I’m thinking about taking the Southwest Chief to a family reunion this summer, and now that I’ve read through an earlier topic about breakdowns, derailments, and whatnot, hey–who out there has ridden it and had a GOOD time? [:)]
katwomen
I’ve ridden the Chief and I have seen it a lot and has some good seneary west La Junta but they frequntlly have Locomotives overheat on Raton Pass and ridning the train is awlays a good time if you would like the normal consist it consits of 3 to 4 GE P42DC 1 Baggage Car 1Crew Drom 2 to 3 Sleepers 2 in the winter 3 in the summer the 3rd is noramlly at the rear of the train 1 Diner 1 Lounge 3 to 4 Coaches depending on the season 3 in the winter and 4 in the summer then like 10 to 14 Mail Cars
Hope This Helps
DOGGY
felinefemale98+1:
(1) How far east are you going? Stay out of the chair cars if you are going all the way east to Chicago…
(2) If # 3 (WB) or #4 (EB) get in trouble, the problems usually happen east of Newton or west of Flagstaff… The trains are on time more often than not. The trains are usually the most nuts during the summer months or around holidays. Right now, between La Junta and Albuquerque, the passenger trains are pretty much the only trains out there…Almost as light trafficwise between La Junta,Co and Newton, KS and both ways you are running at night or super early in the morning. If the trains are on time, expect a 30 minute layover at La Junta before taking off again while the train waters, fuels and the food service resupplies. When eastbound on #3, the window at the bar in the lounge car closes (Bam!) when you hit Coolidge, KS and encounter Kansas’ really bizzare blue laws. Been working in the Trinidad, CO area the past few months and it is rare that the train is late in either direction…
Iron Feathers
Great description and tips, MC, but let’s tell her why the window slams shut at Coolidge (good for a laugh unless you happened to be there at the time)…
Back in the early days of Amtrak (early 1970s) they thought they could overturn the local blue laws by claiming (1) the train was not a fixed locale in KS, (2) was in interstate commerce (which my lawyer friends tell me should have worked), and thus was not subject to state regulation, and (3) they were federal, so buzz off. And they opened the bar. This worked great until the KS revenooers bought tickets, got on board and busted the Super’s train crew–ALL OF THEM–and left the train and passengers sitting out on the main line in the middle of nowhere out by Dodge City. Amtrak chickened out (no pun intended, steel plumage) and thus the window slams shut.
By the way, lest one think they discriminated against trains, they also tried it with airlines, buying tickets for the agents on thru flights and trying to cite the crews for serving drinks in KS airspace. This sort of needled airline management who, like good corporate citizens everywhere, had an investment in most of the reelection campaigns, and a compromise was very quickly reached–no booze in KS airspace only if the plane was going to land or take off at a KS airport. The only relevant airport affected was Wichita.
If we didn’t have state legislators and regulators, we’d have to invent them.
Cheers! (but not east of Coolidge…)
Rode the Chief from Chicago to LA about 15 years ago. It was great. A few odd folks on board, but no mechanical issues back then. Great scenery on the La Junta CO to Albuquerque NM section. Also, you get to see Cajon pass from the train. We had some very fast running in Western Kansas. Pretty great memory.
We took the Chief to LA, the Starlight to Seattle and the Builder back to Milwaukee. What a circuit. All for $199.00 or about 3 cents / mile.
I rode it a few years back between La Junta and Kansas City to go to engineer recertification in Overland Park at JCCC. It was a great trip.
Since it was cheaper than flying (and I won’t fly in the first place) the company bought
me a sleeper both ways. That included my meals both ways.
hogger
I highly recommend riding the SW Chief. The wife and I just completed a trip from Galesburg Il to Flagstaff AZ (March 3-4) and return (March 14-15). From Flag, we rented a car and went on to Phoenix to catch some warm weather. The ride was really great and pretty much on time (I think we were 15 minutes late coming into Galesburg on the return trip). We experienced no engine failures enroute. However, westbound, early into our trip, the power kept cutting out in our car. But they got that fixed in La Plata Mo. The cool thing was the really cheap fares. Through Amtrak’s Railsale, the two of us got round trip coach tickets for $260, total. Once on board, we asked about upgrading to sleeper which cost us $100 more and included free dinners in the Diner. Of course, the scenery over Raton and through New Mexico was great. We’re ready to go again!
