Category: US Rail Journeys

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 18:57 — 17.3MB)

Through the night from Chicago to Cleveland –  US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 35

In ‘Through the night from Chicago to Cleveland’ I start my journey on the Lakeshore Limited.

Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with this podcast:

The Lakeshore Limited:

In 1975 the Lake Shore Limited starts running. It is an overnight service between Chicago and Albany where it splits into sections for New York or Boston. In 2023 over 351,000 passengers use the service. It is nearly back to its pre-Covid level.

I’m travelling on the New York section, train 48 (eastbound), for the 959 miles between Chicago and New York.

From Chicago to Cleveland, the train uses the Chicago Line, which belongs to the Norfolk Southern Railway. This section is also used by the Floridian.

Leaving Chicago Union station:

Our schedule has us leaving Chicago Union station at 9.30 pm but there is delay. One of the carriages in the Boston section has a fault and must be removed from the train. We expect a long delay but pull out only just over an hour late.

Indiana:

Our first stop is at South Bend, we are around 84 miles into the journey. The  Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad build the station in 1970 and until 1992 South Shore Line trains continue to use the station.

We soon reach Elkhart station. It is only open in early mornings and late evenings for the eastbound and westbound trains. Although there is no one to sell tickets, there are staff to help passengers.

The station dates from 1900. In 2023 over 16,000 passengers use the station.

Next we reach Waterloo, no, not the one in London. The station opens in 1990. It opens for short periods before the trains arrive. In 1995 the Lake Shore Limited starts stopping at Waterloo in 1995 and in 2023 0ver 17,000 Amtrak passengers use the station.

Ohio:

We cross the State line from Indiana to Ohio and reach the station in Bryan. It is unmanned and 8 miles south of the Ohio Turnpike. In 2023 4,353 passengers come out in the middle of the night to use the station.

Next we reach Toledo, a major Mid-West port city. It’s the fourth-most populous city in Ohio, and based on the 2020 census, the 79th-largest city in the United States with a population of 270,871.

Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza, formerly called Central Union Terminal and Central Union Plaza, is the main passenger rail and intercity bus station.

280 miles into our journey we reach Sandusky station, an uncovered platform, a small car park, and two buildings. In 2023 just over 8,300 passengers got up early to use the station.

Another 35 miles and we stop at the small bus stop-type shelter in Elyria which hosts 8,819 passengers in 2023.

Cleveland is on the southern shore of Lake Erie, on the U.S. maritime border with Canada.  With a population of 372,624 in 2020 it is the 54th-largest city in the U.S.

Lakefront Station is in downtown Cleveland near the Lake Erie waterfront. It is a service stop for the Lake Shore Limited.

Listen to the podcast to hear about my journey from Chicago to Cleveland.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music,  Apple Podcasts,  Castbox, Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Vurbl , You Tube and others.

Music:

AKM Music licenses Steam Railway and Stars Smile at You for use in this podcast.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:33 — 25.2MB)

Chicago’s Architecture –  US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 34

‘Chicago’s Architecture’ takes me on a very interesting river trip through the city.

Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with this podcast:

On to the river:

I cross the river on on Michigan Avenue using the DuSable Bridge. Starting in 1918 the bridge takes 10 years to complete although it opens for traffic in 1920. Like the other bridges that I will pass under during the afternoon the bridge opens.

I join the Shoreline Sightseeing boat at the Michigan Avenue dock for the afternoon Architecture Tour.

Our Guide:

Becky is our guide and she bubbles with enthusiasm throughout the journey telling us interesting facts and anecdotes about the buildings that we’re passing.

Some of the highlights:

We hear about the Chicago Fire of 1871 which destroys much of the city. Although it is a great disaster it gives the city the chance to start again. In 1885, just 14 years after the fire, the first skyscraper in the world is built in Chicago.

We pass the carriage sidings for Union Station. These are all below other buildings. Amtrak owns the land but is willing to sell air rights allowing developers to build above their tracks.

