After holding the siding at Seacliff, along the California coast, for a meet with a southbound Amtrak San Diegan, a unit train of sugar beets accelerates out of the siding as it continues its journey to Guadalupe. There, the train will be handed over to the little Santa Maria Valley Railroad for continuation to the sugar mill at Betteravia. These beet trains, originating in California's Imperial Valley, are on borrowed time as the mill at Betteravia will close before the end of the year. Southern Pacific SD45T-2 9365 leads a typical SP consist that includes an SD45 and two more "Tunnel Motors." The train's conductor gets an enjoyable view of the Pacific Ocean along this section of the mighty Espee Empire.
