I am fortunate to have a kind employer that grants a 4-week sabbatical to all employees for every 5 years of service, with the option to add up to 2 weeks of vacation for a total of 6 weeks off. So I am preparing/packing/etc this week, and will depart this Sunday the 18th for a 5-week Amtrak train-riding and -watching adventure. I have been plotting and planning for this for over 2 years, and it has finally arrived. But I need some advice from all of you for train-watching/photographing spots in some of the places I’m visiting. My first question is about trainwatching in Los Angeles (I’m going to post seperate questions about other destinations in different posts so this doesn’t turn into a novel).
First, here’s my itinerary (if you don’t care and want to get right to the question, skip down):
I am riding the Coast Starlight down to LA from my San Francisco home, one night overnight LA
Riding the SW Chief east to Winslow, staying at the La Posada (thank you Trains for the tip!) for 2 nights.
Reboarding the SW Chief, disembarking in KC, and immersing myself in KC and areas around KC for 5 days.
Hopping aboard the Ann Rutledge, east through St Louis, disembarking in Springfield to visit relatives and train-watch Central Illinois for 3 days.
Back in Springfield, hopping back aboard the Ann Rutledge and going North to Chicago. I’m foaming around Chicagoland for 2 days and then my wife flies in… Train watching activities curtailed somewhat (but not totally absent) for 5 days in Chicago.
My wife and I board the wb Empire Builder, and travel all the way to Montana, detr
I am fortunate to have a kind employer that grants a 4-week sabbatical to all employees for every 5 years of service, with the option to add up to 2 weeks of vacation for a total of 6 weeks off. So I am preparing/packing/etc this week, and will depart this Sunday the 18th for a 5-week Amtrak train-riding and -watching adventure. I have been plotting and planning for this for over 2 years, and it has finally arrived. But I need some advice from all of you for train-watching/photographing spots in some of the places I’m visiting. My first question is about trainwatching in Los Angeles (I’m going to post seperate questions about other destinations in different posts so this doesn’t turn into a novel).
First, here’s my itinerary (if you don’t care and want to get right to the question, skip down):
I am riding the Coast Starlight down to LA from my San Francisco home, one night overnight LA
Riding the SW Chief east to Winslow, staying at the La Posada (thank you Trains for the tip!) for 2 nights.
Reboarding the SW Chief, disembarking in KC, and immersing myself in KC and areas around KC for 5 days.
Hopping aboard the Ann Rutledge, east through St Louis, disembarking in Springfield to visit relatives and train-watch Central Illinois for 3 days.
Back in Springfield, hopping back aboard the Ann Rutledge and going North to Chicago. I’m foaming around Chicagoland for 2 days and then my wife flies in… Train watching activities curtailed somewhat (but not totally absent) for 5 days in Chicago.
My wife and I board the wb Empire Builder, and travel all the way to
Perhaps when you get to Chicago we should have a little Trains.com forum get together.
There is quite a bit to do in Chicago, I would suggest you pickup an issue of the Trains magazine which pertained to Chicago. Dont recall the issue date, but it was about 5-7 years ago.
Springfield has an interesting gem…Ridgely Tower is still an operating 24 hour tower.
Well, I’ll tout my favorite spot: the Fullerton, CA Amtrak Station. 3rd or 4th stop by Metrolink or 1st or 2nd stop by Surfliner southeast from LA Union Station. On weekdays we get 56 passenger trains a day including the eastbound Southwest Chief. So you could arrange to board the Chief in Fullerton. It arrives (if on time) about 7:15 PM.
We also get 25 to 40 freights a day, ranging from locals (sometimes with caboose), sizable manifest freights, and huge container and TOFC freights. We used to get many more freights back when the economy was booming.
The station has plenty of benches to sit on, a cafe (with trackside patio) that is open until after the Chief leaves, a bridge to spot trains from. and plenty of nearby restaurants and bars. And some of the restaurants are really good. There is even a good jazz club 2 blocks away. And it is quite safe. I often leave my convertible top down when parking near the station and have had no problems.
In my first reply I forgot: Monday, May 19 is the meeting date of the RR Travel Meetup Group at the Slidebar Bar and Restaurant at Fullerton. Dinner at 5 PM and ask to be served early if you are catching the Chief. The food is good and plentiful (if a bit pricey). The reataurant is north across the parking lot from the station. Follow the loud music.
I have to agree, Jack_S chose the best spot that is easy traveling distance from El Lay. Fullerton - many trains all through the day, as he mentioned, and a safe place to hang out.
If you are open for a longer excursion, you could take Metrolink round-trip to San Bernardino (which you will pass through later on the SW Chief). As you know San Bernardino is on the Transcon, with all the BNSF freights, and is in the region where UP shares the tracks, so you’ll get some UP trains too. The neighborhood is considerably more working class than Fullerton, and there are only a couple of Mexican restaurants in the area. It would be more worthwhile for the journey, and not so much the destination. Metrolink schedules are at www.metrolinktrains.com, and the San Bernardino route is one of the most popular of Metrolink’s choices. Round trip to SB will probably be around $23 (Haven’t checked fares recently), and tickets are purchased from vending machines.
Metrolink trains do not have a cafe car or reclining seats. There are more than one route you can take to / from San Bernardino, so you can do a “steel circle tour” with the San Bernardino route one way, and the “91 Route” or “Riverside Route” another way. Caution - not that many trains run between San Bernardino & Riverside (9 miles apart), so if you do the circle tour make sure you don’t get stranded. Metrolink trains are generally very reliable, although on occasion they can run 30 minutes late.
Thanks for all the great advice - I like the idea of Fullerton very much. That’s a perfect distance for getting back to LAUPT… but I’m wondering if I could just board the eb Chief from there instead of going back in-city. I’ve never tried that before, but I don’t see that there would be an issue - would I lose my reserved coach seat if I don’t board in L.A.?
Jack - I assume by your post that an outsider passing through would be welcome at your meetup?
I was considering heading as far out as SB, but felt there was too much that could go wrong. If I’d thought t his through a little better, I’d have just got my ticket for boarding at Fullerton or San Bernadino.
Timing problem. The Chief leaves LA at 6:45 PM and gets to Fullerton at 7:20 PM. Last Metrolink train you can catch to make the Chief’s LA departure leaves Fullerton before 5 PM. Don’t know about Surfliners. You won’t have time to make the dinner and also get back to LA in time. If you can confirm with Amtrak that boarding in Fullerton is OK, I would suggest doing that if you want to make the Meetup Group gathering.
Greg, I am sorry I missed you at the RR Travel Meetup Group dinner tonight. I was diagnosed with an outbreak of Shingles today and I stayed away so as not to run the risk of infecting anyone who has never had the Chicken Pox. The chance of doing so is remote but I am also feeling sort of punk. I hope the medication kicks in good tonight, maybe I can get a good night’s sleep. Ha! Not much chance of that!
No problem Jack… everyone there was super friendly and gave me some great tips for fanning KC. Loved Fullerton’s train parade too. I’ve had a blast so far on this trip… In Chicago with my wife right now - hopping on the Empire Builder tomorrow.
Have some great pictures - I need to crunch them down smaller and figure out what service to use to post them. Leaning toward railpictures.net. I might ask for recommendations in a seperate post.
Sorry for your illness - I trust you’re much better now.