We also see the old main post office. A building with 2.7 million square feet of space inside. Between 1929 and 1996 this post office ships, via the railway network, the mail order purchases from Montgomery Ward and Sears Roebuck across the United States.

Down to Lake Michigan:

We travel to the lock that separates the Chicago River from Lake Michigan. The lock gate is slightly open and we see water flowing from the lake into the river. The lake surface is higher than the river. One might say it flows in the wrong direction!

Listen to the podcast to hear about the rest of the river tour through  Chicago’s Architecture.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music,  Apple Podcasts,  Castbox, Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Vurbl , You Tube and others.

Music:

AKM Music licenses Steam Railway and White Cat for use in this podcast.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 12:09 — 11.1MB)

Millennium Park and the Lurie Garden –  US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 33

‘Millennium Park and the Lurie Garden’ takes me through the streets of Chicago to this wonderful garden in the centre of the city.

Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with this podcast:

Through the streets:

I’m now in the heart of The Loop, the ‘downtown’ area in Chicago. In every direction I look are the  skyscrapers which last night had their tops hidden in the clouds.

I’m see the amazing Carbide and Carbon building, built in 1929. It  really is an absolute stunner.  According to popular legend, the architects chose this building’s dark green and gold colours, based on a gold foiled champagne bottle.  Whether true or not, the building is one of the most distinctive features on the Chicago skyline.

I pass  plenty of places to eat. Some are premium establishments and many are chains.  There are many that I’ve never seen before,  such as Stan’s Donuts and Bubblelicious Milk and Fruit Tea.  Yes, it really does exist!

Millennium Park:

As you enter Millennium Park from the north one of the first things you see is the Millennium Monument. The dedication is to Millennium Park’s founders. There are individuals, including someone called Anonymous, through to big corporations.

It’s quite a warm day and there is a big water feature where people are paddling. Others are getting soaked by the water raining down from above.

In each part of Millennium Park the roadways and paths bear the names of some of the sponsors.

The Lurie Garden:

The Lurie Garden is a two and a half acre garden at the southern end of the Millennium Park. It combines natural planting with ecologically sensitive maintenance practices. It is an urban oasis for both visitors and wildlife.  The habitat supports a wide variety of plants, animals, and insects.

In 1997 the Illinois Central Rail Yards it were made available for development into the Millennium Park and Lurie Gardens.

Today it creates a rooftop garden on top of the Millennium Park parking garage, which is itself above railway tracks. The garden blends with Chicago’s past, present and future. It reflects Chicago’s transformation from a flat marshland to a city that invests in extensive green spaces.  Or as they call it,  ‘Herbs in Horto’. Apparently the Latin for a ‘City in a Garden’.

Listen to the podcast to hear the rest of my morning in Chicago.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music,  Apple Podcasts,  Castbox, Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Vurbl , You Tube and others.

Music:

AKM Music licenses Steam Railway and In Green Forest for use in this podcast.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 17:30 — 16.0MB)

We arrive in Chicago –  US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 32

‘We arrive in Chicago’ completes our journey on the Texas Eagle. In 62 hours we have passed through cities and countryside, deserts and lush pasture, an amazing, ever changing, panorama.

Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with this podcast:

Leaving Pontiac:

Our stop in Pontiac is brief, a few seconds maybe and worthy of a Formula 1 pit stop.

Pontiac station hosts both the Lincoln Service, running between Chicago Union Station and the Gateway Transportation Center in St. Louis, and the Texas Eagle. The station has a single, low-level side platform and a modern station building for passengers. It complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Originally a stop on the Chicago and Alton Railroad the old station depot, built in 1901, was replaced with the current one in 2017.

The old station, one block north of the new station, becomes a pizzeria.

Joliet:

The railway reaches Joliet began in 1852, enabling the city to rapidly grow into a railway hub. In 1909 an improvement project removes level crossings and constructs a new Union Station.

