D.P. Roberts
Conductor
After Albuquerque we went to lunch. I had my first Amburger of the trip, and it was actually not too bad. The patties usually taste very premade and frozen, but they were better this time. My wife got the entree salad, which she especially enjoyed since they got her order right - this diner crew has not been great with special requests. I ordered the cheesecake for dessert, which was once again presented upside down. Perhaps someone in the galley likes it better that way?
Here's the part where I lament not having my camera with me, and attempt to describe the great photos I could have taken. I never bring my camera to the dining car, but I wish I had this time. We spente a fair amount of our lunch time at Lamy, which is a beautiful little stop. It's about 1100 feet higher in elevation than Albuquerque, and is more of a pine forest than the scrub & shrubs of the lower elevations. Several old train cars are parked there, including one that appears to have been turned into a residence (it has a little wooden patio attached to one end). There's a little picnic area right by the track in a grove of trees, strung with decorative lights. While we were parked there someone was setting up decorations for a party. It looked like a very pleasant place to spend the afternoon.
From Lamy, the Chief ascends another thousand feet or so to the small town of Glorieta. While it's not an Amtrak stop, there's a little station there that has been turned into a post office. The town sits at 7400 feet, but the mountains in the background clearly ascend much higher. It's a lovely little area, but you'll just have to take my word for it.
We were just moved to a siding to allow the westbound #3 to pass. I was all set up to take a great photo of the train passing us, but I just missed it. I'd post my photo of the side of a Genesis locomotive for you, but you can probably picture what a plain grey and blue slab looks like. Not having a great photo day, but hopefully it will get better!
Speaking of getting better, we left Lamy only 20 minutes late, and when we passed #3 it was less than an hour late. Things are looking up schedule-wise.
Here's the part where I lament not having my camera with me, and attempt to describe the great photos I could have taken. I never bring my camera to the dining car, but I wish I had this time. We spente a fair amount of our lunch time at Lamy, which is a beautiful little stop. It's about 1100 feet higher in elevation than Albuquerque, and is more of a pine forest than the scrub & shrubs of the lower elevations. Several old train cars are parked there, including one that appears to have been turned into a residence (it has a little wooden patio attached to one end). There's a little picnic area right by the track in a grove of trees, strung with decorative lights. While we were parked there someone was setting up decorations for a party. It looked like a very pleasant place to spend the afternoon.
From Lamy, the Chief ascends another thousand feet or so to the small town of Glorieta. While it's not an Amtrak stop, there's a little station there that has been turned into a post office. The town sits at 7400 feet, but the mountains in the background clearly ascend much higher. It's a lovely little area, but you'll just have to take my word for it.
We were just moved to a siding to allow the westbound #3 to pass. I was all set up to take a great photo of the train passing us, but I just missed it. I'd post my photo of the side of a Genesis locomotive for you, but you can probably picture what a plain grey and blue slab looks like. Not having a great photo day, but hopefully it will get better!
Speaking of getting better, we left Lamy only 20 minutes late, and when we passed #3 it was less than an hour late. Things are looking up schedule-wise.
