Previous trips with 4449 and 700 on BNSF in the Northwest have managed to squeeze in a photo runby here and there on the main line, and back then there was more traffic to contend with than what they'll be facing this year. However, back then the trips were billed purely as excursions unto themselves (and one was an employee appreciation special), whether the turn-around point was Spokane, Sandpoint, or Billings. This year, 4449's cross-country trip is more about attending a big event in the Midwest, and trying to sell seats along the way to help pay for what would otherwise be a very long deadhead move. There are some wonderful spots where they could unload a train of paying riders and give them an unforgettable photo opportunity out of the reach of most chasers, but runbys are never guaranteed.

Amtrak and BNSF (as will 4449) use the former NP between Spokane and Sandpoint via Rathdrum (near Hauser Yard) and Athol. The former GN between Spokane and Sandpoint has been severed near its midpoint for decades, but that hasn't stopped a certain magazine from frequently publishing maps which show it as an open through route.

So 4449 will indeed cross the roughly mile-long bridge across Lake Pend Oreille on the southeast side of Sandpoint. Realignment of U.S. 95 through Sandpoint and BNSF's replacement of bridge piers have turned some of the area into a construction zone. Last I saw, the pier project was now working at the southeast (railroad west) end of the bridge.

The Sandpoint depot which Amtrak uses is ex-NP, located right on a narrow spit of land (the "sand point") on the east side of town, a stone's throw from the lake. Well, at least it was before they built a wall of high-rise condos between the depot and the lake. Unfortunately (or fortunately, in the long term), the depot is undergoing some degree of restoration and might still have scaffolding all over it July 4th.

Immediately north (railroad east) of the depot, the 4449 will curve away from the former NP and cross Sand Creek using a 1970s BN-built connection over to the former GN. It will cross UP's ex-SI main line on a diamond the moment it comes off the Sand Creek Bridge. Then it's onto the former GN at Boyer and throttle up for the run to Bonners Ferry.

As others have noted previously, it could be a real nightmare for chasers getting through Sandpoint that day. Always crowded on a typical summer weekend. But factor in the road work, detours, slow posted speeds for several miles, 4th of July, and a steam train, and you might not see the train again until well into Montana, unless it gets held up somewhere.