that a LOT. Also, what dessert did you get in picture 2? I'm not sure if that was served(a tart?), on the Empire Builder's desserts lay menu. Also weird I remember that I couldn't order dessert, except during dinner for whatever odd reason.
> 
> Have fun, on your trip. I still have yet to travel beyond Saint Louis on the Texas Eagle(and ditto with the Lincoln Service Illinois trains to STL), and not yet on the Sunset Limited. But I want to change that, someday! I kinda have considered in my mind at some point down the road doing a trip to Little Rock, and perhaps mildly wonder if I should go to the gathering in either Dallas or Fort Worth later this year(wherever that's being held). It's too bad when I looked up what depots looked like between El Paso and Tucson, that the original train depots/stations were all demolished years ago for blah open shelter buildings. That honestly to me look even worse, than the meh looking shelter buildings that exist in Crawfordsville, IN, and Elyria, OH. At least Alpine and Del Rio still have their original station depot buildings, but too bad Sanderson appears to not have a proper station building anymore due to the deterioration of its former depot. A site where you can look up pics of more Amtrak station depot buildings, if you're curious: http://www.trainweb.org/usarail/



Yes that is the land sea combo for $39. I figured since the meals are included with the roomette I should go for the gusto! The desert is cheesecake. Everything including the wine is very good. The guy sitting across ordered the wine. I then later got a bottle of it in the cafe car and took it my roomette. I also bought a cheese tray from the cafe to go with wine.

We had a great time off the train waiting for the Sunset Limited. People starting introducing themselves and we quickly somehow we had a large group. Some folks had beer and others had other types of adult beverages. We hung out in an outside area of the station that had chairs and tables. People were super friendly and we all laughed and enjoyed hanging out. The attendant stopped by and stated the thru cars had been detached and powered-up ready to board. People still hung out longer since the Sunset Limited had not arrived.

The attendant prepped my bed and I am now nice comfy reading and surfing the internet.

Yes it’s a shame those stations are gone. I looked that up also and saw that. Thanks for the link to the website.


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## dogbert617 (Jul 9, 2019)

iliketrains said:


> Yes that is the land sea combo for $39. I figured since the meals are included with the roomette I should go for the gusto! The desert is cheesecake. Everything including the wine is very good. The guy sitting across ordered the wine. I then later got a bottle of it in the cafe car and took it my roomette. I also bought a cheese tray from the cafe to go with wine.
> 
> Wwe had a great time off the train waiting for the Sunset Limited. People introduced themselves and somehow we had a large group. Some folks had beer and others had other types of adult beverages. We hung out in an outside area of the station that chairs and tables. People were super friendly and we all had laughed and enjoyed hanging out.
> 
> ...



Ah, I should've guessed that was cheesecake, and not a tart/torte of some sort. Weird I thought that, for whatever bizarre reason. Oh yeah now that I think about it, you can order desserts for BOTH lunch and dinner, and not just during dinner. Funny enough I was hoping the cheesecake would be left for my last lunch on #8/28(eastbound Empire Builder going into Chicago, coming back from a trip to Glacier National Park), but unfortunately the server told me they were out of the cheesecake. And unfortunately for me, also all other desserts during that last lunch eastbound just before hitting Milwaukee.  On my earlier meals I did order a chocolate caramel torte(IIRC how the server described that to me) and another one the vanilla pudding(for a lighter dessert, to go with the Land and Sea Combo), and I liked both of those desserts. Honestly, all my dining car meals were decent, looking back on my recent Empire Builder trip going west to Glacier National Park(westbound to West Glacier/Belton, east from (East)Glacier Park back to Chicago). It was a little annoying the cost to upgrade to a sleeper was a little too high going west, but at least the fare to upgrade to a roomette wasn't as much going back to Chicago.

Keep all of us posted, how your trip is going. Soon I will do a trip report, of how my recent Empire Builder trip to Glacier National Park was like. BTW, this site also exists with a lot of photos for Amtrak stations, albeit it doesn't have as many photos and stations as that trainweb site I linked to earlier: http://subwaynut.com/amtrak/


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## Michigan Mom (Jul 9, 2019)

Sounds like a great time!


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## iliketrains (Jul 9, 2019)

More pics.


