Four hours later

We are almost on our way! Creeping along and stopping every few hundred feet to have the train repair inspected (welders were here working).

Here is the scoop I got from my room porter, George. A dad and his two year old son were in the car. The dad was killed and the two year old has injuries -- do not know the extent. George later talked with me some more and says this incident is being deemed a suicide and attempted murder. The driver drove himself onto the train track with intent to kill himself and his son (thus the murder). George says this happens a lot, and the "suicidee" has no thought of how this affects anyone and everyone else, it is simply a fast and painless death. And in fact, I learned that a similar accident happened last week on the northbound route -- in a different place. I did not learn if that was deemed an accident or suicide.

We seem to be rolling along now -- it is 8:30 p.m., and the incident happened at about 4:15 p.m. by my best guesstimate. We were already running about half an hour behind schedule, so my guess is that we will arrive on L.A. between 1:30 and 2:00 a.m. instead of the scheduled 9:00 p.m. arrival. Then they will need to get me to San Diego which had an original arrival scheduled for 12:50 a.m. It is anybody's guess when I will get there. That will depend on how and when they transport each of us to our destination.

Oh, and we got a new engineer.

Catastrophic Happening

We are just south of San Luis Obispo and just before 4:30 our train hit a car!!! We have no news, but those outside tending to the injured (don't know the gender or numbers) just called in for a crew member to bring the defibrillator out to them. We know what that means. I have no idea how long this will tie us up or what will happen for those of us who have connections to make. We have been told that Amtrak will get us to our connections as they are guaranteed. I am imagining bus rides. We are at the moment stopped in what appears out my window to be farm fields of some crop, and trees ahead and on the pther side, as you can see in the photos. I don't know that a bus could get us from here. I feel bad for everyone concerned, and we will ride it out.

A couple of hours ago, at one of our brief stops, an aid car was waiting and took a passenger off the car inert of mine on a stretcher. It looked mild, and talk is that it may have been chest pains or some sign of hert stuff. This trip has not been uneventful!

Will let everyone know what happens. What a way to start a vacation.

Misinformed -- only one car dropped

Not all the private cars were dropped in Oakland -- only one. So in sunny, blue and delightfully warm San Jose, where I could get out for at least a brief walk, I was able to get a photo of the cars and of the conductor of those cars.

On the way to San Jose (sounds like the makings of a good song), we passed these sea salt mounds and the plant that processes the salt.

we also passed what was once a town (hard to believe by looking at this marshy area) that the Federal Government took over and said leave the buildings to self decay.

These two photos may be a bit put of focus as I was on the moving train. (no excuse for others that may be out of focus ;'-)).

I learned about Private Rail Cars

I have been totally uninformed about private rail cars and am enjoying learning about them. At our long stop in Sacramento I talked with the "Conductor" (at least that's what the lettering on the badge of his hat said) of the private cars we picked up in Portland. He runs a business of setting up train trips for pricate car owners, which can be a day or days long. Some cars are owned by one person, some by a group, and they pay a rental fee to "park" on some track in some rail yard. Then they request (and pay a fee) to hook up with Amtrak on a line that is going where they would like to go. There is, of course, a club for these folks, and a magazine called "Private Vintage", named for the cars that were once made of (highly polished) wood.

To use Amgrak, the cars must be kept up to "code" for electric, water, etc. by standards set by Amtrak. Once up to standards there is the maintenance and repairs of old rail cars to keep up with. The first car on our train has, by request of the owner, been transformed from a pullman sleeper car to a party car with bandstand, live music, bar and dance floor.

Unfortunately I could not get a photo of the cars. My walk in Sacramento took me by them in the dark, and they were dropped off in the yard at Oakland before we could get off for a walk.

 

Tea and Shower

Many of you know of my dilemmas with tea (none available, tiny cups with minimal fill, tepid rather than hot water, etc.). I have learned to bring my thermos and some tea bags, and have the kitchen fill me up with hot water (several times a day). ;'-) Turns out I could have brought a bigger thermos...

 

And I have had my battles with the showers of my travels (no not water, no water at all, water stopping in the midst of my shower, not the correct coins/tokens, to name a few). I had success this morning, but only by the skin of my teeth! I was most likely the first passenger up out of bed this morning. You can see the strap that would allegedly keep me from falling out in a misdirected turn-over.

Up early meant I could walk downstairs to the shower room undetected in my jammies. I had a great, hot, full time shower and by the time I was dressed and back in my roomette, I found we had stopped. We had just pulled into Sacramento and would be here for an hour. When we are stopped (I learned on my last trip), there is no shower. Skin of my teeth!

I took advantage of our long stop and walked to the station and then along the trainside and got an up close look at the private cars -- more about that later, as it is now time for breakfast.

Settling into Train mode

I am sitting in the seat across from the one in the picture. With two it might seem a little crowded although most of them fo have two guests occupying them. I'm just spoiled into having one all to myself.

 

It is raining on Portland, Oregon. We had an hour stop there rather than the 20 minutes we were told. The delay was due to attaching five private cars, and as one of the attendants said, they are millionaires so we will wait as long as they need us to...

I had my lunch in the Parlour Car (less selection and less formal),

and I will have dinner in the Dining Car (more selections and a tiny bit more formal feeling).

 

We had an afternoon wine and cheese tasting in the Parlour Car and observation car (they are basicallyy joined),

And ........... Yes, I did taste. Now I know I am not missing anything.

 

 

One leg at a time... California bound

I am on my way to San Diego for a visit with Sheri. I am traveling by Amtrak there and back, my second ever trip by train. I loved it the first time, we shall see what this time is like.

First thing is to take the brief trip by Community Transit bus from home...

 

to the commuter train...

 

to the King Street Station where I will catch the Coast Starlight to Los Angeles.

Here, I am waiting for my train.

 

Then there will be a transfer to the commuter train to San Diego where Sheri will fetch me.