# CS detour over Tehachapi Loop



## CHamilton (Feb 23, 2013)

> Amtrak is planning to detour its southbound Coast Starlight between Oakland and Los Angeles in March and April due to track work. Instead of its normal route along the California Coast, train No. 11 will travel Union Pacific's ex-Southern Pacific route via the San Joaquin Valley and Tehachapi Loop. The detours are planned for March 13-15, March 24-30, and April 8-10.
> Seattle departures of the train are one day earlier. Amtrak says that the track work may end early, so detours may not last all the way into April.


I've made reservations to take the loop on Sunday, 3/24 (leaving SEA Saturday, 3/23), since I missed this the last time it happened. PM me if you'd like to come along.

Edit: I got the dates wrong, but they've been fixed. See below.


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## Blackwolf (Feb 23, 2013)

Tempting, tempting!


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## Shanghai (Feb 23, 2013)

Charlie, are there mud slides in the loop?


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## CHamilton (Feb 23, 2013)

Now I'm getting slightly different dates from another (reliable) source.



> Train 11 will detour On the following dates (Seattle departure one day earlier than shown) –
> 
> · Wednesday, March 13 through Friday, March 15
> · Sunday, March 24 through Saturday, March 30, and
> ...


Shanghai, I don't know about mudslides on the detour, but since that's UP's main freight route, I can't imagine that they would let it stay blocked very long. And I don't think that UP has the "no passenger trains for 24 hours" rule that BNSF does, but others may know more.


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## railiner (Feb 23, 2013)

Great news! I managed to miss the detour the last times it ran, so will have to try again this time. Unfortunately, the Loop may be done in darkness....anyone have any estimate of the times at Bakersfield and into Los Angeles?


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## chakk (Feb 23, 2013)

All of those detour dates occur in Daylight Savings Time, so the loop will most likely be transited in daylight, while arrival into LA will likely be after dark.


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## AmtrakBlue (Feb 23, 2013)

Charlie, you paying?


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## CHamilton (Feb 23, 2013)

AmtrakBlue said:


> Charlie, you paying?


Just used up almost all of my AGR points for this, but I guess it's for a good cause


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## Blackwolf (Feb 23, 2013)

I have no idea what the time-frame will be for an LA arrival, but here's a bit of consideration:

When I last took the southbound detour in 2009, it was non-stop between Sacramento and Los Angeles with only a crew-change stop at the now-abandoned Southern Pacific Bakersfield depot. The train left SAC at the scheduled 6:30 AM departure and, get this,* arrived into LAX at 4:50 PM!*

Now, this detour looks to be starting in Oakland, and will undoubtedly take the UP Niles Canyon route to Tracy (the same tracks used by ACE) and then the UP main through Bakersfield and up over the pass to Palmdale and LA. As such, I don't think it is out of the question that the train may arrive into LA with some daylight to spare. While Amtrak would never officially come up with an arrival time augmented for this detour, my guess would be anywhere around 7 PM.

If I somehow was able to get a shot at going, I'm going to have to consider my return back to Sacramento that night or very early the next morning. I have to look into doing a bit more homework.


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## Anderson (Feb 23, 2013)

I'm actually going to try and force this together. God help my budget.


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## roomette (Feb 24, 2013)

Never mind. "loop" threw me for one.


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## Blackwolf (Feb 24, 2013)

roomette said:


> CHamilton said:
> 
> 
> > > The detours are planned for March 13-15, March 24-30, and April 8-10.
> ...


Because he's in Seattle, which means the train taking that detour starting 3/24 originates on the 23rd. Makes for a nice well-rounded weekend trip.


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## CHamilton (Feb 24, 2013)

Blackwolf said:


> roomette said:
> 
> 
> > CHamilton said:
> ...


Actually, I got the dates wrong. I should have said that I would be leaving SEA on the 23rd and taking the loop on the 24th. Sorry about that.