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## iliketrains (Jul 9, 2019)

Hey I’ve had a strong Verizon signal for nearly all of this trip including now nowhere near Alpine and nowhere near El Paso. All 4 bars LTE.


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## Rasputin (Jul 9, 2019)

Looks like a great trip and nice to see you got some photos from the High Bridge over the Pecos River. (Unfortunately I slept through it on my last trip). Did you have an extended stop in Alpine or only a short stop? In the past when we were running ahead of schedule we had close to an hour there.


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## iliketrains (Jul 9, 2019)

Rasputin said:


> Looks like a great trip and nice to see you got some photos from the High Bridge over the Pecos River. (Unfortunately I slept through it on my last trip). Did you have an extended stop in Alpine or only a short stop? In the past when we were running ahead of schedule we had close to an hour there.



We are running behind schedule;so,the stop at Alpine was short.


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## Dakota 400 (Jul 9, 2019)

Interesting reporting and you confirm what I have found on Amtrak trips: it is very easy to meet friendly people and have good conversations with them. Thanks for your efforts in blogging!


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## SarahZ (Jul 9, 2019)

You have an amazing smile.  

Tip: You can get your dessert to go! I'm often too full to eat dessert after dinner, so I ask for a cheesecake "to go". They leave it in the plastic container instead of plating it and give me a plastic fork to take with me. It's the perfect midnight snack.


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## dogbert617 (Jul 9, 2019)

iliketrains said:


> Hey I’ve had a strong Verizon signal for nearly all of this trip including now nowhere near Alpine and nowhere near El Paso. All 4 bars LTE.



I'd half expect traveling between Alpine and El Paso, that there'd be a few points where you'd lose phone signal. You really had full signal, the WHOLE trip between those 2 places? Interesting, that slightly surprises me a bit. Enjoyed looking at all those pics you posted above, as well. Were those pics taken east of Alpine, or west of there?



SarahZ said:


> You have an amazing smile.
> 
> Tip: You can get your dessert to go! I'm often too full to eat dessert after dinner, so I ask for a cheesecake "to go". They leave it in the plastic container instead of plating it and give me a plastic fork to take with me. It's the perfect midnight snack.



I actually tried to do the same thing myself(get a slice of cheesecake to go), on the last lunch going east on the Empire Builder through Wisconsin when I had a sleeper on my recent 8/28 trip going east(and back) from Glacier National Park. Sadly they were out of that dessert, and all other desserts as of that late point on the EB trip back towards Chicago. Honestly I should've thought of doing that one night earlier, when I was having dinner going through North Dakota.


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## SarahZ (Jul 9, 2019)

dogbert617 said:


> I actually tried to do the same thing myself(get a slice of cheesecake to go), on the last lunch going east on the Empire Builder through Wisconsin when I had a sleeper on my recent 8/28 trip going east(and back) from Glacier National Park. Sadly they were out of that dessert, and all other desserts as of that late point on the EB trip back towards Chicago. Honestly I should've thought of doing that one night earlier, when I was having dinner going through North Dakota.


You haven't traveled on the SWC yet, correct?

On the eastbound trip, they are always, ALWAYS trying to get rid of food during lunch on the last day. You can order whatever you want, even kids' stuff.

So, every time I've taken the SWC back from Albuquerque, I've treated myself to mac & cheese for lunch that day.  (My ex-boyfriend always got a hot dog.)


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## dogbert617 (Jul 9, 2019)

SarahZ said:


> You haven't traveled on the SWC yet, correct?
> 
> On the eastbound trip, they are always, ALWAYS trying to get rid of food during lunch on the last day. You can order whatever you want, even kids' stuff.
> 
> So, every time I've taken the SWC back from Albuquerque, I've treated myself to mac & cheese for lunch that day.  (My ex-boyfriend always got a hot dog.)



Hadn't yet taken the SWC. And yeah, I suppose I should've tried asking for mac and cheese to go, or something else off of the kid's menu. I did get 2 desserts on previous meals the day before, one during lunch going through Montana(chocolate caramel torte), and dinner through North Dakota(vanilla pudding, where I wanted to a lighter one as I got the Land and Sea Combo w/steak and crab cake). So not the end of the world. Besides of course, getting what was left of my burger to go into a box after that last lunch in Wisconsin.