Joliet Union Station opens in 1912, serving at its peak over 100 trains a day. The decline in passenger numbers in the late 20th century coupled with the increase in freight traffic leads to issues because of congestion.

The station is 37.2 miles from Chicago Union Station and in 2018 it is the 51st busiest of Metra’s 236 non-downtown stations, with an average of 996 passengers boarding on weekdays.

In 2024, Joliet is served by eight Lincoln Service trains (four each way) and two Texas Eagle trains (one each way), every day and in 2023 hosts nearly 60,600 Amtrak passengers.

We reach Chicago:

Our journey into Chicago takes us through a varied landscape. We see old industry pouring pollution into the atmosphere, narrow streets and run down buildings.

Conversely we also pass modern housing with pleasant gardens and then a yacht marina, home to leisure craft. In the distance there are the skyscrapers of the city, their top floors shrouded in the clouds.

For me the high point is the Canal Street bridge, also called the Pennsylvania Railroad bridge, which is a vertical-lift bridge across the south branch of the Chicago River. Opening in 1915 it becomes an official Chicago Landmark on December 12, 2007.

To visit the Amtrak website please follow this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music,  Apple Podcasts,  Castbox, Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Vurbl , You Tube and others.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 20:04 — 18.4MB)

Carlinville to Pontiac –  US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 31

‘Carlinville to Pontiac’ continues our journey through the lush farmland of Illinois and historic towns and cities.

Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with this podcast:

Carlinville:

The town is the county seat of Macoupin County and has nearly as many historic sites as it does unique and interesting shops, restaurants and attractions.

In the Historic District you’ll find the Macoupin County Jail, Million Dollar Courthouse, and the largest collection of Sears & Roebuck mail-order homes in the U.S.

The new Carlinville station dates from the Autumn of 2017 and hosted 8,332 passengers in 2023.

Springfield:

Abraham Lincoln spends a large part of his life here. His memory is celebrated all over the city. Visitors can tour his home from 1837 to 1861 and  stand in the sitting room where he wrote his speeches.

His marble family tomb is at Oak Ridge Cemetery and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum tells about his personal and political life.

The station dates from 1895 and is due to be replaced by a, delayed, new facility in 2025. The station hosts over 140,000 passengers in 2023.

Lincoln:

When the railway company arrives here in 1853 they decide to name the new town after their lawyer – one Abraham Lincoln.

Mr. Lincoln arrives on August 27, 1853, and leads a ceremony by the tracks to mark the founding of the new town. He pays a farmer to bring a wagon-load of watermelons, for the celebrants. Lincoln then cuts into one and “christens” the railroad with the juice.

The current station opens in 1911 and in 2023 a total of 15,557 passengers use the station.

Normal:

Often called Bloomington-Normal, or BN, because the station serves both communities.

The station dating from 1990 was rebuilt to open in 2012. It is a modern facility like some of the others on our route through Illinois. In 2023 it hosts nearly 204,000 passengers.

Pontiac:

We head through vast fields of maize until we reach Pontiac, another city on Route 66. The current station dates from 2017 and in 2023 nearly 13,000 Amtrak passengers use it.

If you enjoy these podcasts please join me in a couple of weeks as we continue our journey on the Texas Eagle from Pontiac to Chicago.

Links:

To visit the Amtrak website please follow this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music,  Apple Podcasts,  Castbox, Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Vurbl , You Tube and others.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:04 — 17.5MB)

Walnut Ridge to Alton –  US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 30

‘Walnut Ridge to Alton’ continues our journey through the night and into the morning as we travel through Arkansas, Missouri and enter Illinois.

Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with this podcast:

Walnut Ridge:

By the time we reach Walnut Ridge we are 2,215 miles into our journey. I am asleep as the time is around 1.40 am.