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## The Davy Crockett (Feb 24, 2013)

CHamilton said:


> Actually, I got the dates wrong. I should have said that I would be leaving SEA on the 23rd and taking the loop on the 24th. Sorry about that.


Well dang it Charlie! Now I want my signature back from your waterfront streetcar petition!


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## CHamilton (Feb 24, 2013)

The Davy Crockett said:


> CHamilton said:
> 
> 
> > Actually, I got the dates wrong. I should have said that I would be leaving SEA on the 23rd and taking the loop on the 24th. Sorry about that.
> ...


Jeez, I'm sorry! Do you suppose my faculties were reduced due to an attack of foaming?


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## Ryan (Feb 24, 2013)

He can make it right by buying both of us tickets to ride the loop with him.


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## CHamilton (Feb 24, 2013)

Ryan, I'm all out of AGR points, but if you come along, I'll buy you a beer in the PPC


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## AmtrakBlue (Feb 24, 2013)

Ryan said:


> He can make it right by buying both of us tickets to ride the loop with him.


Hey! I asked first!


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## CHamilton (Feb 24, 2013)

Okay, two beers!


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## The Davy Crockett (Feb 24, 2013)

CHamilton said:


> The Davy Crockett said:
> 
> 
> > CHamilton said:
> ...


Okay, now I'm confused. Was the attack of foaming from the detour - or the beer windfall you could get from a bidding war? 

Well, in either case you are forgiven as, based on personal experience  , I can understand how both trains and beer can distract someone. :excl:


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## railiner (Feb 24, 2013)

The last time I booked this detour (northbound), someone on this board alerted me at the last minute that the detour was cancelled, and saved me hours away from flying to The Coast....

To try to avoid that pitfall, I am asking for recommendations as to the 'safest' date to book. The earliest date may find them not ready to begin construction and the detour, and the latest date may find them finished early and back to regular route.

I know there are no guarantee's....anything can happen....even bad weather could cancel construction for a given date, but with all that into consideration, I am still seeking some experienced guesses as to a 'safe date' to book. Appreciate all replys.....


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## roadman3313 (Feb 24, 2013)

With that said, how far in advance would they cancel for a day, say due to weather or what not? I ask because I noticed you can't book any of the intermediate stops along the coast. So if the detour were cancelled and the train were to operate the regular route would it allow anyone to book those stops to board/alight at the last minute?


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## Rob_C (Feb 24, 2013)

When we did this last year, the people that went for the first two dates got taken to the cleaners by a freight derailment near the loop. Nevertheless I would lean towards the beginning of the detour dates. If there are 10 days total, go for day four. But, as mentioned *anything* can happen. I caught some of the derailed cars still waiting to be picked up in the video I took.


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## EMDF9A (Feb 24, 2013)

Well AMTRAK must know that these rare-mileage trips will bring out a lot of rail fans. I just looked at a March 23rd departure from Seattle and a roomette is $479 and the railfare was $177. Thats fully double what I paid for my #14 trip 3 weeks ago.


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## CHamilton (Feb 24, 2013)

Not surprised. I forget how much it was a couple of days ago, but it was significantly less than that. Since I used AGR points anyway, it didn't matter for me, though.


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## chakk (Feb 25, 2013)

EMDF9A said:


> Well AMTRAK must know that these rare-mileage trips will bring out a lot of rail fans. I just looked at a March 23rd departure from Seattle and a roomette is $479 and the railfare was $177. Thats fully double what I paid for my #14 trip 3 weeks ago.


Weekend departures might be more expensive during spring break. if you have some flexibility, check prices on amsnag.net to see if you can find a "low bucket fare" date that also includes the detour.

When I rode the northbound detour in 2012 there were very few railfans aboard and plenty of seats overall in coach for my LAX to OKJ journey.


