19 July 2020 Our  journey started with our grandson Caleb driving us to the Visalia CA bus Station at 10:30 AM. From there we took the 11:00 AM bus to the Hanford Train Station. At Hanford we took the train to Bakersfield and transferred to another bus to Las Angeles arriving at 4:00 PM.

This multi ride trip was because there are no trains that go between Bakersfield and Los Angeles Union Station! We got to LA at 4:00 PM.

We walked up to the El Pueblo de Los Angeles. It is the historical location of old Los Angeles. Its about 2 blocks from the station. We found the Las Anitas open. There were only places to eat.  It was only 4:50 but decided to eat anyway. The food was very tasty! They had 5 outside tables.  Good thing because they closed at 5:00! The rest of the market stalls were closed! 

 At the LA train station is a first class lounge. All the sleeper passengers can use. It was really handy because there we stored our suitcases as we went looking for supper. 

This poster is everywhere warning people that face masks are required. 

The old train stations are so beautiful! 

When we got back to the lounge the lady gave us both a food box filled with snacks! They also have free soda, water and coffee. The lounge had wonderful large comfortable chairs and a large TV playing the Hallmark channel.

Our Amtrak train left at 10:00 PM. They shuttled us to the door of the train to board.  Pictures of the train were taken in the next morning. 

Here is the classic long narrow hall. Our bedroom has a couch that makes into a wide twin bed and a bunk that is more narrow. It drops down from the top. The porter puts it down and up whenever we are ready. 

This room has a small bathroom and a shower.

It has been helpful that for the last 6 years we have been living in a small RV. We have gotten use to living in a tight space! 

In the dining room there are 12 booths. They have us seated in alternate ones so only 6 booths are used at one time. You can opt to have meals brought to your room if you desire. We found it good to get out and about a bit. The lounge is spacious and all but vacant! 

This train has a double deck with the sleeper, dining room and lounge on the upper deck. Getting the suitcases up the narrow steps is a challenge. 

When we got back to the sleeper car the bed was made. We were ready. The mattress is hard but you can get used to it. If you use your imagination the bumps  and turns of the train are like being rocked to sleep and the whistles and bells can be like a lullaby singing to you.

Built in 1877, the original San Antonio station fell on hard times. The restoration was begun in 1987 and completed in 1988. At a cost of $3.1 million by the Generations Federal Credit Union.

We woke in San Antonio TX at 4:05 on July 21st. More correctly I woke. Charlie was awake several times during the night to look for trains and stations. We were able to get out and walk around a bit. We know it is a beautiful city from living here before. But now it is just a quick stop along the tracks.

July 20th We woke in Arizona just south of Maricopa. We went through Tucson at 7:05 AM stopping for only 5 minutes.

These are our menus for most of the trip. Amtrak has discontinued using chefs and now have microwave meals. The food, coffee & soda is included in the sleeper tickets. Those in the sleeper car can decide to eat in the cafe or have the food delivered to your room. There are 24 booths of which they use 12 in an alternating pattern.

We traveled on through New Mexico and west Texas. Much of the scenery is the same. It was particularly relaxing for Charlie since he could sit back and watch the scenery. I got off easy with all meals being prepared. We filled the time with reading and computing thanks to Charlie’s Wi-Fi. Charlie also watched for the different trains.

I started crocheting.

The San Antonio Tower of the Americas was built for the 1968 HemisFair ’68.

On the way into El Paso we passed very close to the Mexican border wall.  Mexico border with the USA is 1,954 miles.

We had another few minute break to walk around the El Paso Station.  It was built in 1905.

In the evening we passed one of the Tethered Aerostat Radar System, or TARS in Marfa TX. These are used for border patrol. 1994-96, working for Lockheed, Charlie was in charge of the project.

Here are our meals for 20nd & 21st July. I don’t have a good picture of the breakfast. It included a microwave sandwich of sausage, egg and cheese, a strawberry yogurt and a Kind bar. There are no choices of sandwiches, yogurt or kind bar. They also have cold cereals and instant oatmeal.

