# The Coast Starlight | January 16-17, 2010



## ColdRain&Snow (Jan 31, 2010)

Trip Pics Here

Wrapping up a frenetic workweek, I beelined home to catch a cab for LAX where I boarded a Virgin America flight up to SeaTac. VA has become a favorite carrier of mine as it has managed to infuse some fun and style into flying while keeping fares low. The Pacific Northwest weather had been tempestuous all week, so our occasionally turbulent flight made the ride interesting. The Seattle Airporter bus operated by Gray Line makes its last run into downtown at 9P, so my 10:30P arrival necessitated a ≈ $45 cab ride to the hotel. I Hotwired a 4 star hotel in downtown called the Vintage Park, a boutique hotel that was nice though a bit quirky and quiet for a Friday night.

I arrived at King Station under a cloudy but dry sky, ticketed myself, and ventured out into the crisp air of the patio to look for the _Coast Starlight_. Not after long, I could see the train in the foggy distance backing up into the station. A few things struck me immediately: the train has three locomotives/two baggage cars, and my car (1131) is faced bedrooms first today. Now, a brief sidebar about trying to predict car orientation…

[The _Coast Starlight_ is an Amtrak route where the side of the train your room is on will dictate whether or not the Washington and California coastlines will be visible. All of advice I’ve read on AU and other boards clearly communicates that it is just not possible to reliably predict what orientation your car will have until you reach the platform and see your train. And while I accepted this reality on its face, I still thought I could somehow figure out a pattern that would help me choose my roomette number. After going cross-eyed one night watching youtube videos of CS consists, I thought I had found the “silver bullet.” Car 32 seemed to be facing roomettes first on more days than it was bedrooms first. And with that newfound revelation, I promptly booked roomette 10 in car 1132 for this trip- southbound, #10 will be facing west on a roomettes first orientated car. So I should be all set then, right? Well, not exactly.

First, Amtrak removed car 32 from our train after I had booked it, so I was moved to car 31 about one week before departure. So much for all that research on car 32, eh? But after taking another fresh look at the various CS consists, I eventually realized that the orientation of the cars really doesn’t seem to follow a reliable pattern, as much as I wanted one to exist. Just as I was about to declare a newly identified pattern for a particular sleeper, it would be quashed by several examples of the opposite orientation. So, I too am convinced that it is not possible to predict what side a roomette will be on when booking the trip. Not that I ever doubted the legion of AU veterans that told me as much, but I suppose I just had to test the theory myself to let go of the question.

If anyone ever discovers the secret formula to how cars on each Amtrak route are orientated, please bottle it and sell me a copy. Then again, it’s probably just random and an excellent lesson in futility.

As so many wise AU members have written, don’t sweat it. If your room ends up being on the inland side of the CS, it’s a perfect excuse to relax in the Parlour Car and share the views with your fellow pax. And that’s just what I did on this trip!]

Now knowing that my roomette would be faced inland during the Puget Sound and central California coast, I studied the timetable and quickly figured out when I would definitely want to be in the PPC so as to ensure that I wouldn’t miss the views. Problem solved!

As the _Coast Starlight_ backed into place at the platform, a wave of excitement washed over me. I had flown 955 miles in about 2 hours only to catch a train to cover those same miles in about 2 days. It makes all the sense in the world to those of us that love riding trains. We would have an interesting consist today:

P42

P32

P42 (deadhead)

Baggage

Baggage

Transition Sleeper

Sleeping Car

Sleeping Car

Pacific Parlour Car (Columbia Valley)

Dining Car

Sightseer Lounge

Coach

Coach

Coach

I headed up to my car and met the SCA, Ron Harris, a 32-year employee with a steel gaze and an iron handshake. I could tell that Ron was going to be a good SCA. When I arrived to my roomette, I noticed that Ron had put a hand signed welcome note on my seat. That was a first for me in roomette travel and a very nice touch. Sometimes the little things make a difference, and his note immediately made me feel welcome and excited about the trip. My roomette was in good condition, and I noted that I was in a refurbished Superliner I. The upstairs bathroom was nice and Ron had hung some auto air-fresheners in it, something else I had not experienced yet in a Sleeping Car. He also kept a bottle of Fabreeze spray available, so our bathroom always seemed fresh and fragrant. Ron did an excellent job of keeping our car pleasant throughout the trip to Los Angeles.

Our conductor announced that the train was completely sold out, and I was actually stoked to hear that. Strong ridership sends an unmistakable message to the Amtrak naysayers. As we left Seattle, I went to the PPC - the Columbia Valley - and was pleased with its fine condition. A very nice woman named Nanette, who bore a modest resemblance to Diane Keaton, was running the PPC. The Lounge Car Attendant was quite a character, announcing his wares in a Star Trek-like voice. He continued to do so until the train manager joined us in Oakland the next morning. I never did figure out if it was funny or annoying, but I appreciated his willingness to bring color to the vanilla announcements.

Upon our arrival in Portland, I walked up to our locomotives and struck up a conversation with the departing engineer. He explained that the third loco, a P42, was deadheading back to LA because of a computer failure. He filled me in on the P32 as I wasn’t sure what model it was being a nascent train enthusiast. He seemed to enjoy talking about the locomotives, and I surely enjoyed learning more about them. As he left, I sat staring up at the P32 and marveled at its roaring diesel engine. I love the sound of these locomotives- and not just the loud, low diesel gurgle but also the peculiar clicks, pneumatic blasts, and high-pitched chirps. My fascination for these massive engines only grows with every visit I make up to them on these trips. Impressive machines!