It is an Italianate/Mediterranean style station dating from 1920. Today it serves as the home to the local Chamber of Commerce tourist centre and the Amtrak passenger stop. In 2019 nearly 2,900 passengers brave the night hour and use the station.

Poplar Bluff:

We cross the Arkansas / Missouri border on our way to Poplar Bluff where the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway railway station dates from 1910. In 1994 the station is added to the National Register of Historic Places.

In 2003 Union Pacific donates the building to a citizens-led non-profit local committee to Save and Restore the Historic Train Depot. The group raises money to restore both the exterior and interior of the station.

The station hosts nearly 3,750 passengers in 2023.

Arcadia Valley:

First the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway serves the Arcadia Valley with a northbound station in Arcadia and a southbound one in Ironton.

In 1941 the Missouri Pacific construct a new station to consolidate the stations in Arcadia and Ironton. They call the new station Arcadia-Ironton. In 1965 passenger services cease and the Arcadia Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Iron County Historical Society occupy the station.

The current station opens in November 2016 and in 2023 a total of 1,228 night owls use the station.

St. Louis and onwards:

We arrive into the Gateway City of St. Louis and then travel through the morning to Alton in Illinois.

If you enjoy these podcasts please join me in a couple of weeks as we continue our journey on the Texas Eagle through Illinois towards Chicago.

Links:

To visit the Amtrak website please follow this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music,  Apple Podcasts,  Castbox, Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Vurbl , You Tube and others.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 20:31 — 18.8MB)

Texarkana to Little Rock –  US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 29

‘Texarkana to Little Rock’ continues our journey through the evening and into the night as we leave Texas and travel into Arkansas.

Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with this podcast:

Texarkana:

We reach Texarkana after 28 hours travelling through Texas.

Texarkana Union Station dates from 1928. It is on the state border between Texas and Arkansas – quite literally! The border bisects the station structure with  the eastern part, including the waiting room and ticket office, in Arkansas and the western part in Texas. Stopped trains span both states!

It is the second busiest Amtrak station in Arkansas.

Although it is on the National Register of Historic Places the view from the platform is somewhat depressing. Sadly there is not time for me to see the more impressive facade on the street.

Hope:

The red brick Hope depot dates from 1912. The original operator, the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railroad, a subsidiary of Missouri Pacific Railway, is commonly known as the “MoPac.”

The station is in the MoPac’s signature Mediterranean Revival style.  It was in passenger use until November 1968, before falling into disrepair.

To celebrate the election of Hope native Bill Clinton to the U.S. presidency plans were made to convert the station into a museum focused on Clinton’s life. In 1994 the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company, part of Union Pacific Railroad, donates the station to the city in 1994. In 1995, with renovations complete, the facility opens to the public.

Arkadelphia:

They do love fancy names in this part of the world. This station dates from 1917 and in 2023 1,050 passengers use the station.

Next up:

If you enjoy these podcasts please join me in a couple of weeks as we continue our journey on the Texas Eagle through the night and into the morning.

Links:

To visit the Amtrak website please follow this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music,  Apple Podcasts,  Castbox, Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Vurbl , You Tube and others.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:31 — 17.9MB)

Mineola to Marshall –  US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 28

‘Mineola to Marshall’ continues our journey through the afternoon and in to the evening.

Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with this podcast:

Mineola:

As the episode opens we are travelling through the countryside as we approach Mineola. We stop short of the station, across a level crossing, waiting for permission to enter the station.

I have a good view of the main street and the bandstand which is proudly flying the Stars and Stripes, the national flag of the US. I wonder whether this is left over from the celebrations of ‘Independence Day’ yesterday.

Just after we pull out of Mineola there is the first call for dinner. There are only two sittings today.

Longview:

We pass through some lovely countryside on our journey from Mineola to Longview. There is dappled sunlight and a beautiful lake full of reflections.

The red brick station dates from 1940, replacing an 1874 building. Its in the Colonial Revival style, popular in the early 20th century. There are stylized quoins, brick cornice and grey stone trim highlighting the coping, keystones and lintels.