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## CHamilton (Feb 25, 2013)

Because of juggling the schedules of others I'll be meeting up with, I've moved the trip another day later. So I'll be taking the loop on Monday rather than Sunday. I'm using AGR southbound, so I don't know how much it would have been, but the northbound roomette cost me an additional $69.


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## jsreeves (Feb 25, 2013)

Great video, Rob_C!

Now I see why this is such a big deal for a lot of people.

Thanks for sharing!


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## yarrow (Feb 25, 2013)

yarrow and i booked an agr redemption for 3/14. we did tehachapi northbound a couple years ago. looking forward to southbound. mountain railroading at its finest. also, looking forward to altamont pass in the daytime. thanks for alerting us to the detour charlie.


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## CHamilton (Feb 25, 2013)

You're welcome, yarrow...I think that there are several of us who will be doing the loop on one day or another. Should be fun!


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## railiner (Feb 28, 2013)

Blackwolf said:


> I have no idea what the time-frame will be for an LA arrival, but here's a bit of consideration:
> When I last took the southbound detour in 2009, it was non-stop between Sacramento and Los Angeles with only a crew-change stop at the now-abandoned Southern Pacific Bakersfield depot. The train left SAC at the scheduled 6:30 AM departure and, get this,* arrived into LAX at 4:50 PM!*
> 
> Now, this detour looks to be starting in Oakland, and will undoubtedly take the UP Niles Canyon route to Tracy (the same tracks used by ACE) and then the UP main through Bakersfield and up over the pass to Palmdale and LA. As such, I don't think it is out of the question that the train may arrive into LA with some daylight to spare. While Amtrak would never officially come up with an arrival time augmented for this detour, my guess would be anywhere around 7 PM.
> ...


Okay....just to be sure....this time the train will go via Oakland, and not bypass it from Sacramento, correct?

I think I will fly to SFO, then use BART to Richmond to connect to the CS. Does that sound okay?


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## The Davy Crockett (Feb 28, 2013)

railiner said:


> [i think I will fly to SFO, then use BART to Richmond to connect to the CS. Does that sound okay?


It only sounds okay if you want to listen to it pass by!



> Coast Starlight Trains 11 and 14 Will No Longer Stop at Richmond, CA
> Effective January 14, 2013 for Train 14 and January 15, 2013 for Train 11
> 
> Trains 11 and 14 will no longer stop at Richmond, CA, on the dates shown below:
> ...


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## railiner (Mar 1, 2013)

The Davy Crockett said:


> railiner said:
> 
> 
> > [i think I will fly to SFO, then use BART to Richmond to connect to the CS. Does that sound okay?
> ...


Oops! I wasn't aware of that....I guess i'll have to come up with a "plan B" to catch it. Thanks for that alert....


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## Texan Eagle (Mar 1, 2013)

railiner said:


> The Davy Crockett said:
> 
> 
> > railiner said:
> ...


Your Plan B can be similar to older plan- fly into SFO, take BART to Lake Merritt (involves a change of train at Daly City). Amtrak Oakland station is a 0.5 mile walk from BART station, not too bad, except that this is *Oakland *beware**

You can also fly into OAK, take shuttle to BART station, take BART to Lake Merritt, walk to Amtrak.


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## guest (Mar 1, 2013)

Texan Eagle said:


> railiner said:
> 
> 
> > The Davy Crockett said:
> ...


I have walked the Lake Merritt Station-Amtrak Station route at least two dozen times during the past 10 years, mostly at day but four times even at night. During the day, you should have no fear at all. It's an area of warehouses and a few developing artists lofts/restaurant ventures and easily done between moderate 10-15 minutes at most. At night you would need to be a bit warier but the apprehension is more the fact that there is no one around, rather than unsavory characters around. Yes it is Oakland but crime in Oakland does not occur everywhere. And the area around the Lake Merritt station is overall safe. The Oakland Museum is a block and a half to the northeast, as is Lake Merritt itself, with its parklands.

