Train 14 Los Angeles – Seattle
Having checked out of the hotel by 7.30am I take the 1 block walk to Union Station, leaving this early means it has not got too warm out yet but still not a cloud in the sky. After checking my bags and with an hour to spare before the 1st Class lounge opens, I enjoy the sun and some train watching from the platforms. When the call comes I go and check myself in and take advantage of the free coffee and snacks in TRAXX bar. When the boarding call is given I get a golf buggy ride with the red caps to my sleeping car, my sleeping car attendant as if I mind swapping rooms and gives me the choice of rooms 9 or 10 in car 1432, I choose room 10 which is on the ocean side and the side of the Metrolink depot in LA and the AMTRAK depot in Seattle.
Our train consists of 3 P42 diesel locomotives, 1 baggage car, 4 sleeping car 1 1st Class Parlour Car, Dinning Car, Sightseeing Car, 2 Coach Cars, 1 Family Coach Car with video games and a Coach baggage Car. The trip is about 34 hours long but we ran late over night and struggled to make up time the distance is 1377 miles. The first hour or so is through the LA suburbs heading towards the coast, the rest of the morning and early afternoon is spend following the Pacific coast, Mid afternoon we head inland passing through what is called Americas Salad bowl. The evening is spent heading up the east side of San Francisco Bay to Oakland by which time it was dark outside. Here another sleeper is added on to the back of our train taking us up to 13 coaches. As we leave Oakland through Jack London Square I catch a glimpse of my hotel ready for when I stay there next week During the night at Sacramento another 3 cars are added these are Amtrak Business cars, a Command car, there great dome car and there observation car, we are now up to 16 coaches, during the night we lose about an hour and a half and our path, which means we have to wait for freight trains on the long single line sections, one advantage of the late running is we get to see Mount Shasta, this is the highest peak in the Cascade mountains and snow-capped. Our route is through the Cascade Mountains now and the Willamette River Pass and then back down the other side heading towards the coast at Portland around tea time, we follow the Olympic Coast to our destination of Seattle, Its then a taxi ride to the hotel.
Food was eaten in the dinner although the parlour car did offer food too, Starting off with Meatloaf for lunch, The steak and jacket potato for dinner, breakfast was French toast, burger for lunch and for the final meal of BBQ Ribs One of the interesting things is that they use community seating so they fill up the tables, I was sat with several interesting people, a grandmother taking her granddaughter on a celebration trip after getting some poetry published at age 10, Another set of grandparents taking their granddaughter on a 4 week around America trip celebrating at age 8 she is a cancer survivor, the tumour in her head is under control and she is off her medication for a year, they also ask if I would join them in giving thanks before we ate. Another meal time I was join by a Jazz trumpeter, so I told him about my outstand skills on brass instruments, at the same meal time we were joined my the train drivers daughter, catching a lift home from college.
After my final meal I stopped of for a coffee in the Parlour Car, in the dining section of that car was Amtrak's board of Directors. After there dinner the Chairman and a couple of others came and said hello to some of the passengers, most of them had a few 'imporvement' suggestions, me I was just happy with 3 engines and 13 cars on the train
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