In its heyday there were several Missouri Pacific and Texas & Pacific trains a day.

Soon after leaving Longview we pass a car breakers yard.

Marshall:

Marshall is a crew change stop. The crew finishing their shift allow me off the train so that I have time to photograph a steam locomotive and a caboose which are part of the railway museum.

The station, known as the T&P Depot, is the only surviving structure of the Texas and Pacific Railway complex which originally consisted of fifty-seven buildings spanning 66 acres.

I re-board the train as we set off for our next stop at Texarkana which, apparently, is on the state line.

Next up:

If you enjoy these podcasts please join me in a couple of weeks as we continue our journey on the Texas Eagle across the state line from Texas to Arkansas.

Links:

To visit the Amtrak website please follow this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music,  Apple Podcasts,  Castbox, Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Vurbl , You Tube and others.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 18:36 — 17.0MB)

Fort Worth to Mineola-  US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 27

‘Fort Worth to Mineola’ covers the 120 miles between these two cities. The journey has a schedule of 3 hours.

Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with this podcast:

Fort Worth:

We arrive in Fort Worth early. The station dates from 2002 and is an intermodal transit centre in downtown Fort Worth serving TEXRail, Trinity Railway Express, Amtrak , and Greyhound intercity buses. The station is also the main transfer centre for Fort Worth’s buses.

There are toilets, vending machines, a passenger service kiosk, and a Subway sandwich shop.

There are five brick bas-reliefs depicting a former black-owned commercial district that existed at the station site from the Civil War to the 1940s. The reliefs are by Paula Blincoe Collins.

There is a restored interurban car from the Northern Texas Traction Company on display.

Dallas:

Dallas Union Station, officially the Eddie Bernice Johnson Union Station is an  intermodal railway station. The third busiest Amtrak station in Texas, behind Fort Worth Central and San Antonio, serves DART Light Rail , Trinity Railway Express commuter rail and Amtrak.

The station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The first floor of the station houses an Amtrak ticketing window, waiting room, and privately rented offices. The second floor contains the restored Grand Hall and several meeting rooms named after railway companies that previously serviced Dallas. 

Towards Mineola:

I’m travelling on the 5th July, maybe that’s why it is very quiet! Is everyone recovering from yesterday’s celebrations? Once we leave Dallas we travel through farmland until we reach the outskirts of Mineola where the episode ends. I’ll tell you about Mineola in the next episode.

Next up:

If you enjoy these podcasts please join me in a couple of weeks as we continue our journey on the Texas Eagle.

Links:

To visit the Amtrak website please follow this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music,  Apple Podcasts,  Castbox, Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher , Vurbl , You Tube and others.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:38 — 18.0MB)

Temple to Fort Worth –  US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 26

‘Temple to Fort Worth’ is composed of my thoughts on the 130 mile journey between these two cities. The journey has schedule of 2 1/2 hours but we reach Fort Worth early.

Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with this podcast:

Temple:

Temple station dates from the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. East of the station, on another railway line through Temple, is a former Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad depot.

The station houses the Temple Railroad and Heritage Museum and an Amtrak ticket office. You can visit the museum from Monday to Saturday.

The Amtrak office is open until the northbound Texas Eagle departs.

Next to the station is the home of the Central Texas Area Model Railroaders who have  a model train layout. It is is open to the public on the first and fourth Saturday of each month.

McGregor:

McGregor station is a railway station that dates from 1904. This old Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway station is the closest Amtrak station to Waco, approximately 16 miles to the east.

In 2022 3,344 passengers use the station.

Cleburne:

Cleburne was formerly  Camp Henderson. It is named after Confederate General Pat Cleburne. In 1871 the City incorporates.

It becomes a major locomotive works for the Santa Fe Railroad for many years. In 1904 Cleburne becomes the northern end of the Trinity and Brazos Valley Railway.