I would compare the walk to that between the San Antonio station and the Denny's/Riverwalk area in that city, a walk that you must always do at night if taking a break from the Sunset; early morning if boarding the Texas Eagle. Not a worry at day; reasonable caution at night.


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## railiner (Mar 1, 2013)

Thanks for the input, everyone.....I'll fly into SFO, as there is better service to there than OAK from here. I am leaning toward the BART to Lake Merritt station. I like the speed and reliability of BART as compared to taking a couple of buses. One lost advantage of going to Richmond to board as opposed to Emeryville or Oakland, is getting an earlier choice of seating, before most of the crowd boards. Oh well.......


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## jeremykhn (Mar 2, 2013)

I'm very excited for this detour! I got a video of it last year going through Tulare,CA with the unpainted Tioga Pass riding on rear, and a P40DC leading.

If more info about times and maybe a thread for tracking the detours, that would be great!

Here is a video link of it going through Tulare:



I'm excited now!


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## p&sr (Mar 2, 2013)

railiner said:


> I am leaning toward the BART to Lake Merritt station.


Another way is to take the BART to Oakland 12th Street Station, then walk down Broadway to Jack London Square, then through Jack London to the Amtrak Station. A slightly longer walk, but much more pleasant surroundings so I always prefer it.


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## guest (Mar 2, 2013)

p&sr said:


> railiner said:
> 
> 
> > I am leaning toward the BART to Lake Merritt station.
> ...


That is a nice walk indeed. Even in a light rain, it's pleasant.

If you want to board in Emeryville instead of Oakland (as most southbound coach pax will board in Oakland):

depending on what time you are arriving at SFO, you can also take the BART to MacArthur Station direct and then catch the free Emeryville Go Round Shellmound bus direct to the Amtrak station. They run every 15 minutes and it takes 7 minutes. Go to their website; there's a concise map and schedule information. Best of all, it's FREE!

\


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## Rail Freak (Mar 2, 2013)

If you are gonna choose some one to tag along, I would suggest the one who must travel (Amtrak of course) the fartherest distance to get to Seattle! Just my humble opinion!!!!

  :hi: :giggle:


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## chakk (Mar 3, 2013)

jeremykhn said:


> I'm very excited for this detour! I got a video of it last year going through Tulare,CA with the unpainted Tioga Pass riding on rear, and a P40DC leading.
> If more info about times and maybe a thread for tracking the detours, that would be great!
> 
> Here is a video link of it going through Tulare:


Folks on trainorders.com typically post near-real-time info on each day's detour. And that is what I did (from a smartphone) when I rode one of the northbound detours last year. And at least one person planned their rendevous with the train for photos based on locations I was posting to T.O.


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## calwatch (Mar 3, 2013)

Based on the schedule I will probably do this by flying into Sacramento, staying at the Vagabond Inn, and riding the CS down from there. If I'm going to have to do an overnight I might as well do it in a place close to the train, as the cost for a hotel room near the Emeryville and Oakland stations is too high.


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## CHamilton (Mar 3, 2013)

calwatch said:


> Based on the schedule I will probably do this by flying into Sacramento, staying at the Vagabond Inn, and riding the CS down from there. If I'm going to have to do an overnight I might as well do it in a place close to the train, as the cost for a hotel room near the Emeryville and Oakland stations is too high.


Let me know when you're planning to do the trip. At the moment, there are four of us, possibly five, who will be on the CS to take the loop on 3/25 (leaving SEA 3/24).


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## guest (Mar 4, 2013)

Anyone has taken this detour last year or two know whether train gets into LAUS earlier or later than if on the regular coastal route?


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## jeremykhn (Mar 5, 2013)

The trip from OKJ to LAX is I believe 14 hours. (Correct me if I am wrong).

The trip on detour from OKJ to LAX is I think 8 hours f I remember from last year.

I figure without the stops and what not the time is cut, plus the valley makes it a straight shot as well.


