Re: Pre-Amtrak Passenger Trains
Author: Mike55
Date: 09-13-2009 - 23:58
Well, pestering my parents for a while about riding a train, this 9-year old and his mother went from San Jose to Los Angeles and return on SP's "Coast Daylight", in 1964. I remember that the equipment was a mixed bag of "Daylight" and "Sunset' color schemes. It had a triple unit diner, a 3/4 dome and a parlor-observation car. The power was either PA's or E's and was in scarlet/grey. Both ways, I had a ball!
Fast forward to 1970. I am now 15 and rode the "Daylight", San Jose-Los Angeles and the "Sunset" Los Angeles-El Paso. The diner had been replaced by the Automat, although the 3/4 dome was still there. A 15 car train was powered by a single SDP-45, and was nearly two hours late into LA. This also meant that the "Sunset" would be delayed, as the same equipment that arrived as #98(except the dome)would be turned/serviced and depart as #2. We were about 2 1/2 hours late into El Paso.
One month later. I returned to the west coast on Santa Fe's "San Francisco Chief". Riding from Belen-Barstow on #1, and Barstow-Los Angeles on #23. All you've ever heard about Santa Fe's passenger trains is true. The "SF Chief" had sleepers, hi-level coaches, a real dining car (albiet with fake flowers), a full dome lounge and two "hood" style diesels for power. I don't recall if they were FP-45's or newer GE units. I was in a standard level coach, as my car and the sleeper directly behind me was cut off train #1 at Barstow and transferred to train #23 (former "Grand Canyon") for the trip to Los Angeles.
Except for a couple of inconsecquential rides from San Jose-Salinas and return, these were my pre-Amtrak experiences.
---Mike55