On the left are the Asian Noodle Bowl and the Meatballs with Penna.  On the right we both had the beef in red wine sauce with polenta and vegetables. Also chicken Fettuccine sauce. All meals come with the same little salad and a roll.

It soon got dark. The porter came and put our bed down. We watched TV thanks again to our unlimited AT&T data plan. 

Charlie was up several times during the night looking for the stations. Most stops are for 3-5 minutes!

We had another chance to stretch our legs in Houston. We walked along the platform for about 40 minutes. The station is located in an industrial area. We could see heavy dark fog hanging over the city.

One of the 3 minute stops was in Lafayette LA. There a good friend Terry came and waved as we stopped.

We were 13 miles from New Orleans when our train stopped at 8:30 PM. They were repairing a broken track ahead of us. We sat stranded until 11:15 PM. We went slowly into the Union Station, arriving at 12:30 AM, 22 July! Finally we arrived at the Wyndham Hotel on Royal Street at 1:15 AM via an Uber driver. I felt lucky that we found any reliable transportation that time of night.

The morning of July 22nd I was up at 7:30 AM and went looking for food. I could see a Starbucks from the window of the 16th floor where we were staying. I went there and they had a clerk at the door behind a Plexiglas partition asking for orders and taking the card in a mug, then taking it to the cash register and using it. The drinks in paper cups were brought back also in a ceramic mug. There was no personal contact. There was a Smoothie King just outside the Wyndham and that was breakfast. After, we went to explore. As we exited the hotel, Charlie was looking at his phone for directions. A man approached us and I immediately became suspicious! As it turned out he was an unemployed tour guide and had a map which he marked up to show us great tips on how to visit ‘his’ city! He told us about taking the different tram lines for only $3 for an all day pass! So off we went. Along the way we saw so many of the famed balconies of every variety !

Our first stop was the St Louis Cathedral in Jackson’s Square. It was only 5 blocks from the hotel. It was open and has beautiful paintings and murals along the walls. The stained glass windows were blown out when someone exploded a bomb inside in 1909. It took till 1917 to completely repair the cathedral and replace the windows.   

We took a red, then a green trolley to see some of the sites of New Orleans. I did not get a good picture of the red trolley. At one section we went down St Charlies Avenue where there are a lot of  mansions. 

There were Mardi Gras beads on most trees and signs! 

The Garden District of St Charles Avenue has so many mansions it was hard to choose which pictures to show! 

We like being able to walk just a few blocks for meals. The hotel doesn’t have restaurants or any food service since COVID! 

Charlie found a wonderful restaurant with indoor seating just a block away! It is in the Monteleone Hotel. Built in 1886 it is an original classic New Orleans Hotel with gold, carved plaster and wood along with crystal chandeliers everywhere. The Criollo had only 3 other tables with customers. It could hold a lot more! The prettiest dish was the Cesar Salad served in a Parmesan cheese bowl. Charlie had red fish with a spicy tomato chutney and I had crab stuffed shrimp with polenta. All were excellent.

A perfect end to a lovely day.

As you can see in the picture the streets were almost empty! 

Great day to walk around. Cafe Du Monde was open but there was a line to sit outdoors in the few seats open. 

The stalls in the French Market were all closed except for this small booth style restaurant. It had great food! We shared a gluten free crab cake on a bed of lettuces.  

23 July We were up reluctantly at 5:30, dressed and packed by 6:10 AM. Charlie ordered an Uber driver to take us to the train station arriving at 6:20. The Crescent train left on time at 7:00 AM. We are more isolated now. There is no Observation car on this train. The diner is closed to all passengers. Our porter Kaitlin, comes to the door and takes all our food orders and brings them back in a large white bag. The meal choices are less, reduced from 9 to 5 items from the same menu.

This is the standard breakfast. The microwaved egg, cheese and sausage on, depending on the train, either English muffin or croissant. There is only one flavor of yogurt and a Kind bar. Later in the trip I changed to Rice Krispies instead of sandwich. Charlie got apple juice and I either tea or coffee.