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## yarrow (Mar 5, 2013)

we took the detour northbound last year and got into oakland on time despite speculation that we might be early


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## chakk (Mar 5, 2013)

jeremykhn said:


> The trip from OKJ to LAX is I believe 14 hours. (Correct me if I am wrong).
> The trip on detour from OKJ to LAX is I think 8 hours f I remember from last year.
> 
> I figure without the stops and what not the time is cut, plus the valley makes it a straight shot as well.


Scheduled running time from OKJ to LAX via the Coast Line is 12 hours, 10 minutes. Routing from Sacramento to LAX through the Central Valley can be done in substantially less time than that. But routing from SAC to OKJ to the Central Valley via Niles Canyon and Altamont Pass, Tehachapi Pass, and Soledad Canyon is not likely to be substantially faster than the Coast Line. So don't count on an early arrival into LAX, even if the detour departs from OKJ on time.


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## railiner (Mar 9, 2013)

Any updates on this detour? Still going as scheduled?

I will follow it closely, before committing to book passage....probably some time during the last week of March.....


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## CHamilton (Mar 9, 2013)

There are now six of us who will be taking the loop on Monday, March 25. Four will be leaving SEA on Sunday morning the 24th. We're picking up another in PDX later on Sunday, plus a final addition to the group at OKJ on Monday.

If anyone else wants to help us take over the PPC  you'd be welcome. The last time I checked, there were still sleeper accommodations available, but the buckets had gone up. 

We hope to have a really loopy time!


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## railiner (Mar 9, 2013)

Sounds great! But I won't be needing a sleeper just from Oakland to LA....would be nice if they sold "Parlor Car Seats" in the PPC....


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## CHamilton (Mar 9, 2013)

Looks like a roomette OKJ - LAX on the 25th is $166, which isn't bad.


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## yarrow (Mar 9, 2013)

railiner said:


> Any updates on this detour? Still going as scheduled?
> I will follow it closely, before committing to book passage....probably some time during the last week of March.....


yarrow and i are doing the loop on 3/15. got an e-mail from amtrak yesterday confirming the route change


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## railiner (Mar 9, 2013)

CHamilton said:


> Looks like a roomette OKJ - LAX on the 25th is $166, which isn't bad.


Hmmm....how many meals could you get on that leg? If you could get breakfast, lunch, and dinner included....it could make that extra cost more worthwhile......


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## Ryan (Mar 9, 2013)

You'd be hard pressed to get breakfast with an 8:50 scheduled departure. If the train were on time, you might just catch it. I seem to recall that we were sitting at breakfast when we stopped there, but I don't recall if they were taking newcomers at that point.

Call it $10 for lunch and $20 for dinner - if there are two of you, that's $60 worth of food you can eat. It'd be worth it to have a private space for the day and access to the PPC for the other $100 bucks.


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## Anderson (Mar 9, 2013)

IMHO, a net of $40 for lounge access and private room space for two is a steal. Also check the coach bucket...if coach is listing above bottom bucket, the net can shrink dramatically with two people involved.


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## thully (Mar 10, 2013)

Just noticed this - I figure this is something I have to do now that I live in CA. Always have envied the people who get to ride interesting detours, and this may be the one for me! Looking at a Mar 29-30 roundtrip SAN-LAX-OKJ-LAX-SAN since that is the one time I can do it without taking time off work.

With that said, does anyone have good ideas as for places to stay near OKJ/EMY? I could go over to SF, but figure that's unnecessary (and cuts down my sleep time) if I'm really just going to sleep there.. I could also possibly go a little further north, but would prefer to not have to get in too late/leave too early...


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## roadman3313 (Mar 10, 2013)

Many have asked that before but a brief listing of some of the major places near EMY in order from distance to the train station (I'm sure others will provide feedback)...

