Eight days after a 10 hour 19 minute late Amtrak 3, another Amtrak 3 heads west, but is only 6 hours and 1 minute behind schedule on this day. It was, of course, for the same reason: One of the two P42DC locomotives crapped out, in this case AMTK 207. This train was 2 hours 20 minutes late out of La Junta CO, and the ailing 207 was removed in Albuquerque NM. It is unclear where BNSF ES44C4 8263 was added, but the previous week the freight engine was added in Gallup NM, so … perhaps déjà vu all over again? BNSF 8263 and AMTK 170 are not far from Fullerton, the next-to-last stop before this train ends its trip from Chicago in Los Angeles. (Placentia, California – December 8, 2023)
California-bound rail travelers from the east have three choices to reach the Golden State: California Zephyr, Southwest Chief, Sunset Limited/Texas Eagle. A look back through the years including the now-defunct Desert Wind