The Sunset Limited (7)

The Sunset Limited (7) – US Rail Journeys Series 2 Episode 18

Nearing the border town of El Paso:

The Sunset Limited (7) starts in the far west of Texas as we approach El Paso. El Paso is a ‘border town’ with Mexico. We pass oil refineries, sidings and rail cars waiting to be filled to transport the oil across the US.

Our stop in El Paso:

We are still running some hours late and our stop at El Paso will be shorter than usual. There is a crew change at El Paso and we can get out for a breath of air. As the stop is being ‘expedited’ we are asked to stay near the train.

Our arrival in El Paso coincides with the call for those wanting an early dinner. If we’d been on time the call would have been for those wanting a late lunch!

The train is heading directly into the late afternoon sun. We say our farewells to people we’ve met on the journey, re-board with a new crew and set off. We climb out of El Paso for the 90 minute journey to Deming.

Overnight:

It is a wonderful sunset. We travel through the night passing through a number of small stops. There is our last ‘air break’ at Tucson. Most have gone to sleep by the time we arrive.

Morning:

I awake at 6.30 a.m. as we reach Palm Springs in California. We are still some hours behind schedule. We should have been in LA at the unhospitable time of 5.30 a.m.!

I breakfast and, as we approach Ontario (California), we pass orange groves and commuter traffic slowly driving along the roads.

The photographs that accompany the podcast:

Please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery:

Next up:

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this podcast. If so, please join me in two weeks time for the next episode where the Sunset Limited reaches Los Angeles.

Links:

To visit the Amtrak website please follow this link.

You can also listen to this podcast on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify and Stitcher.

Music:

AKM Music has licensed the theme, Steam Railway, for use in this podcast.

Storyblocks has licensed Border Town by Nathan Krieswirth, Mexican Hat Danceby Ron Komie and California Sun by Bobby Cole for use as incidental music in this episode.

© The MrT Podcast Studio 2019 – 2020

Author: Tim D

In the early 1970s Mr Timothy & his Phonograph was a popular mobile disco around Leeds University and Tim was known as MrT. Tim also spent 9 years broadcasting a weekly programme on Hospital Radio in Wakefield. He worked for more than 40 years for large industrial organisations and spent his last 15 years in global commercial management roles. Following retirement he started making podcasts in 2017.