Hyatt House

Four Points by Sheraton

Hilton Garden Inn

Courtyard by Marriott

All are probably within a 5 minute taxi ride or a 15 minute walk. The Hyatt House is just across the train tracks from the station and is accessable via a Pedestrian Bridge. I personally have stayed at the Hyatt House and Courtyard by Marriott (elite member of both of their hotel loyalty programs) and have not had problems with either (I live locally but stayed there when I had guests visiting).

Near OKJ there are...

The Jack London Inn

The Inn at Jack London Square

The Waterfront Hotel

Courtyard by Marriot

Marriott Oakland City Center

I have only stayed at the Marriott and have not had a problem there. The others have mixed reviews from what I have heard from people. The first three would be within a 10 minute walk, if that. The last two would be a 5 minute taxi ride or free shuttle bus ride (during the daytime during the week). Many people have some concerns about the area, however it is generally fine during the day time and has people out using the mid to up scale restaurants on Friday and Saturday nights. A taxi would be the best bet though at night.

Personally I prefer to stay by EMY as the lodging properties tend to be a bit nicer, but they sometimes can cost more as well. It is all up to your personal preference.


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## sechs (Mar 12, 2013)

chakk said:


> So don't count on an early arrival into LAX, even if the detour departs from OKJ on time.


When I rode going south two years ago we actually arrived late.

This was entirely because Metrolink decided to run us behind one of their trains instead of in front of it. Otherwise we would have been early.


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## sechs (Mar 12, 2013)

Ryan said:


> You'd be hard pressed to get breakfast with an 8:50 scheduled departure. If the train were on time, you might just catch it. I seem to recall that we were sitting at breakfast when we stopped there, but I don't recall if they were taking newcomers at that point.


I've always been offered breakfast out of San Jose when the train was on time.

When I rode southbound through the loop last, I ate breakfast in Oakland as we sat for about an hour, waiting for the pilot UP crew. And they were definitely take people from coach, because I was the only one at my table who didn't produce an AGR MC to pay, as I was in a sleeper.


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## sechs (Mar 12, 2013)

roadman3313 said:


> Many have asked that before but a brief listing of some of the major places near EMY in order from distance to the train station (I'm sure others will provide feedback)...
> Hyatt House
> 
> Four Points by Sheraton
> ...


I have stayed at the Four Points. It is about a ten minute walk. It's also closer to Bay Street.

The Hilton is on the other side of the Interstate and isn't easily walkable.


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## railiner (Mar 13, 2013)

I hope someone on the first detour gives us a trip report.....


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## chakk (Mar 13, 2013)

railiner said:


> CHamilton said:
> 
> 
> > Looks like a roomette OKJ - LAX on the 25th is $166, which isn't bad.
> ...


If you board at Emeryville, you will definitely get breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If you board at OKJ and have a roomette, your SCA should insure that you will get breakfast also.


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## thully (Mar 13, 2013)

I think it may be the other way around - EMY is before OKJ going southbound. In any case, I just booked SAN-LAX-OKJ-LAX-SAN for 3/29-30 - tickets and hotel can be cancelled up until the day before, so if the detour ends early I can cancel. Thought about doing EMY, but I'm worried we'll get to OKJ extremely early and we'll be sitting there a while... Just doing coach both ways - as much as I'd like to do the PPC, an additional $280 round-trip doesn't seem worth it...

In any case, I do hope I get to do it before they finish the track work - would do earlier, but this time involves no time off for me... This will be the second "just for the heck of it" train trip for me - the other one was last year, when I took the Wolverine, Cardinal, #66, and LSL in a loop (and the latter train detoured through Michigan right after I got off it and onto a bus to Michigan)...


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## roadman3313 (Mar 13, 2013)

The train will never get to OKJ any earlier than 8:30am (5 minutes before the scheduled arrival time) on the way south. On the way north the train will not pull into OKJ early (Scheduled in at 9:23pm), rather it will generally pull in a little late as it waits for Capitol Corridor Train 548 to depart the station at 9:25pm before pulling in.