Lake Pontchartrain ‘covers an area of 630 square miles (1,600 km²) with an average depth of 12 to 14 feet (3.7 to 4.3 m). It is roughly oval in shape, about 40 miles (64 km) from west to east and 24 miles’ -Wikipedia. The causeway we rode is 23.83 miles (38.35 km) long. The flooding of New Orleans in 2005 from Hurricane Katrina was partly caused by the levees breaking resulting in 80% of the city flooding.

This is only one of many type of bridges in the south and east.

This is the White Cliffs of Epes. ‘They are part of the Selma Chalk formations which were deposited at about the same time as England’s famous White Cliffs of Dover! -This statement from Rural Alabama.org.

There is a lot of beautiful scenery going through Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. 

As we were leaving New Orleans we passed one of the many cemeteries as the sun was coming up. Its a very overcast day.

Traveling through Louisiana and Alabama you see a lot of standing water. Yes this is water.

We traveled many a mile and passed many small stations like Tuscaloosa AL.  Most were just an awning but some showed signs of a better time of rail travel. Some of the old stations have been preserved and often used for a small museum for the town.

On the night of July 24th I slept well. Guess I’m getting used to the movement and sounds of the train. Charlie said he only got up to see trains twice. At 7:30 AM we went through Charlottesville Virginia. Our granddaughter Mariah and Ryan her husband were standing on the station platform waving to us! They live close by. Unfortunately it was just a 3 minute stop and since no one was getting off or on they did not even open the doors. We talked on the phone while looking and waving at each other.  

Washington DC was another quick stop. Unless this was your stop you were not permitted to get off. We passed close enough for me to take a picture of the capitol!

As we traveled through LA and up through AL and GA the Kudzu grew thicker. VA was the worse so far. It covers bushes, trees, polls, abandoned buildings, anything within its reach! It is scary stuff! It grows up to a foot a day!

Later on July 24th we diverged from the original tour. It was to have an overnight in DC with a evening bus tour of the monuments. We stayed on the train and went to Baltimore MD. We were able to spend 3 wonderful days from the 24th to the 27th, visiting our daughter and family. Though we were concerned about spreading the COVID to them and they to us we decided to risk it. We are all healthy with no symptoms. They have maintained strict quarantine this whole time. David & Alicia own Zinnia Films. David has had to go out to work on occasion but is extremely cautious. Being in videography, they can do most of their work from home. 

We did go on a walk around the Double Rock County Park. Alicia made sure no one else was around before going out for the adventure!

Gideon, David, Annabel, Alicia

In the early evenings Annabel on her roller blades and Gideon on his scooter, like to ride around the neighborhood. You can tell it is Annabel because of her red hair!

Their gardens have prospered with them being home more.

Annabel and Alicia drove us to the Baltimore train station in the afternoon of July 27th. When we got to the check in, it said our train was delayed for unknown time. We needed to be in DC for our connection to Chicago! When Charlie told the clerk, he put us o a MARC train already in the station that was headed to DC. It left later and arrived later than our original scheduled train but we got there just in time to board before the train left! That was a close call!

Just after leaving Maryland we passed Harpers Ferry, a National Historic Park in West Virginia. There is a lot of preserved history here. Alicia took us there on a previous visit. Open the link and you can see the tracks we were on.

At 9:00 AM we were riding through miles of farm land with acres of fields in between farm houses in Indiana.

B&O railroad roundhouse in Martinsburg West Virginia was built in 1849. It is a very unique,16 sided cast iron building.

We passed another old station in Point of Rocks MD. You can see the pride in the railroad in the old stations.

At 6:00 AM we awoke crossing the bay just off Lake Erie in Margaretta Township, Ohio. It was such a beautiful sight!

At 1:30 in the morning of July 28th Charlie was up to look out the window at the Pittsburgh Station. He has done this throughout our cross country trip.

As we passed through East Chicago Indiana there were miles of industrial structures. In 1888 there were railroads and shipping connected to what ended being 19 miles of industry. After 1930, city growth slowed with only nominal increases. As East Chicago lost its job base in subsequent decades, population declined. Taken from the Encyclopedia of Chicago.

This shows the upper bunk opened and us sitting on the lower bunk. There is a mirror just opposite.