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## iliketrains (Jul 10, 2019)

SarahZ said:


> You have an amazing smile.
> 
> Tip: You can get your dessert to go! I'm often too full to eat dessert after dinner, so I ask for a cheesecake "to go". They leave it in the plastic container instead of plating it and give me a plastic fork to take with me. It's the perfect midnight snack.



Thanks I took your advice!


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## iliketrains (Jul 10, 2019)

Yes I have had a strong Verizon nearly all of this trip, I am totally surprised!


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## iliketrains (Jul 10, 2019)

More pics.....I even caught the Burrito Lady. They announced her presence and a long line formed.


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## iliketrains (Jul 10, 2019)

More pics


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## iliketrains (Jul 10, 2019)

I became very sleepy and slept between Lordsburg NM and Maricopa AZ!!!

We are now headed to Yuma AZ late by 2 and 1/2 hours!! Ouch!!

While my mind is on it I need to give a shout out to all the people I met and hung out with who all my made trip very fun!!

Shout out to John, George, Shawn, Lars and wife, Sylvester and wife, Cyndy my car attendant who is the absolute best in the business, George the dining car attendant who always ensured I had the best of everything. Oh yea who can forget the one passenger everyone on the train got to know Myron.

I talked to a lot of other folks or ate with others but didn’t get their names. There was a delightful couple from Round Rock; two ladies from Switzerland, couple from Ventura, the 2 college professors are all just sample of folks I met.

This was a packed train! For example, over 100 folks boarded at Tucson.


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## v v (Jul 10, 2019)

iliketrains said:


> View attachment 14476
> More pics



Hello Mr ilt

Very much enjoy your style, in particular how you interact with fellow travellers. Your pure pleasure of riding the rails and meeting people comes across so well, more power to you. May I ask where the photo with the 2 trucks and a mountain backdrop was taken please?


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## drdumont (Jul 10, 2019)

Since the Eagle pretty much follows the old US Hwy 90 route as well as Interstate 10, Verizon did a pretty thorough build out along the route. But you are right, it is pretty surprising to have that good a signal seemingly out in the middle of nowhere. 
There are a surprising amount of people who live and work out in the seeming wilderness, especially in the petroleum industry. Lotsa moneymaking holes in the ground and pipelines to maintain.


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## Dakota 400 (Jul 10, 2019)

SarahZ said:


> Tip: You can get your dessert to go! I'm often too full to eat dessert after dinner, so I ask for a cheesecake "to go". They leave it in the plastic container instead of plating it and give me a plastic fork to take with me. It's the perfect midnight snack.



Thanks for the idea! Why had I not thought of doing so?


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## iliketrains (Jul 10, 2019)

Dakota 400 said:


> Thanks for the idea! Why had I not thought of doing so?



Yes it worked!!!


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## iliketrains (Jul 10, 2019)

Ok the train was running almost 3 hours behind. As a result my relatives asked me to get off one stop ahead of LA Union Station to help them avoid morning rush hour traffic. So I didn’t get pics of Union Station. Here are the last pics I took.


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## iliketrains (Jul 10, 2019)

v v said:


> Hello Mr ilt
> 
> Very much enjoy your style, in particular how you interact with fellow travellers. Your pure pleasure of riding the rails and meeting people comes across so well, more power to you. May I ask where the photo with the 2 trucks and a mountain backdrop was taken please?



I can’t remember exactly but it had to be in New Mexico or maybe just getting into Arizona because I fell asleep somewhere after Deming and didn't wake up until Tucson. It was dark when we arrived in Tucson.


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## Asher (Jul 11, 2019)

Yippee! Enjoyed your description and photos. Thanks for taking us along.


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## dogbert617 (Jul 11, 2019)

iliketrains said:


> I became very sleepy and slept between Lordsburg NM and Maricopa AZ!!!
> 
> We are now headed to Yuma AZ late by 2 and 1/2 hours!! Ouch!!
> 
> ...



I have a question on #1/421 going west, when did you start to notice the shift from darkness to daylight start to occur at? Was it in Arizona before you hit Yuma, or after that point somewhere in California?

Also, were these 2 pics( https://discuss.amtraktrains.com/attachments/27df1250-20a7-44a7-8219-915fde00b3c4-jpeg.14459/ , and https://discuss.amtraktrains.com/attachments/f0e8ebba-bb67-4a1b-adaf-fe0dd49fef56-jpeg.14460/ ) on the Pecos River Trestle in western Texas? I should know where that is along the Sunset Limited route, for whenever I take that train through there someday.

