The Great “Rail” Journey of April 2008

April 16th. Amtrak California’s Pacific Surfliner train arrived the evening before and is stabled inside a fenced and gated area for security. We check our non-essential baggage to LA, keeping only our computer cases. The engine is fired up just a few minutes before departure time, and the train set is backed out of its protected siding, and then switched to the station platform track.

Amtrak long ago gave up a connection in Los Angeles between the Coast Starlight and eastbound trains Southwest Chief and Sunset Limited. Fortunately, the State of California stepped in, and now we have the Pacific Surfliner option to Los Angeles. 6:45am is a little early, but this departure is our only option to make a connection to the Chief. The double-deck California cars are comfortable, and Business Class includes a complimentary Continental breakfast.

We have taken this train before and always like to sit at the lower level table for four in Business Class so we can get some work done on our laptops. The trick is to rush the Business Class entrance, leap aboard when the doors open, and claim the table before a single passenger gets there with the intention of sprawling alone at that table. We are successful this morning, so we can both set up our laptops and get started. There would be room for two more passengers at the table, but none elect to join us.

Next, ear plugs are inserted, to protect our ears against the interminable cell phone conversations. You know the ones I mean:

Perhaps we sound like curmudgeons from the last century, but living near a small, quiet town – where people speak softly in public -- shelters our ears from these common sounds and aggravations of civilization, to which we are probably more sensitive than most people.

It is a swift, comfortable, ride on the Surfliner, which speeds along the surf for over 100 miles. This newer equipment rides much more smoothly than the older Superliner equipment on the Coast Starlight. There are locations, such as the hamlet of Surf, Point Conception, and the costal area southwest of the Vandenberg Air Force base, that are completely undeveloped, very scenic, and not reachable by road.

The closer we get to Los Angeles, the better dressed the passengers are. Several businesswomen are decked out in very unusual and expensive clothing and jewelry. We arrive into Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal on time at 12:15pm.

A Red Cap carries us in his electric cart into the waiting room at Union Station where we arrange to have him pick up our checked bags and carry them along with us to the Southwest Chief when it is ready to board. Traxx Restaurant is open and we enjoy a Cobb Salad lunch on their delightful patio. The other two choices would be their inside dining room, or tables set up in the main concourse.

The weather here, which is perfect, reminds us why so many people have moved to Southern California. It is sunny and balmy with a refreshing breeze, and the courtyard, which extends beyond the restaurant area adjacent to the main concourse, has inviting lawns and patios. It offers shade trees, a Spanish-tile fountain, and benches.

The beautiful art-deco station opened in 1939; it is the last major station with elegant architecture built in the US. Its colorful Spanish tile and soaring ceilings seem more awesome every time one visits.

The Traxx Bar on the other side of the concourse opens for cocktails. It has seating either in or out in the main concourse, but the service is uneven and the furniture looks a bit worn. Sylvia’s Glenfiddich, although poured out of the correct bottle, doesn’t have a convincingly Glenfiddich flavor.

The station has a snack bar, the Union Bagel, with ice cream and other goodies. With all these facilities, the station is a comfortable and spacious place to wait for the next train. People-watching is interesting here, and we hear snatches of conversations. Most seem to center on the subject of financial reverses brought on by the current recession. The press seems determined to worry us all about it, and is probably causing it to become a media-fulfilling prophecy.

Since our next destination, La Plata, Missouri, doesn’t accept checked baggage, we check a couple of suitcases with used clothing back to Klamath Falls, something we could not have done yesterday. Amtrak has finally resumed service as far north as our home base with a Coast Starlight now equipped with sleeping cars and a full dining car. (This means we will be able to take the train all the way home to Klamath Falls rather than renting an expensive one-way car again.)

We board the Southwest Chief for a 6:45pm departure and freshen up in Bedroom E in the 431 car before going to dinner in the dining car.

When we return from a delicious meal, our attendant has made up our beds, and it’s off to sleep……

April 17th. After a night bouncing along on rough track, we awake in the desert of the Southwest.

Our Superliner I car has been refurbished, with a new one-unit plumbing arrangement encased in bright white vinyl or acrylic. While attractive, well-designed, and easy to keep clean, the upgrade is missing wall and door hooks. The original design had two hooks and a towel loop near the sink, and a hook on the inside and outside of the toilet/shower compartment door. This adds up to five places where you can no longer hang anything.

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