Last Thursday, August 19th, I was on day 4 of 9 riding across the country in coach on an Amtrak Railpass. I took many pictures on my trip, but figured I would start with some shots that won't find their way into a YouTube video at some point.
For this segment of the trip, I was traveling on Amtrak's Sunset Limited from Houston to Los Angeles. Coming into El Paso, we passed several lines of stored locomotives in the yard, including this standard cab SD60 stored with several of its comfort cab brethren and a few SD70Ms.
We had to make a long backup move (almost three miles) into the station because of a westbound freight that would have passed between the platform and the station. Like several other cities I visited Houston follows a turquoise and sandstone red color palette for many buildings and highway overpasses, a novelty for a northeasterner accustomed to gray and yellow or blue highway bridges.
The Sunset climbing out of the city westbound toward Los Angeles. Our second unit was Amtrak's Phase II heritage unit 130 (the original Amfleet and F40PH delivery scheme), now about three years into its role as a replacement for the wrecked Genesis 66 (the original Phase II HU).
At Deming, NM, we passed Union Pacific's interchange with the Arizona Eastern, a Genessee and Wyoming shortline noteworthy for its use of ex-BNSF B39-8 four-axle GEs. Parked in the yard was the ex-Southern Pacific Hydra-cushion boxcar, now owned by the AZER.
At Tuscon, we stopped for a crew change and smoke break, and I attempted a long exposure shot of our heritage unit. Unfortunately, the platform near the fuel bowser was blocked by cones which I was hesitate to reposition for tripod use; local railfans who were attempting the same shot said that this was in response to railfans being on the platform when a senior executive passed through.
