There had better be a last detour Friday, because some friends and I are booked on No. 11 from Sacramento to Los Angeles Friday!

The detour trains have been passing our Fresno County town, Selma (15 miles southeast of Fresno), about 10 a.m. southbound and 5 p.m. northbound. The meets over Tehachapi have been reportedly occurring between 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Union Pacific certainly appears to have made the Starlight a "hot" train, at least during the October and November detours. On Saturday just before 10, I turned a corner toward the railroad intending to photograph No. 11 only to see the gates going down and the train race through just ahead of me. Each time I have seen or heard the Starlight passing through the Selma area, there have been no freight trains anywhere near even though there are typically frequent freight meets at Sun-Maid between Selma and Kingsburg, and at Goble in Fowler to the north.

I rode the PV behind No. 14 on June 22 and loved every mile of the ride. Being a valley guy, I'm looking forward to the final ride on the old S.P. Fresno line, not to mention Tehachapi, before it reverts to freight service only. It has been great seeing long passenger trains again, albeit briefly, sharing the Highway 99 corridor and racing through Selma and past the grapevines and fruit trees that surround us. Let's hear it for the San Joaquin Daylight.

Randy McFarland
Selma, California