Also, that's interesting over 100 people boarded in Tucson! So, sounds like the claims that Sunset doesn't have a lot of popularity among people out there through Texas to California, is BS for sure. Yes I won't deny that Sunset doesn't have the ridership of say the California Zephyr, Coast Starlight, etc., but still it's a route that shouldn't be cut. And if anything(a la the Cardinal), the service level should at minimum increase from 3 days a week operation, to once a day running. Glad you had such a great trip on Sunset Limited, even if you had to get off early before hitting LA.

Are you taking Sunset/TX Eagle back home when you're done with this trip, or taking other Amtrak trains to get back home?


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## Rasputin (Jul 11, 2019)

The link did not work but from looking at his earlier photos, those were taken from the High Bridge over the Pecos River. This impressive bridge is between Del Rio and Sanderson (closer to Del Rio). As I recall it is about a half hour or forty-five minutes west of the Del Rio but others may have more accurate information. Since the stop in Del Rio is fairly early (around dawn as I recall, many people miss this site (as I did on my last trip on No. 1). Eastbound the Sunset crosses the bridge well after dark. Prior to the schedule change in 2012, the eastbound train crossed this bridge late afternoon.


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## dogbert617 (Jul 11, 2019)

Rasputin said:


> The link did not work but from looking at his earlier photos, those were taken from the High Bridge over the Pecos River. This impressive bridge is between Del Rio and Sanderson (closer to Del Rio). As I recall it is about a half hour or forty-five minutes west of the Del Rio but others may have more accurate information. Since the stop in Del Rio is fairly early (around dawn as I recall, many people miss this site (as I did on my last trip on No. 1). Eastbound the Sunset crosses the bridge well after dark. Prior to the schedule change in 2012, the eastbound train crossed this bridge late afternoon.



That's too bad to hear. Guess that'd be one possible reason where you should keep whatever things you do off the train in San Antonio short, so that you do wake up in time on #1/421 to see the Pecos River Trestle. If not also see Del Rio's train station. That's too bad about the 2012 schedule change, where you no longer see that bridge on #2/422 till after dark.


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## Rasputin (Jul 11, 2019)

There are some nice views of the lake shortly after leaving Del Rio westbound. As I recall the track must be quite straight on both sides of the approach to High Bridge so you don't really get a view of the bridge, just a view from the bridge. The lounge car would provide a good view of the river on both sides. I suppose it would be interesting to view the bridge crossing from the rear window of the Texas Eagle sleeper at the rear of the train but I imagine that you would primarily be seeing the bridge deck and not much of the river. The High Bridge is near Langtry where Judge Roy Bean presided at his Jersey Lily Saloon (if I have the name correct). 

I am impressed that Iliketrains was able to get these nice shots from the High Bridge. You don't get much notice that you are approaching the bridge. Perhaps someone told him about this location so he was ready for it.

There is an interesting location somewhere in the vicinity of High Bridge where the track appears to go along the base of a cliff and there are rock outcroppings which overhang the train. I can't recall if this is east or west of High Bridge.

Most significant schedule changes are a mixed bag. With the schedule change in May 2012 you went over the High Bridge after dark eastbound but you picked up some very nice scenery east of Tucson which had previously been in the dark. As I recall under the old schedule, the eastbound Sunset left Tucson about 1-2 a.m., got to El Paso around breakfast, Alpine late morning or noon, and Del Rio at dusk. It seems to me that Houston was about 4 or 5 a.m. and New Orleans was mid-afternoon. I can't recall if the westbound schedule was changed at that time or not.

I think the plan would be to try to be awake at Del Rio to enjoy the scenery going west.


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## iliketrains (Jul 11, 2019)

dogbert617 said:


> I have a question on #1/421 going west, when did you start to notice the shift from darkness to daylight start to occur at? Was it in Arizona before you hit Yuma, or after that point somewhere in California?
> 
> Also, were these 2 pics( https://discuss.amtraktrains.com/attachments/27df1250-20a7-44a7-8219-915fde00b3c4-jpeg.14459/ , and https://discuss.amtraktrains.com/attachments/f0e8ebba-bb67-4a1b-adaf-fe0dd49fef56-jpeg.14460/ ) on the Pecos River Trestle in western Texas? I should know where that is along the Sunset Limited route, for whenever I take that train through there someday.
> 
> ...