This leg of the trip was just 1 overnight, but I used the time to try and organize the 100s of pictures. Scenery is all around us. We can see out the other side of the train as well.

We arrived 2 hours and 10 minutes late into Chicago. It made no difference to us since we did not have a schedule to maintain today. We were surprised how much like an airport the station looked!

On the way into Chicago we passed the White Sox Stadium.

There were a lot of Amish in the station.

The differences between the new and old stations is striking. They are across the street from each other. There is an underground passage going between the 2.

The original building was built in 1881 and replaced in 1925. Take a moment and examine the picture on the right. It shows the old station in its prime. The next picture is the decay that was allowed to happen and the last is of future plans. You can see a bit of the construction site in the picture above of the hall. The benches block off a large section and behind the plastic and white is the construction site. There is no web site to find pictures of the new station. It shows the schedules. Nothing special to show!

We were nervous if we would be allowed to stay. Chicago has a 14-day quarantine. The rules say that if discovered there is a fine of $100-500 a day up to $7000! This is for all arrivals from LA, CA and NV, among others, which applies to us. We arrived at 11:00 AM.  When we arrived at the Holiday Inn, a man in a red coat asked if we were for the hotel. When we said yes he directed us to a bank of elevators, telling us to go to the lobby on the 15th floor! We were checked in by a man behind a Plexiglas shield. He gave us a room key to 2147! There are 25 floors. We went directly up. The pictures below is of from our 21st floor looking down on the lobby on the 15th floor.

This is our food source in the hotel. We ordered from GrubHub for supper.

The room is fantastic! It over looks the river and the train tracks. From this height we can see so much of the city. The streets, sidewalks and highway were almost empty!

It seems that there should be more trains running. There were quite a few boats, barges and kayaks though.

Below is a picture of the famous bridges and their river walk.

Our window was a wonderful place to watch the day turn into evening with the beautiful sunset. Even during the night the traffic was slight. In the morning look at the last picture and see how little ‘rush hour’ traffic is on the streets and highway!

July 29th We were happy to stay in our rooms until the 12:00 check out time. We got an Uber to  the train station. Neither driver here helped load or unload the suitcases. They just popped the trunk and you loaded them yourself. We were surprised to see the extent this car had been fixed up for protection! There is a fitted plastic divider between the front and back seats. That is the only time we saw that. He even had a basket of masks for sale!

We had lunch at the Station Food Court and waited for the train in the lounge. At 12:30 station personnel led a group of us to the far back of the tracks to get our train. These station tracks ran along river.

Our train #7 Empire Builder left on time for the trip back west.

There is no comparison in the beauty between the old Glenview Station and the new Milwaukee Station.

These farm lands are along the towns of Lowell, Elba and Otsego Wisconsin.

                  We saw a lot of fields and water but no cows!

On the left we rode though the Wisconsin Dells around 5:30 PM. This is a beautiful part of the country along the Wisconsin River. It was formed by glaciers.

The meals tonight were Creole shrimp with Andouille sausage and Chicken Marsala

The picture on the right is by Campbell

Wisconsin. It is a town in the middle of the Mississippi River. It is close to the border of  Minnesota.

Dakota MN on the shores of the Mississippi, picture right.

We arrived at this pretty station in Winona  MN at sunset Then the train moved on through the night.

July 30th When we woke we were just outside of Rugby North Dakota.  We were crossing beautiful stretches of farm land.

How do like the sign?

There were several large herds of goats outside of Denbigh ND.

In Surrey ND and elsewhere we saw huge circles of railroad hopper cars going around the grain silos.

Harrison ND has a beautiful valley.

Sometime after 3:00 PM we passed into Montana. Outside of Ft Belkamp MT was another example of neglected buildings.

Dodson MT gave a great example of the spacious skies and long open fields. Here the bales of hay are round. Some other places they are rectangular.

Isolated lone buildings were a common sight on the lonely prairie. This is was outside of Blaisdel ND.

Williston ND had a large area dedicated to grain storage. It also had a train museum with one of the locomotives that helped settle the area.

Stated in this web site, in 2014, Williston ND was the most expensive place to rent in the US, thanks to the fracking boom. Here Walmart paid $20/hour and new arrivals slept in shipping containers. 

