WEST TEXAS TO THE END OF THE TRAIL

For the second time this year I woke up and found myself in Del Rio Texas. I had spent the night here at the Holiday Inn when I was doing my Texas Tour this past March. When I was here in March I managed to tour the Whitehead Museum and visit the Grave of Judge Roy Bean. But this morning we made on only a quick station stop before the sun came up and then headed north toward El Paso.

West Texas Sunrise

Shortly after leaving Del Rio the sun started to turn the eastern sky a vivid bright red.  Sun rises and sun sets in the west are some of the most beautiful and this one did not disappoint. I manage to snag a seat in the sightseer lounge car for the sun rise and shortly after my arrival other people had the same Idea and the sightseer was soon full of people snapping photos of the beautiful site.

Crossing the Pecos

A little while later the Texas Eagle cross the Pecos River High Bridge. The original High Bridge was built by the Phoenix Bridge Company in 1892 for the Southern Pacific Railroad. The original bridge remained in place until 1949 when it was replace by a second bridge.

Near Langtry, Texas

The Bridge that we crossed today is the third bridge to span the Pecos River and is about 275-feet above the river. It is almost 400 feet long and carries both the Texas Eagle and Union Pacific Freight Train across the river between Del Rio and El Paso, Texas.

Our next station stop was in Sanderson Texas and it was really quick, Only one passenger boarded and in less than two minutes we were on our way. Sanderson is a very small town with a population of less than 1000 people. Most all of the people who live in Sanderson are Border Patrol employees and their families.


After leaving Sanderson, out next stop was in the small town of Alpine, Texas. We had a locomotive and conductor crew change here in Alpine and I would find out that all Amtrak Crews are not created equal. The conductors that boarded here were rude and demanding and made me glad that I would leaving the train a few hours later. This was the only issue that I had on this entire trip.

Also in Alpine the Police were waiting when we arrived. Evidently there was some type of altercation between two coach passengers. One passenger was getting off in Alpine anyway and the other one was put off the train band taken into custody by the Police.  Come to find out the passenger who was detained by the police had gotten out of prison 5-days earlier and may be on the way back.

El Paso Amtrak Station

From Alpine we made our way toward El Paso where we had another rather long stop due to a large number of coach passengers boarding the train.  It took our new conductors almost 30-minutes to scan and board the 50 passengers that were boarding here.

Leaving Del Rio were were about an hour behind and lost even more time between Del Rio and Alpine because of the number of time we had to stop and wait on Freight traffic to pass. Leaving Alpine we were a little less than two hours behind but were able to make up some time and arrived in El Paso an hour and 20 minutes late.

Any time that we made up was once again lost her in El Paso by the length of time it took the conductors to board the passengers.

The Under Whelming Rio Grande

Leaving El Paso we were only a few feet from the border fence and followed it north and crossed the Rio Grand into NEW Mexico.  One we cross into New Mexico we climbed into the mountains of southern New Mexico passing the Union Pacific Fueling station and Intermodal Terminal.

The Border Fence

I had my last dinner on the Texas Eagle as we neared Deming, New Mexico.  After dinner is relaxed in the sightseer car and visited with some of my new friends before returning to my sleeper.

As we crossed over into Arizona west of Lordsburg, I started packing thing up and getting ready to detrain in Maricopa.  As we pulled into Tucson were were about 45 minutes later and I texted my friend Chuck so he could start making plans to pick me up.  It is only about an hour from Tucson to the Maricopa Station and the Texas Eagle pulled in at 9:35 p.m.m only 40 minutes late.

Chuck and Sharon were waiting on me and Sharon took a picture of Chuck and Myself under the Maricopa Station Sign.  From there were were off to the Indian Casino where I quick lost my $20. We had a bite to eat before heading over to the Scottsdale Camelback Resort which will be my home for the next several days.

SAN ANTONIO AT NIGHT

The Texas Eagle actually go into San Antonio about an hour Early and this was going to be about a 5 and a half hour stop where The Texas Eagle is merged with the Sunset Limited.

The San Antonio is located right next to the Alamo Dome and the Tower of the Americas. Once the Train Stopped my New Car Attendant, Steve told me that if I was going to enjoy the San Antonio Night life i should be back at the train at 2 a.m. I guess I still look like a party Animal.

So having quiet a bit of time i did decide to walk about 4 Blocks up to the River Walk. They had large projection TV set up along one end of the River Walk, so i grabbed a drink at the bar an watched the last couple of innings of the Dodger game and got to see them clinch Back to Back National League Championships.

While walking around the River Walk I ran into a couple of other Texas Eagle Passengers and we enjoy relaxing over a Beverage or two. I mentioned to them we were only a couple of Blocks from the Alamo. They were astonished that were were that close so we walked over and visited one of the most sacred sites in Texas History.

Visiting the Alamo at night is so much different that visiting during the day. At night there is very few people around and the is a sense of peaceful reverence. A Lone Texas Ranger stands guard to honor those who died here and to ensure that no desecration come to this sacred shrine.

After our visit to the Alamo we had lost all track of time an realized it was after one in the morning and it was time to head back to reboard the train. When we got back to the Station we found that our train had gotten quiet a bit longer and had been reconfigured. My sleeping what had been first in line at the front of the Train next to the dining car, is now the very last car in the train and the dining car is now 5 cars ahead of me.

DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS

Marshall, Texas

I woke morning I woke up in the City of Texarkana. If fact, according to my GPS half of my car was sitting in Texas and the other half was in Arkansas. As I walked from one end of the car to the other my GPS would say "Welcome to Texas" or "welcome to Arkansas" depending on which direction I was walking.

