At 2:11am I wake up briefly south of Chico, I’ve a manged the sleep through the service stop at Sac! I see something that looks line white plastic along the line.
At 5:42 I wake up in misty mountains, I look at my phone and realize Shasta is on the other side of the train. We’re in trees and I get up and leave the room look out that side of the train before returning to bed.
Yesterday the Empire Builder who’s trainset we will board in Portland in a same-day turn was running quite late (about four hours). I check my phone and am happy to see that trains 7 and 27 have split. We will not be subject to a busitution from Spokane that happens when the Empire Builder is so late that the same-day turn can’t be completed in Portland and Seattle.
- 6:55 – I realize that I’m done with sleep and get up I catch a nice view of Shasta and head for the shower. The shower in our Superliner II Delaware is much less nice than the Superliner I Cars it has a curtain instead of a glass door that makes the floor wet and getting dressed harder. I’m hungry but Robert’s fast asleep. I finish my shower and go to the Parlor car to wait for him to wake up. Shasta comes back into view as we to across a wide forested plain
- 7:51 – I get wifi again and notice that were still in California.
I’m distracted and chatting so I don’t record the time we actually enter Oregon.
At 8:17 we arrive Klamath Falls and get some pictures of the private varnish in the back of the train. We get the double toot at 8:25 and all aboard.
Then we head for breakfast and enjoy more good conversation. I have the Omelet as we go along upper Klamath Lake which is extremely scenic.
Breakfast takes us until 9:30 when we leave breakfast and continue through the forests of Southern Oregon
- 9:41 – Announcement for Chemult and that its a stop for its passengers only.
- 9:44 – Arrive at Chemult, there is only coach Buisiness here so the sleepers pull up. I snap my camera from the window of the parlor car of the minibus that provides most of the traffic to this tiny station in the middle of the mountains. We sit in the middle area since the 8 swivel chairs are taken. We go back into the woods after this tiny station stop.
- 10:15 – Stopped because of men on the tracks.
- 10:18 – Start Moving again
- 10:21 – Pass a train yard and track junction
- 10:26 – Lake Odell
- 10:34 – Into a tunnel
- 10:37 – Anernathy in the trees
- 10:40 – The otherside of Abernathy with track gangs
- 10:42 – MP-542
- 10:46 – First snowshed around the mountains
- 10:52 – Through another longer tunnel as I enjoy the parlor car, and another tunnel
- 10:53 – Snowshed and another tunnel
- 10:54 – Again, tunnel this has an opening and snowshed
- 10:55 – A quick tunnel and snowshed, and back to the trees as we climb through the southern cascades
- 10:58 – Fraser
- 10:59 – Pass the landslide area that closed the line a few years ago
- 11:00 – Another tunnel. We continue through the Cascades
- 11:04 – Another tunnel
- 11:05 – Pass a UP Freight mainly with empty logging cars. None have anything in the cars
- 11:08 – Through a tunnel again, 1 minute long. I’ve been sitting in the parlor car in the couch social area and see a swivel chair open up. I happily snag the comfy seat. We go through another tunnel and continue through the trees.
- 11:13 – Another tunnel
- 11:16 – Go through a Rockcut and more trees.
- 11:18 – Another tunnel and keep going through the Cascades. The track is curvy but all the trees block a front of train shot.
- 11:24 – Were back to the trees. This line feels much more impressive in winter.
- 11:42 – Prior (siding)
- 11:51 – Go over a small stream
- 11:53 – Come to a stop near a siding and then proceed
- 11:58 – Come to another house
- 12:02 – Come to a stop in the trees and move very slowly
- 12:07 – Oakridge division point with a small train yard and MOW point. We regain speed.
- 12:09 – Into a tunnel, this one is long. We’re in more of a valley going faster towards Eugene. The trees continue as we follow a river.
- 12:21 – Keep going through a valley
- 12:37 – We’ve left the national forest but are still in a valley
- 12:43 – Cross a river and start following it.
We have a 12:45 lunch reservation in the Parlor Car (there is a Mac and Cheese on the menu that sounds decent) we tell the attendant that we want to step off in Eugene and she says its fine if we come after it.
- 12:47 – The river and head over. We continue through the trees.
- 12:51 – See the subdivisions of Springfield, were coming into town
We have a nice but quick photo stop in Eugene from 1:03 to 1:12 that is known for the number of Coast Starlight Passengers that get left behind.
We get back to the Parlour car and the attendant appoligizes that someone was told to go to the parlor car for lunch that wasn’t signed up and she has run out of food (the only thing left are salads). She says that the dining car has been told of her problem and that we will be accommodated in there. We walk into the dining car and tell the crew who sit us down immediately.
We have a nice meal with a Canadian Couple from Vancouver and their baby who ends up pushing a glass of water all over us, the joys of train travel. Their otherwise really friendly and one reason for their trip was a job interview in Silicon Valley an area they can’t see living in. I enjoy the hamburger that is definitely a bit better than I remember it. Lunch also brings up an Amtrak logistical question for me. How do you book a baby (who doesn’t require a ticket, they haven’t booked anything yet) who doesn’t pay a fare but has a passport on an international train. I wonder if they must issue a special fare free baby ticket.
During lunch at 2:29 we arrive in Salem that has new signs. There is a man on the painting the awning and the main platform entrance from the historic depot is closed. We start leaving at 2:35 and have to stop again when a coach attendant announces we have one more who needs to get off. The train slowly leaves Salem. We go back to the Willamette Valley.
We return to the room to finish packing and our parlor car attendant begins this afternoon’s wine tasting. The last hour of the trip is in a blur. We enjoy the wine (Pacific Northwest ones this time) and cheese (exactly the same kinds) with the father we had lunch with. The baby and mom come in and out stopping by for a few pieces of cheese. After the wine tasting I buy my one souvenir of the trip. A wine glass with the Coast Starlight logo etched in it (plane wine glasses were used for the tasting) for a steal at only $5, Robbie buys one two and the attendant has to go into the cabinet, we’ve gotten the last two!
At 3:40 we slowly cross the steel bridge and enter Portland-Union Station as we return to our room one last time.
We arrive in Portland at 3:44, just ten minutes late because of recovery time (it also has a long layover). We double-check we have everything and leave the Coast Starlight getting some photos of a Cascades set (Robbie’s never seen one) that is sitting in the station.
Next we enter the station (I notice the old ralings where tickets were checked that look original), ring the bell and walk into the Metropolitan Lounge. I flash our tickets (and my Select+ Card unnecessarily). We ask if we can leave our luggage and go for a quick walk. We are pointed towards a closet. The lounge is small and nice. For refreshment there is local coffee and a fridge with the usual cans of soda and a brand of quite good iced tea I haven’t heard of.
The attendant tells us to come back at 4:20 for boarding. We have a power walk around downtown Portland getting a few photos of the MAX. We also end up on the bridge across the Union Station platforms to photograph the Coast Starlight’s on time departure at 4:12 with the Private Varnish still bringing up the markers.