In Tioga there was Natural Gas!

North Dakota seems to have it all including hard winters!

The train was running 1 hour and 36 minutes late by the time we got to the edge of Glacier National Park! The park encompasses over 1 million acres! Amtrak runs from east to west through the middle. We went to the observation lounge car hoping to have a better view of the park. It was 8:30 PM by the time we got to the Glacier Park Trading CO. The trading co. was built in 1910. Luckily we were in time to watch the sunset. The combination of the huge fluffy clouds turning pink, deep green evergreen trees, mountains and the moon was mesmerizing! It was dark by the time we were about 3/4 through the park.

On July 31st I was determined to get up in time for the sunrise.  I got out of bed at 5:00 AM and went to the dining car and got a cup of tea on the way to the observation car. The sky was barely turning pink. By 5:25 the colors were vibrant.

It was Magical!

We were surprised to see that Washington state had a high desert similar to Nevada!

After going north along the Columbia River, gradually there is an increase in vegetation along the river banks.

The Columbia River rises from the mountains in British Columbia and travels 1,243 miles though WA and OR to the Pacific Ocean.

Here are some Washington grapes grown along the Columbia River.

We rode past the very long Rock Island Dam. It was built from 1930 – 1933.

The train is starting to climb into the Wenatchee National Forest along the Wenatchee River, a major tributary of the Columbia River.

Once on the Puget Sound we rode along the green shores to Seattle! It was a beautiful ride.

There are a lot of boats along the sound! This fishing pier is in the Seattle neighborhood of West Woodland.

I leave the train pictures to Charlie but these Amtrak Cascades passenger trains were just too unique to ignore. These ‘wings’ fit behind the engine.

Our train arrived in the Seattle station at 11:15 AM, 39 minutes late. It was a beautiful sunny day! We were going to walk to the hotel but decided to call an Uber. That was a good thing since it is up very steep hills all the way. It’s similar to San Francisco!  It took only 15 minutes to get the ride and arrive at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. All our hotels have been very nice.

This time our view from the 26th floor is of Highway 5. It is surprising to see so few cars on this major highway at noon!

The Leavenworth WA Amtrak station really fits right into the Wenatchee Forest. We did not see the town but according to travel information the entire downtown is modeled after a Bavarian Village.

At Everett WA, on the Puget Sound, the train makes a turn south along the shoreline.

At 7:15 AM, August 1st we went down to the hotel clerk and asked where there was a place open for breakfast. He suggested we go to Pike Place Market. It opened in 1907. It is 6 blocks down the steep hill. When we got there they were just setting up. We walked around and found some fascinating sights.

The pig is Pike Place Market’s unofficial mascot, Rachel, a bronze cast piggy bank that weighs 550 pounds It was first placed there in 1986. It collects between $6-9,000 annually.

From the Wikipedia article on Pikes Street Market.

I was awe struck by the amount and variety of flowers there.

And there are massive amounts of fresh fish!

Lowell’s Restaurant finally opened at 8:30. It was the only place we found open for a meal! So much is closed! It has 3 floors and the staff go up and down carrying the heavy trays!

We sat on the 2nd floor. The first is for To Go only. The picture  below is from our window seat.

A map shows the market has 6 floors. There is a 3 floor drop from the first and second streets from the bay. This creates enough room for 3 levels below and 3 above Pike street. The picture below shows some steps going from the lower to the upper level street!

The people here need very strong legs to get about! We certainly felt it after walking 5 miles this morning! The hotel is up the hill on 6th street. We did enjoy the walk very much! It is great without all the crowds but frustrating that everything is closed.

There were not many people about anywhere.

I thought the tile work on the entrance to the public bathroom was unique! Charlie liked the picture of the man holding the baby far away from him as he carried the child to the bathroom!

On the right is one alternative to a barb wire fence. It is welded metal to look like flowers. They are very close together and sharp!

In the 1990’s a gum wall was started outside a theater and has grown to include almost a city block on each side, UCK! It was cleaned off in 2015 of 2,350 pounds of gum but it reappeared!