After Portland, our conductor made an impassioned plea to the passengers about alcohol and intoxication, twice repeating his declaration that “Conductors have a zero tolerance policy for intoxication. I will put you off this train if you’re intoxicated.” Interestingly, subsequent conductors on our trip echoed the same unambiguous warnings, making me wonder if intoxication was an issue on this train more than others. I have heard these warnings before on other trains, but these admonitions were more frequent and terse. I myself appreciate these announcements since I assume that they’re made out of necessity based on past experiences. If I encountered an obnoxious drunk on the train, I am certain that conflict and confrontation would follow. Obnoxiously drunk people can be a nightmare to deal with, and I just would never let one affect my trip in any way.

About 10 minutes after the first alcohol announcement, the Coach Attendant excoriated - and rightfully so - the unidentified person who was smoking in one of the Coach cars. She made the following comment to the offending knucklehead, “Somebody is smoking in Coach. When we catch you, you will be taken off the train in handcuffs.” Wow, she was pissed and the frustration was palpable in her voice. People who smoke on these trains should be banned for life from Amtrak. Their prevailing attitude seems to be that “my cigarette is more important than the health and safety of everyone else on this train.” If that’s how they feel, they should have the courage to tell me that in person.

The balance of the first evening was delightful. Dinner in the PPC was excellent, BBQ spareribs and crème cake (yum), and Nanette had created a nice evening atmosphere in the car by playing some gentle music. I took a shower after dinner and found that the refurbished shower room was truly nice- clean, new looking, and excellent water pressure/temperature. Before bed, I took advantage of our KFS stop to walk off my dinner and breathe in the crisp Klamath Falls air.

Day two would prove to be just as enjoyable as the first, albeit the weather would grow more tempestuous throughout the day. In Oakland, we picked up the train manager for the _Coast Starlight_, and she came by and spoke with each of us in my car. She was truly concerned about how my trip had been going, and how she might be able to make it any better. She was another great example of Amtrak’s finest. Our conductor from SAC to SLO was an amazing historian and made it a point to share his vast local knowledge about the area. Another Amtrak gem!

By the time we reached Watsonville, the Pacific storm was washing over California like a wave. The high tide coupled with the torrential rains had caused an unusually high water line throughout the Elkhorn Slough. This in turn was causing the signals in the area to short out, so we had to travel at about 25 mph until we approached Paso Robles. But it was no matter. There was something cozy, like being in a cabin during a snowstorm, about riding the train through a rowdy storm. As we approached the horseshoe curve, I could barely make out the Stenner Glen trestle as the rain was coming down in sheets.

The rest of the trip to LA was uneventful even if the weather was anything but. Picture taking became impossible as the end of my gallery attests, so I put away the camera and quietly reflected about the wonderful two days I had just spent riding the crown jewel of the West Coast, the _Coast Starlight_.

I’m doing an LA to Seattle trip on 2/19, so I will report back on that journey in good time.


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## wcswingdance (Jan 31, 2010)

What a great report. Thank you! I am traveling on the CS for the first time this May. I was also trying to figure out which Roomette to book and learned that you cannot predict. Thank you for posting your trip report. I am excited to make this trip from Seattle myself. I am getting off at Sacramento though to catch the California Zephyr to Chicago.

Looking forward to your next report.


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## MrEd (Jan 31, 2010)

thanks for the report cold rain and snow.


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## AlanB (Jan 31, 2010)

Thanks for the neat trip report! 



ColdRain&Snow said:


> Wrapping up a frenetic workweek, I beelined home to catch a cab for LAX where I boarded a Virgin America flight up to SeaTac. VA has become a favorite carrier of mine as it has managed to infuse some fun and style into flying while keeping fares low. The Pacific Northwest weather had been tempestuous all week, so our occasionally turbulent flight made the ride interesting. The Seattle Airporter bus operated by Gray Line makes its last run into downtown at 9P, so my 10:30P arrival necessitated a ≈ $45 cab ride to the hotel. I Hotwired a 4 star hotel in downtown called the Vintage Park, a boutique hotel that was nice though a bit quirky and quiet for a Friday night.


Are you aware the Seatac now has Link light rail service from the Airport to downtown? For $2.50 you could have had a 40 minute train ride to downtown.


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## ColdRain&Snow (Jan 31, 2010)

No, I wasn't aware of that Alan and thanks for letting me know. I've seen those light rail cars around the outer entrance to SeaTac, but never knew they went up to Seattle. I'm not too familiar with the Seattle transportation system other than having ridden the monorail back and forth. That's a great tip, thank you!


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## acelafan (Jan 31, 2010)

Great report! Isn't the Coast Starlight just fantastic? I was on it a few weeks ago (still need to do a trip report) and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride from LAX to SEA. Glad you had a good trip, too! (Now I'll have to ride it from SEA to LAX!) 

PS. I did take the Seattle Light Rail from King St station (actually 2 blocks east of the station) directly down to SeaTac for $2.50 as Alan mentioned. I did it at 9:30 at night to catch a redeye back to Miami and it was safe, easy, convenient, and inexpensive. All pluses in my book!


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## AAARGH! (Feb 2, 2010)

VERY well written trip report. It brought back specific (good) memories of when I traveled that route.


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