_I have a question on #1/421 going west, when did you start to notice the shift from darkness to daylight start to occur at? Was it in Arizona before you hit Yuma, or after that point somewhere in California? _ *The train was about 3 hours behind schedule and if I remember correctly, I noticed daylight creeping at about Palm Springs, CA.*

_Also, were these 2 pics( https://discuss.amtraktrains.com/attachments/27df1250-20a7-44a7-8219-915fde00b3c4-jpeg.14459/ , and https://discuss.amtraktrains.com/attachments/f0e8ebba-bb67-4a1b-adaf-fe0dd49fef56-jpeg.14460/ ) on the Pecos River Trestle in western Texas? I should know where that is along the Sunset Limited route, for whenever I take that train through there someday._ *To be honest, I'm not great at geography but someone commented earlier that this was the Pecos River.
*
Also, that's interesting over 100 people boarded in Tucson! *Yes the conductor had to announce as we arrived in Tucson that a high number of people would be boarding and everyone had to have a seat mate. I inquired and was told over 100 people were boarding. I watched as they boarded them in groups! *

_Are you taking Sunset/TX Eagle back home when you're done with this trip, or taking other Amtrak trains to get back home? _*This impromptu trip was my way "sneaking" in an Amtrak trip. I have a relative that was driving from LA area to Texas alone for our family reunion whom I did not want to be on the highway alone. I asked if I could help him drive to Texas and the response was immediately YES. LOL. He does not need my assistance in getting back to LA. Interestingly driving back, from LA to El Paso the highway takes nearly the same path as the train. I will be seeing the same sights but from an automobile. I'm planning more trips so stay tuned!*


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## dogbert617 (Jul 12, 2019)

iliketrains said:


> _I have a question on #1/421 going west, when did you start to notice the shift from darkness to daylight start to occur at? Was it in Arizona before you hit Yuma, or after that point somewhere in California? _ *The train was about 3 hours behind schedule and if I remember correctly, I noticed daylight creeping at about Palm Springs, CA.*
> 
> _Also, were these 2 pics( https://discuss.amtraktrains.com/attachments/27df1250-20a7-44a7-8219-915fde00b3c4-jpeg.14459/ , and https://discuss.amtraktrains.com/attachments/f0e8ebba-bb67-4a1b-adaf-fe0dd49fef56-jpeg.14460/ ) on the Pecos River Trestle in western Texas? I should know where that is along the Sunset Limited route, for whenever I take that train through there someday._ *To be honest, I'm not great at geography but someone commented earlier that this was the Pecos River.
> *
> ...



Thanks for answering all those questions. And I thought of one last question I forgot to ask earlier, if you're riding either in #421's coach area or in sleeper, are those attached to the rear of the combined Texas Eagle/Sunset Limited when it goes west and leaves San Antonio, or are the thru coach and thru sleeper from TX Eagle attached in the front? I remember when I rode the Empire Builder east(#7/27), that the Portland cars are on the rear of the train. I think they're in the front when going west, but can't remember for sure. I didn't pay as much attention to train car assignments, when riding west since sleeper that way(#7/27) was too much to upgrade to. Though thankfully, it wasn't as expensive going east(on 8/28), so I upgraded that way on my trip going back from Glacier NP to Chicago.

And funny enough, I pulled off a similar such 'sneaking in' Amtrak trip in May, riding the Cardinal one way east(to a cousin's wedding), then went back to Chicago in car with the rest of my family. Always wanted to ride that route once, and glad I finally did.



Rasputin said:


> There are some nice views of the lake shortly after leaving Del Rio westbound. As I recall the track must be quite straight on both sides of the approach to High Bridge so you don't really get a view of the bridge, just a view from the bridge. The lounge car would provide a good view of the river on both sides. I suppose it would be interesting to view the bridge crossing from the rear window of the Texas Eagle sleeper at the rear of the train but I imagine that you would primarily be seeing the bridge deck and not much of the river. The High Bridge is near Langtry where Judge Roy Bean presided at his Jersey Lily Saloon (if I have the name correct).
> 
> I am impressed that Iliketrains was able to get these nice shots from the High Bridge. You don't get much notice that you are approaching the bridge. Perhaps someone told him about this location so he was ready for it.
> 
> ...