This is only one example of the ample flower baskets along the streets. These are petunias blooming in August!

Charlie is standing in front of a feature in the area of the original town settlement.

Being lunch time we asked the hotel clerk where there was a place open to eat. He suggested two. We chose the Hill Top Deli, just 2 blocks up a steep hill. It was worth the climb. The sandwiches were great. It is a little corner shop with a few groceries, wine and serves sandwiches all day.  

With the train trip we had paid for tours of New Orleans, Chicago and Seattle. The others were cancelled but we had not heard about Seattle. There was no contact number for the tour. We walked to the convention center just in case. We found a guard walking around there and he said all tours were canceled. Charlie contacted the Amtrak travel agent and all our tours money was refunded. There are many expensive shops in the blocks around the hotel. So many of the shops had their windows boarded up! With very few people were on the streets, walking was a good way to explore the neighborhood. We decided to check out where the second place the clerk suggested, the Elephant and Castle Pub, is located. We ended sitting and looking at the menu. The menu had a lot of variety. Since everything else was closed we stayed for a drink then went back to the hotel until supper time. We returned there for supper!

On the right shows the difference in elevation from the bay street and the next street. That is a concrete and wood barricade with the crossing of the intersecting streets behind the barricade.

2 August found us back on the road again. We packed and went to the Hill Top Deli before 8:00 AM. There is a little shelf at the window for seating where we ate. After walking back to the hotel and picking up the suitcases, Charlie called for Uber. He was just around the corner and we got to the the Kings Station Seattle with plenty of time to spare. It is so nice not to have to go through all the TSA check in as with air travel! The beautiful, intricate detail in this old station was constructed in 1906!

We passed Mount Rainier with summit elevation of 14,411 ft on the way out of Seattle

We followed Puget Sound for many miles.

It is a huge body of water with many large islands and cities all along the miles of shore line.

This massive bridge is route 16 south of Seattle

The term “Puget Sound” is used not just for the body of water but also the Puget Sound region centered on the sound. Major cities on the sound include Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, and Everett. Puget Sound is also the third-largest estuary in the United States, after Chesapeake Bay in Maryland and Virginia, and San Francisco Bay in Northern California. from Wikipedia

The Portland Station, built in 1896, though large was not very impressive inside.  We had a 30 minute stop here.

In Oregon the massive fields and lone farm houses return along the route.

The train used the lower part of this massive lift bridge. Look hard and you can see the rest of the train on the bridge.

This beautiful spot is Lookout Point Lake, Oregon.

Shortly after 10:00 PM we entered California.

Our travel took us into Oregon just before 2:00 PM and into the  Portland Station.

Around 6:00 PM the train started climbing again in the Willamette National Forest. We passed such beautiful scenery along the climb. It is 380,000 acres of designated wilderness. It is named after the Willamette River that has its headwaters here.

On the 3rd of August I was up to see the sunrise at 5:50. We were just north of Sacramento.

The Sacramento River is the longest in California. This bridge is just north east of Sacramento.

The Sacramento Station is big and industrial looking. We could not get off and check inside. It is the 2nd busiest in the west!

We don’t have any idea what this building is. Is it a house or business?

The California Wetlands are really interesting. We were fortunate to be able to visit this area earlier. We’d like to go back!

There were several large ships along the river as well!

The Oakland Station is huge. We only had a few minutes to get off the train and ‘stretch our legs’ so not a lot of chance to explore.

The door locks on the train sleeper compartments are very unique!

This is farming country. I did not see any other state with the amount of field hands as in CA! We only saw large equipment in the other states. CA have crops that need all the extra attention. There are what seems like miles of tenting for the grape vines and other crops they want to start early or protect from the sun. We finally saw cows!

California also has a lot of oil wells.

The birds are in the Elkhorn Ecological Reserve.

Starting from Paso Robles to San Luis Obispo, there is some awesome scenery! The train takes 1 hour and 15 minutes to make the trip. In a car it is just 45 minutes! The train has to twist and turn up the mountain pass. At one section it is a complete “U” turn where you can see both the engine and the end of the train at the same time! You can see US Highway 101 far below.