John
That’s really weird about Kansas blue laws. What exactly does that law stipulate and why does closing the window on the bar car void the personnel of the SW Chief?
My wife and I rode the SW Chief last July from LA to Chicago. Got a sleeper (which as was pointed out earlier was tacked onto the end). The car was recently refurbished and looked and rode like new. The attendants were very nice to us. The scenery was fantastic. Going up Raton pass you can see the whole train from front to back from the lounge car. Rally neat. My wife slept almost he entire way from Raton to Chicago. She got lots of rest (half the purpose of the trip) and we got really great scenery to view especially through Colorado and New Mexico. There was a park ranger who gave a talk in the lounge car as we were going through New Mexico, and he told us some of the history of the area we were travelling through. A great trip worth taking.
Rode the SW Chief from Newton to Kansas City to go to St. Louis. First time it was about 5 hours late, had something to do with flash floods in NM. KC always has some kind of delay. The eastbound train stops somewhere around De Soto for the 1,000mi inspection and sometimes to pick up their road railers. Then they stop in Argentine Yard to refuel. Westbound out of KC they have to load up the mail which takes time. Then I guess they refuel again. I remember getting on board sometime after 11PM and went to sleep around midnight and woke up at 1 or 2AM and were still in KC.
It sounds worse than it really was. I didn’t ride in a sleeper because it was cheaper to go coach for the distance I was traveling. The eastbound trips are supposed to be in the middle of the night across Kansas until you get somewhere around Topeka but as late as it is sometimes the whole trip from Newton to KC could end up being after sunrise (sometimes). I’ve tracked the Chief on the internet and the phone before and found it’s pretty much on time just about everywhere else, even leaving KC late they make up time whether it be east or west-bound.
Now, about those liquor laws: Kansas is peculiar on this point. I guess it goes all the way back to the days of Carry A. Nation who hacked up bars with her hatchet and bible. Kansas had prohibition laws longer than the national prohibition amendment was in place. In a criminal justice class, I don’t remember which teacher, we told that beer was allowed to be served in restaurants in Kansas up until the late 1980s. Most college kids today are too young to remember that. The Sunday liquor laws are up for debate in the Legislature on whether to repeal it. Right now you still can’t purchase liquor in Kansas on Sunday, that’s why everyone goes to the nearest neighboring state, around here in Wichita they all go to Oklahoma.
The Amtrak raid in the 1970s I thought was in Newton, I read about it in “Ghost Railroads in Kansas.” It was also my understanding that the law enf
If yyou can avoid it don’t ride COACH
DOGGY
ironhorseman–
You may be right as to details–working from memory & got original info from a KS Asst AG who also might not have had the details right. At any rate it must have been a wild time. And I thought at the time that we used to have some weird blue laws here in TX. That one made up for all of them.
Regardless, the Chief, albeit a mere shadow of its former self, is still a very nice ride most of the time and worth a recommendation.
Dear katwoman99,
I have ridden the Southwest Chief from Los Angeles to Albuquerque more times than I can count. I highly reccomend it, but make sure you get a sleeper. Make sure you check out my rules for railroad dining in the “Dinner in the Diner” topic on the Classic Trains forum, to make the most out of your railway dining experience [:)].
By the way, how would you get there without taking the train? Surely you’re not thinking of taking one of those newfangled flying machines [:)].
See you around the forums,
Daniel
This is in reference to the description to “Blue Law.” Historically ‘blue laws’ have been associated with state laws prohibiting the sale of merchandise on “Sunday.” This would also apply to alcoholic beverages not being sold only on Sunday. In the late 1950’s or early 1960’s Kansas did away with ‘blue laws’ and allowed Sunday sales of merchandise. For many years state of Missouri did not allow Sunday sale of merchandise and th
I want to ride the Chief all the way someday. I can’t wait. [:)]