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## railiner (Mar 13, 2013)

chakk said:


> railiner said:
> 
> 
> > CHamilton said:
> ...





thully said:


> I think it may be the other way around - EMY is before OKJ going southbound. In any case, I just booked SAN-LAX-OKJ-LAX-SAN for 3/29-30 - tickets and hotel can be cancelled up until the day before, so if the detour ends early I can cancel. Thought about doing EMY, but I'm worried we'll get to OKJ extremely early and we'll be sitting there a while... Just doing coach both ways - as much as I'd like to do the PPC, an additional $280 round-trip doesn't seem worth it...
> In any case, I do hope I get to do it before they finish the track work - would do earlier, but this time involves no time off for me... This will be the second "just for the heck of it" train trip for me - the other one was last year, when I took the Wolverine, Cardinal, #66, and LSL in a loop (and the latter train detoured through Michigan right after I got off it and onto a bus to Michigan)...


No, chakk has got it right.....if you board at EMY, since it is earlier, you have a better chance of getting breakfast in, before it's over...


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## railiner (Mar 13, 2013)

Just pulled of a Train Status on 11(13) from Amtrak's site....already shows an ETA in Los Angeles of 8:33 PM on the 14th. Considering the detour, I am surprised they give that early ETA, well....so early.....

I would have thought they would just show an on time ETA, until thre train was much closer to LAX, tomorrow afternoon.....


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## thully (Mar 13, 2013)

Yeah, I read that message wrong - if you board at EMY, you'll have a better chance of breakfast than boarding at OKJ. Also, I seem to have missed an important detail in all of this - the detour is only for the 11 (southbound) train, NOT the 14 (northbound) train. Given that, I'm probably going to do something different - thinking of taking the red-eye bus-train connection up 3/28 and going SB on 3/29 (skipping the hotel), or perhaps give myself a day in the Bay Area and do the same with an overnight...


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## chakk (Mar 13, 2013)

Today's southbound CS on the detour is reported to be passing Mohave, Calif at 6:30 PM. So, it should be arriving on or near schedule into Los Angeles.


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## WhoozOn1st (Mar 13, 2013)

railiner said:


> I hope someone on the first detour gives us a trip report.....


I was aboard the Coast Starlight detour that was the first passenger train in 30 years to go the Tehachapi route; Jun 22, 2008. They've since become almost commonplace.

Tehachapi: The Report - http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/23408-tehachapi-the-report/page-1?hl=tehachapi

Coast Starlight Tehachapi Detour, Picasa photo album - http://picasaweb.google.com/WhoozOn1st/CoastStarlightTehachapiDetour# - the train had private varnish dome car Silver Solarium tacked to the end, and it shows up frequently in pics shot out the back of the last Superliner coach.




Entering the Tehachapi Loop tunnel (the loop is at Walong), aboard train 14.​


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## Bob Dylan (Mar 13, 2013)

As always, Great Pic Patrick! :hi:


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## railiner (Mar 14, 2013)

WhoozOn1st said:


> railiner said:
> 
> 
> > I hope someone on the first detour gives us a trip report.....
> ...


Agreed. Great photo's....

Regarding your comment of the detour becoming commonplace....perhaps it's time for Amtrak to consider again running an overnite regularly scheduled train on that route, where the longer running time versus the bus-rail combo would not matter....and perhaps consider running it on to Seattle as well, to complement the CS with a daylight train over that segment.....I think it would do well.....

Perhaps modify it to switch back to the BNSF at Bakersfield on the regular route, or have it go directly to Sacramento, to make up the longer time from LA to Bakersfield, with a connection to Oakland, or whatever....


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## calwatch (Mar 14, 2013)

The San Joaquin Valley Rail Committee has looked at this for a while and even written up proposed schedules. Aside from the UP's longstanding objection to a route through there, I'm not convinced that it would do well. All of these schedules pass through at night, and basically most passengers would be trying to sleep in a California Car that barely reclines, with those bright lights and announcements every hour every time the train hits a stop. You'd have to get a sleeper somewhere to use on this train, and that would only carry a few dozen people.