This next section is one of the most spectacular along the route. The train goes west through Vandenberg Air Force Base to the ocean then turns south. Along the way we passed Space X!

There are many varieties of moss adding a lot of color to the shore line.

Now we rode along the Pacific coast! It is a breath taking view!

Santa Barbara built in 1902, has maintained their old station.

This is a camping site just north of Ventura along CA Highway 1, the famous Pacific Coast Highway. There are no services except for portapotties. We have camped there in the past. The ocean is just below the campers.

Ventura is home to one of the 21 California missions.

Shortly after passing Ventura at 6:30 PM we went inland.

We arrived in Los Angeles Station at 8:18 PM, 45 minutes early! Here we got a Lyft to the DoubleTree just a mile away. We have to be back at the station for the 9:00 AM Amtrak bus departure! There are no passenger trains going from Los Angeles to Bakersfield where we catch our next train.

This steeple is seen outside our window. I have no idea what it is!

In the morning of Aug 4th I found a Starbucks for a to go breakfast. We got our Uber to the station and went to the bus area where we boarded immediately.

Our Amtrak bus had just a few stops on the way to Bakersfield.

This Wasco Station in the mission style is one of the small train stations along the train route.

Our bus route up Interstate 5 had us going past many beautiful mountains and valleys.

The train from Bakersfield deposited us in Hanford. The bus from Hanford was cancelled on August 1st! So our daughter, Leanne, picked us up. Our most excellent journey is finished!

The afternoon  sun on the water did not let the camera pick up the amazing shades of the blue of the Pacific ocean.

 Maps and Trains

Charlie uses a ham radio tracker app on his phone and can capture the track data for up to 7 days. Here are the maps he captured on each of the major legs of our journey, with some information on the locomotives and rolling stock.

All of the major legs of our journey on Amtrak utilized GE Genesis P42 locomotives, capable of speeds up to 110 mph, although they never exceeded 80 mph, the speed limit on Class 4 track for passenger trains. Most mainline track, especially that owned by major railroads, is Class 4 track. 

We stayed on the Crescent all the way to Baltimore, but when we got to Washington DC, they swapped out the diesel P42s for a Siemens ACS-64 electric locomotive. The Northeast Corridor from DC through Philadelphia and New York City to Boston is electrified and has sections that allow for 125 mph operation with the ACS-64. Charlie captured a speed of 108 mph in the short run between DC and Baltimore.

The highest speed rail in operation in the US is the Acela on the Northeast Corridor, which often exceeds 125 mph and can go 150 mph between Kingston and Providence RI. We rode it last September and experienced the speed! We saw several Acela in DC and Baltimore on this trip.

108 mph w ACS-64 between DC and Baltimore.

and 150 mph on Acela last September between Providence RI and Kingston RI.

Many of the passenger cars in use on the long-haul lines are bi-level Superliners. There are coaches, diners, cafe cars, sleepers and lounges. The sleepers have 2 types of accommodations: bedrooms and roomettes. The lounges have windows that curve over the ceiling. Some of the trains have combination coach and baggage cars, and other have dedicated single level baggage cars.

Along the east coast, most passenger cars are single level cars, like these Viewliner coaches and sleepers we had on the Crescent to Baltimore. The sleepers are a little taller than the coaches and there is a window for the upper bunk in the roomettes and bedrooms.

In some areas of the country, passenger cars have different paint jobs or designs. Superliners in some areas of California have the Amtrak California or the Pacific Surfliner paint. In Washington and Oregon is the Cascades design. Our trains from Hanford to Bakersfield and return had the Amtrak California paint.

Sleeper (coach and diner are similar) 

Lounge

 Viewliner baggage car

 As mentioned before, our train was delayed in Baltimore, so we rode the Marc to get to DC in time to catch the Capitol Limited to Chicago.

From Hanford to Bakersfield and back, we rode the San Joaquins, and from Visalia to Hanford, Bakersfield to Los Angeles and back, we rode Amtrak buses.

It was quite a journey. Can’t wait for the next! 

We hope you’ve enjoyed our blog! Safe travels and stay healthy.

        Terry and Charlie