Dallas, Texas

The rest of today and most of the day tomorrow will be spent in the State of Texas. I can remember in 1984 my dad and I enter Texas at Texarkana and traveled through Dallas, Fort Work and the Permian Basin on the way to California. We exited the state of Texas at El Paso some 940 miles later. The Texas Eagle is Taking a more indirect spurt of through Austin, San Antonio And up the Rio Grand from Del Rio. This route will be keep up on the Lone Star State well over 1100 miles.

I had breakfast while we were stopped at Marshall Texas. We had a crew change here in Marshall and got a new locomotive crew and a new Conductor. We will get a new service crew, including Car attendants and dining and Cafe staff, later tonight when our cars are added to the Sunset Limited from New Orleans and it continues on to Los Angeles.

Reunion Tower

We had a quick stop in Dallas but I was able to get off the train just for a couple of minutes and snap a few Photos of the R
eunion Tower and the old Texas School Book Depository. As we were departing Dallas, the Texas Eagle crossed the Famed triple underpass giving me a unique look down Elm Street at the Assassination Site including Dealey Plaza, The Grassy Knoll and The book depository.

Texas School Book Deposi

From Dallas we made the 40 minute trip over to Fort Worth where wh had about a 40 minute service stop. Here the locomotive was refueled and resupplied with water and food service. From Fort Worth we headed south and arrived in the capital City of the Lone Star State at about 7:15. From Austin we have a few short station stops before our long lay over in San Antonio. We are schedule to depart San Antonio at about 2:35 and heard west arriving I n Del Rio about 6 a.m. With our departure from San Antonio the clock starts fresh provided we depart on time.

Station Stop - Fort Worth, Texas

So my plan is to be up and have Breakfast in Del Rio and start our journey up the Rio Grande toward El Paso.

CHICAGO BOUND

I work up about 7:00 this morning and we were in the Station in Toledo, Ohio, the Hometown of Maxwell Q. Klinger. Overnight we lost time and are now running about an hour and a half late.

Phil, My sleeping Car attendant switched my roomett into its sleeping configuration about 9:30 last night and I dozed off about 10. I woke up briefly about midnight and we were stopped in Pittsburgh and were pretty much on time.

After leaving Pittsburgh, I went back to sleep and pretty much slept straight through until 7 this morning. Surprisingly, I slept pretty good. There is track noises and the train is in constant motion and there are squeaks and rattles but I brought some cheap ear plugs and they not only deadened the car noise but the train horn that blows throughout the night.

The sun is up and have just crossed into Indiana and coming up on our station stop in Waterloo. As i look out the window. I see there is frost on the windshields of the cars. My phone tells me that it is currently 34 Degrees here in Waterloo.

Steel Mill - Gary, Indiana

I had Breakfast in the car dedicated as the Sleeper Car Lounge. Last Last night's dinner, this morning's breakfast was a preboxed meal consisting of a larger Fruit Tray, a cup of yogurt and all the juice and coffee you wanted. This morning's Breakfast was really very tasty and filling.

Home of the White Sox

After breakfast i returned to my room as we passed through the cities of South Bend and past the steel mills of Gary, Indiana.

Shortly After passing Gary i got my firat look at Lake Michigan. A few minutes later the Willis (Sears)Tower and the Chicago skyline came into view. About 10 minutes before we pulled into Chicago's Union Station we passed Cominsky Park (Known by some other name now) home of the Chicago White Sox.

After arriving Union Station I checked into the Metropolitan Lounge and stored my bags and made my way to the Food Court for a quick lunch. Now I am back in the Metropolitan Lounge waiting for the Boarding call for the Texas Eagle which will take me all the way to Phoenix.

ONBOARD THE CAPITOL LIMITED

The next leg of my adventure will Take me from Washington D. C. To Chicago on board Amtrak's Train #29, The Capitol Limited. After eating Lunch in the food Court, I had about 45 minutes before the called for us to board. I must say that all of the Amtrak employees I have encountered so far have been outstanding.

The Potomac River at Harper's Ferry

Once I boarded and found my roomett my sleeping Car attendant, Phil came by and introduced himself and took my Dinner order and reservation.After I made my initial Amtrak reservations the powers that be decided to discontinue the traditional dinning car service on the Capitol Limited. Instead we get what they are calling a girst class lounge car, that served preheated meals similar to what you use to get on airplanes. You also get unlimited non-alcoholic beverages.

Martinsburg, West Virginia

It's not exactly what i expected but actually the food wasn't that bad. I am looking forward to enjoying the Traditional dining car on the Texas Eagle, which is the next leg of my Trip. After leaving D. C. Our first stop was in Rockville Maryland and then it was on to Harper's Ferry, which was the lasy Station we will stop at while it Daylight. From Harper's Ferry it's 20 minutes to Marrtinsburg and the an hour and a half to our Next Stop in Cumberland Maryland. This is a scheduled 20 minute Stop and tonight we changed Locomotive Crews.

All the smokers in Coach used this as a smoke stop and believe me you do not want to get between the smokers and the exit. Shortly after leaving Cumberland we crossed into Pennsylvaina and our next Major stop will be in Pittsburgh.I had wanted to stay until we Arrive in Pittsburgh, but it's been a long day and when Phil comes by to change my room I think I am going to call It a day.

I will start Fresh tomorrow somewhere between Cleveland and Chicago.