While there may seem to be a lot of people on the overnight bus from LA to Bakersfield, in reality that is very peaky and on weekday mornings it might have a couple of dozen people at most. The northbound bus-train combo, while leaving LA at almost 2 AM, actually seems to work for my trips up north, but now I generally am considering Megabus for the return if I don't feel like flying or if this is a spur of the moment trip with $150+ air fares. I don't think being held hostage on a train in the middle of the night, with "recovery time" stops in Palmdale and Bakersfield to watch the clock catch up due to all that single track, is that great an idea. The Amtrak detour concept actually works pretty well. Run several trains a year to allow foamers, railfans, etc. to ride over Tehachapi and enjoy the scenery. The rest of the year, the bus is not ideal, but it's a heck of a lot more cost effective than sending a few dozen people on an eight hour ride over the mountain, just so they don't have to get up.


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## calwatch (Mar 14, 2013)

railiner said:


> Just pulled of a Train Status on 11(13) from Amtrak's site....already shows an ETA in Los Angeles of 8:33 PM on the 14th. Considering the detour, I am surprised they give that early ETA, well....so early.....I would have thought they would just show an on time ETA, until thre train was much closer to LAX, tomorrow afternoon.....


It ultimately arrived 16 minutes late. My friend is planning to come down from Sacramento to Yuma on Sundays so at least the connection to the Sunset is still being made. http://74.242.203.68/scripts/archivefinder.pl?seltrain=11&selmonth=03&selyear=2013&selday=12


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## yarrow (Mar 14, 2013)

yarrow and i are on the cs. left sac 30 min late. so we will hopefully get into la about the scheduled time tonight. beautiful morning in the ppc


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## CHamilton (Mar 14, 2013)

Outstanding! Hope you'll be able to post a trip report so that the "toot loop group" will know what to expect next weekend.


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## railiner (Mar 14, 2013)

calwatch said:


> The San Joaquin Valley Rail Committee has looked at this for a while and even written up proposed schedules. Aside from the UP's longstanding objection to a route through there, I'm not convinced that it would do well. All of these schedules pass through at night, and basically most passengers would be trying to sleep in a California Car that barely reclines, with those bright lights and announcements every hour every time the train hits a stop. You'd have to get a sleeper somewhere to use on this train, and that would only carry a few dozen people.
> While there may seem to be a lot of people on the overnight bus from LA to Bakersfield, in reality that is very peaky and on weekday mornings it might have a couple of dozen people at most. The northbound bus-train combo, while leaving LA at almost 2 AM, actually seems to work for my trips up north, but now I generally am considering Megabus for the return if I don't feel like flying or if this is a spur of the moment trip with $150+ air fares. I don't think being held hostage on a train in the middle of the night, with "recovery time" stops in Palmdale and Bakersfield to watch the clock catch up due to all that single track, is that great an idea. The Amtrak detour concept actually works pretty well. Run several trains a year to allow foamers, railfans, etc. to ride over Tehachapi and enjoy the scenery. The rest of the year, the bus is not ideal, but it's a heck of a lot more cost effective than sending a few dozen people on an eight hour ride over the mountain, just so they don't have to get up.


A couple of points....first of all, I would not run it on the UP detour route north of Bakersfield, but bring it back to the BNSF route, possibly on Train 711's schedule north of there.

So the UP would not be involved north of BFD. Second, I would try to equip the train with a Superliner sleeper, if available, and Superliner coaches. I believe the schedule could be attained by departing LAX at approximately 11:00 PM, a more reasonable time than the 1:45 AM bus connection. And perhaps even originate the train in San Diego.

Whatever, it would certainly be more comfortable than any bus/train or all bus overnite trip. And it would complement the CS on a 12 hour apart schedule...


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