If this Sunset schedule is any indication( http://web.archive.org/web/20050512134918/http://www.amtrak.com/timetable/mar-apr05/P01.pdf , bonus that it shows times east of New Orleans before Katrina hit, and it was sadly permanently scaled back to starting/ending in NOL), it looks like the eastbound #1/421 used to hit the Pecos River Trestle(IF on time) sometime just before 6pm(Del Rio 1/421 arrival time was 6:37pm in 2005). Also I see some differences with the old schedule that would be in some ways disadvantageous, i.e. for westbound #1/421 Tucson passengers that the train didn't arrive there till 12:59am. Now it arrives at 6:45pm, under the new schedule. The eastbound 2/422 time was even worse into Tucson, arriving at 2:20am. Also 1/421 didn't hit LA until 10:10am, and that regularly would've not allowed Sunset passengers to do a same day transfer to the Coast Starlight #14 going north(which IIRC leaves at 10:10am!). In a way, I can see why they adjusted the schedule for Sunset/TX Eagle the way they did, so that same day connections between this train and Coast Starlight would be easier to do. BTW, the old schedule has the eastbound Sunset(#1/421) leaving LA at 2:30, and the current schedule has it leaving at 10pm. 

Finally per this link( http://web.archive.org/web/20110129...ontentServer/Page/1237405732505/1237405732505 ) and clicking on the pdf, in 2010 before the major revision in 2012, the eastbound Sunset left LA at 2:40pm. Arrived in Del Rio going east at 5:42pm, and Tucson going east at 1:06am. Going west in Tucson, it arrived at 10:40pm. I guess in a way I see why Amtrak adjusted the times, so that it'd better serve Tucson boarding/departing riders?


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## Rasputin (Jul 12, 2019)

We were on No. 2 leaving Tucson in May 2012 only a few days before the big schedule change. It was kind of a tedious wait at the station for No. 2 to arrive about an hour late at close to 2 a.m. I recall that station personnel at Tucson was anxious for the new schedule and thought it would result in more business at that station. I assume that the better times have done so but I have never seen any statistics to confirm this. 

I have been on the 421/422 Texas Eagle sleeper eastbound and westbound. In my experience (which I believe is the normal routine), the Texas Eagle sleeper has always been the last car in the combined train west of San Antonio, both eastbound and westbound. As I recall the Texas Eagle through coach(es) are just ahead of the sleeper. Since I enjoy being in a sleeper at the rear of the train, I find this arrangement to be quite nice. I believe some people who travel by sleeping car do not like having to walk through coaches to access the lounge car and dining car but this does not bother me. 







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## iliketrains (Jul 12, 2019)

My 421 sleeper car was upfront and therefore close to the dining car before arriving southbound into San Antonio. At San Antonio, I de-boarded and watched the switch. My sleeper car and the 421 coach were detached, hooked together, and powered-up all before the westbound Sunset Limited arrived. When the Sunset Limited arrived the 421 coach was directly attached to the Sunset Limited, making my 421 sleeper the last car on the train. I went from an extremely short walk to the dining car to an extremely long walk to the dining car. It was great exercise that I needed to get the dining car and Sightseer lounge. Therefore I didn't complain.

*Warning #1: *My big warning to sleeper car passengers: Eating 3 full meals per day added a few pounds to my weight!! I normally eat small amounts of food throughout the day and get some exercise in which helps me NOT to gain weight (I might not lose but I don't gain either!). When I eat 3 full meals I tend to gain weight. With no opportunity to exercise on the train you might want to consider how you plan to drop those few extra pounds after a long Amtrak trip! Don't suggest skipping desert on the train because that ain't happening!!

*Warning #2: *During the layover in San Antonio it's safe to get off the train and most passengers on my train did so. However, as in any urban downtown area you can have slickers trying run game. One guy carried a backpack but I immediately could sense that something about him was not right. He looked extremely unkept and dirty. He pretended to be a passenger and went as far as to introduce himself and state he was going to LA. He eventually asked for money saying he left his on the train. When a group passengers starting pooling their money together to have a pizza delivered to the station he said his credit card wasn't working. We all saw through him and when he realized it he left. One lady pretended to be a passenger and kept inviting people to go walk with her to a bar. No one did. If you decide to leave the station I strongly suggest you catch a taxi or uber. If your guts tell you that something is not right please trust your instincts.


