I’m returning home (San Francisco) from a 5-week train trip this weekend, and Amtrak just called me today to let me know that I’d have to take a Capitol Corridor train from Sacramento to Oakland-Jack London this Sunday, as they are doing trackwork on the Coast Line. As a result, the southbound CSL will detour over Tehachapi and come down through Lancaster into the San Fernando Valley. Not sure about the northbound, but I’d assume that train would take the same detour.
So now I have to decide between grabbing rare mileage on Tehachapi (still haven’t been on it) and figuring out how to get home from LA that night, or finally being home after 5 weeks away and getting at least some of Sunday to spend with my wife before returning to work on Monday. Home is currently winning in my mind… How often does Amtrak detour over that line? Is this a once-in-a-decade event?
THe ONLY ONLY other Tehachapi Amtrak Detours in history have been on the TWO (2) following dates: August 26, 1974 with BOTH trains 11 and 14, AND October 23, 2005 with ONLY train 11 with former Amtrak PRESIDENT David Gunn riding in the Beach Grove Office Car on the rear end.
This 10-23-05 Tehachapi Amtrak Detour was likely the very FIRST Revenue Pax train in history to completely NON STOP Fresno, CA. I only realized that fact AFTER this event. The 8-26 in 1974 Detours reportedly Stopped in Fresno to service the train. If you remember Amtrak had steam boilers in those days for heating on the SDP40F diesels. I imagine the ONLY other passenger trains to NO STOP Fresno would liekly be company VIP business trains on either railroad. That would definitely NOT have involved any sort of public revenue passenger train as was done for the FIRST TIME with the real Amtrak Train 11 of 10-23-05 (2005) in California. Amtrak did operate stub trains that day for most of the Coast Line from San Jose to Los Angeles 10-23-05. The regular pax were put on a regular Capitol Corridor train SAC to OKJ where they were Bussed to San Jose to get on the stub train number 1011.
That David Gunn Detour was required because of a LATE NOTICE Bridge REPAIR near Alviso in far northern San Jose. David Gunn had a PRIOR scheduled visit that so HAPPENED to be during that emergency bridge project. That is why the Union Pacific had to make good on their contract to transport David Gunn. This Amtrak + UPRR contract ULTIMATELY resulted in that Tehachapi Detour in order to get David Gunn to Los Angeles in a TIMELY manner. A pretty AMAZING WIN in a Railfan Lottery as far as I am concerned!!! I just could NOT BELIEVE my luck as I learned about this news on October 20, 2005. I had been waiting for 20 YEARS to ride this line and FINALLY got my chance to ride Tehachapi – WOW !!!
Great pic!!! I was noticing on #11 what appears to be a hi level chair car just ahead of the diner. Is that what it is? I thought that about the only place the hi level chair cars were being used was the Heartland Flyer. Long live the Santa Fe!!
Edit: I got to thinking; isn’t it the Coast Starlight that has the hi level lounges that they call “Pacific Parlours”? From that angle it at first looked like a coach to me, but at another glance, the roof appears different and possibly a lounge.