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## Bob Dylan (Jul 12, 2019)

Having the #421 Sleeper as the last Car ( smililar to the Portland Sleeper on the Builder and the Boston Sleeper on the Lake Shore)) is a great way to exercise by "Walking the Train" during your Journey!

Also, it's a good idea to stay with others when venturing away from the Station, the Hustlers and Street People with Problems are always around the heavily visited River Walk/Alamo/ Hemisphere Area and the 24/7 Dennys on Commerce between the Station and the Riverwalk is the Headquarters for the "Night People".

All in all it's not real dicey, but like all Cities be aware of what's going on around you.


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## Rasputin (Jul 12, 2019)

iliketrains said:


> *Warning #1: *My big warning to sleeper car passengers: Eating 3 full meals per day added a few pounds to my weight!! I normally eat small amounts of food throughout the day and get some exercise in which helps me NOT to gain weight (I might not lose but I don't gain either!). When I eat 3 full meals I tend to gain weight. With no opportunity to exercise on the train you might want to consider how you plan to drop those few extra pounds after a long Amtrak trip! Don't suggest skipping desert on the train because that ain't happening!!



I hear you on that! We usually try to have just a light lunch, the salad with chicken or the mussels, in order not to feel too full and end up in a food coma. My wife will often request her dessert to go and will give it to one of the coach passengers we have befriended on the trip and that works out well.


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## dogbert617 (Jul 12, 2019)

Rasputin said:


> We were on No. 2 leaving Tucson in May 2012 only a few days before the big schedule change. It was kind of a tedious wait at the station for No. 2 to arrive about an hour late at close to 2 a.m. I recall that station personnel at Tucson was anxious for the new schedule and thought it would result in more business at that station. I assume that the better times have done so but I have never seen any statistics to confirm this.
> 
> I have been on the 421/422 Texas Eagle sleeper eastbound and westbound. In my experience (which I believe is the normal routine), the Texas Eagle sleeper has always been the last car in the combined train west of San Antonio, both eastbound and westbound. As I recall the Texas Eagle through coach(es) are just ahead of the sleeper. Since I enjoy being in a sleeper at the rear of the train, I find this arrangement to be quite nice. I believe some people who travel by sleeping car do not like having to walk through coaches to access the lounge car and dining car but this does not bother me.
> 
> ...



I'm also not bothered by doing a long walk, as well. I will note for anyone who's never ridden the Empire Builder, that the Portland bound/coming from Portland sleeper(and sometimes 2, as was the case on my train in June and July 2019 last week) car(s) is always the rearmost car on that train. So yep just like if you're riding 421 or 422 west of San Antonio, you'll have a similar experience walking through so many coach cars and the sightseer/observation car if you're trying to get to the dining car, lol!

And yep, not surprised that I'm sure the Amtrak employees at Tucson welcomed the adjusted schedule, where that the Sunset no longer arrived after midnight in each direction. I would suspect that probably helped ridership, but would have to look at year after year Amtrak ridership before and after that 2012 change, to see if ridership went up in Tucson.



iliketrains said:


> *Warning #2: *During the layover in San Antonio it's safe to get off the train and most passengers on my train did so. However, as in any urban downtown area you can have slickers trying run game. One guy carried a backpack but I immediately could sense that something about him was not right. He looked extremely unkept and dirty. He pretended to be a passenger and went as far as to introduce himself and state he was going to LA. He eventually asked for money saying he left his on the train. When a group passengers starting pooling their money together to have a pizza delivered to the station he said his credit card wasn't working. We all saw through him and when he realized it he left. One lady pretended to be a passenger and kept inviting people to go walk with her to a bar. No one did. If you decide to leave the station I strongly suggest you catch a taxi or uber. If your guts tell you that something is not right please trust your instincts.



Thanks for posting this warning. Yep, I'm sure there are some bums/weirdos in San Antonio that try to pretend they are passengers, in the hopes they can steal money from passengers on the TX Eagle/Sunset.


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## iliketrains (Jul 13, 2019)

Rasputin said:


> There are some nice views of the lake shortly after leaving Del Rio westbound. As I recall the track must be quite straight on both sides of the approach to High Bridge so you don't really get a view of the bridge, just a view from the bridge. The lounge car would provide a good view of the river on both sides. I suppose it would be interesting to view the bridge crossing from the rear window of the Texas Eagle sleeper at the rear of the train but I imagine that you would primarily be seeing the bridge deck and not much of the river. The High Bridge is near Langtry where Judge Roy Bean presided at his Jersey Lily Saloon (if I have the name correct).
> 
> *I am impressed that Iliketrains was able to get these nice shots from the High Bridge. You don't get much notice that you are approaching the bridge. Perhaps someone told him about this location so he was ready for it.*
> 
> ...



It was pure luck. I was sitting in the sightseer car and saw the breathtaking view unfolding before my eyes. I had my iPhone in hand and starting snapping. I had no idea what was coming and had no idea of what I was seeing. I only knew it would make a great picture. Oh yea the train was traveling slowly at the time. That gave me some reaction time.


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## Noob76 (Jul 17, 2019)

Thanks for this great write-up. I was actually on the Sunset Limited last Monday when I discovered this site and then found your post and was like "hey I think this guy is going to link up with our train in San Antonio." I signed up for an account but then by the time I got approved and had good Wi-Fi I was already in Los Angeles. I did see you in the dining car one of the lunches but you seemed to be into the conversation and I thought it might be weird to be like "hey I don't know you but I've read all your blog posts."

Interesting to hear about the hustlers in San Antonio. I'm not sure how much time our train the Sunset Limited had because we were late, but I was definitely thinking of going out and getting a quick picture of the Alamo. But, I ended up sleeping through.

After our time together on the Texas Eagle/Sunset Limited, I went up to Lake Tahoe for the weekend. Then took the Zephyr back and now am on the Lake Shore Limited to New York. Finally some wi-fi on these east coast trains so I can type on a computer and not my phone.

Glad your journey went well!


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## Barb Stout (Jul 17, 2019)

iliketrains said:


> View attachment 14476
> More pics


Did you notice any businesses near the Amtrak stop in Deming, NM? My sister lives in Silver City and at some point we might take the Sunset Limited. If so, we would get on at Deming. That blue plastic box doesn't look too inviting a place to wait for an Amtrak.


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## drdumont (Jul 17, 2019)

If you have Google Earth, look for Deming NM Amtrak. Zoom in and you will see the shed, it is 100' or so from a fairly large Chevron filling station and convenience store. There appear to be some businesses on the other side of the Interstate, but that's not really an option if you re on foot. When I get to the office I will try to upload a screen shot of the Street View as well as the overhead, unless someone beats me to it.


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## dogbert617 (Jul 17, 2019)

Barb Stout said:


> Did you notice any businesses near the Amtrak stop in Deming, NM? My sister lives in Silver City and at some point we might take the Sunset Limited. If so, we would get on at Deming. That blue plastic box doesn't look too inviting a place to wait for an Amtrak.



I think for the most part(per checking Google maps), any places to eat at will require walking under I-10 on Pearl Street, then go west or south of that intersection just south of the expressway. Looking at that area,it doesn't seem too bad for eating options,if you don't want to wait(or at least wait for much less time) in that crappy outside shelter. With a Denny's a few blocks west, several Mexican restaurants, and some sort of Chinese restaurant is on the other side of that expressway.


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## iliketrains (Aug 14, 2019)

Noob76 said:


> Thanks for this great write-up. I was actually on the Sunset Limited last Monday when I discovered this site and then found your post and was like "hey I think this guy is going to link up with our train in San Antonio." I signed up for an account but then by the time I got approved and had good Wi-Fi I was already in Los Angeles. I did see you in the dining car one of the lunches but you seemed to be into the conversation and I thought it might be weird to be like "hey I don't know you but I've read all your blog posts."
> 
> Interesting to hear about the hustlers in San Antonio. I'm not sure how much time our train the Sunset Limited had because we were late, but I was definitely thinking of going out and getting a quick picture of the Alamo. But, I ended up sleeping through.
> 
> ...



Hey it would have been too cool to meet you on the train!!!


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