Today’s intermodal station, built in 1999, serves Amtrak trains and is the office for the local bus operation.

Fort Worth:

As the episode ends we reach Fort Worth. We are still early! I’ll tell you all about Fort Worth in the next episode.

Next up:

If you enjoy these podcasts please join me in a couple of weeks as we continue our journey on the Texas Eagle.

Links:

To visit the Amtrak website please follow this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music licenses Steam Railway and Look at the Detail for use in this podcast.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 18:35 — 17.0MB)

San Marcos to Temple  –  US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 25

‘San Marcos to Temple’ covers around 105 miles of our journey. We reach Temple, the fourth station on this part of the journey, after nearly 3 hours.

To see the photographs that accompany this podcast please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery:

San Marcos:

We soon reach San Marcos station. It is an intermodal transit centre. The primary destination for passengers is towards Dallas–Fort Worth. 19.4% of passengers commute locally and 12.5% of passengers travel as far as Chicago and Los Angeles.

In addition to the  Texas Eagle the station offers the  Capital Area Rural Transportation System and Greyhound Lines buses.

On the banks of the San Marcos River, the city is home to Texas State University and the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment. It has a rapidly growing population which in 2010 was 44,894, rising to 67,553 in the 2020 census.

The area is believed to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the Americas.

Austin:

Austin station is just west of downtown Austin. The Missouri Pacific Railroad builds the station in 1947. Today it is served by the north and southbound Texas Eagle. There is a small waiting room, ticket office and toilet for passengers.

2022 saw 26,665 passengers using the station.

Taylor:

The next station is Taylor where 3,570 passengers use the station in 2022. There are no staff at the station which consists of a small pavilion with picnic tables. It shares a plot of land with a Union Pacific yard office.

Taylor dates from 1876 when the Texas Land Company auctions lots in anticipation of the arrival of the International-Great Northern Railroad . The city is named after Edward Moses Taylor, a railway official. Initially Taylorsville, becoming Taylor in 1892.

Temple:

As the episode ends we reach Temple. We are 15 minutes early! I’ll tell you all about Temple in the next episode.

Next up:

If you enjoy these podcasts please join me in a couple of weeks as we continue our journey on the Texas Eagle.

Links:

To visit the Amtrak website please follow this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music licenses Steam Railway and Look at the Detail for use in this podcast.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 20:12 — 18.5MB)

Marfa to New Braunfels  –  US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 24

‘Marfa to New Braunfels’ covers our 400 mile journey during the late afternoon and overnight. We travel from the very wet desert west of Marfa to New Braunfels on the way to our stop at San Marcos.

To see the photographs that accompany this podcast please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery:

The desert:

As we travel east the weather starts to clear. It is still raining and the clouds are grey but the desert is no longer under water.

We pass through Valentine and see a ‘blimp’ tethered  beside a hanger. Luckily the mooring ropes look strong as anything less would have broken in the wind and rain we passed through.

We pass through Marfa and soon are back into the desert again.

Alpine:

The next city we come to is Alpine. The sun shone on my westward journey on the Sunset Limited in 2019. Not so today, it is grey, getting dark and with rain. That’s a pity for those who want to get off for a ‘smoke break’!

The community of around 6,000 has the normal large shops as well as smaller, interesting, ones. Sadly the Alpine Studio bed and breakfast has  closed, to make way for a store whereas the historic Bottle House has more bedrooms than I’d need.

Onwards into the night:

The next station is Sanderson. 153 passengers use the station in 2022, that’s roughly half a passenger per train! The original station was demolished in 2012 and in 2021 a $3 million replacement facility opened. It consists of an open-air shelter with a built-in bench, providing shaded seating, a concrete platform, a concrete parking area, and concrete walkway.

We travel through the night, through Del Rio and on to San Antonio. The train splits in San Antonio as the coaches for the Texas Eagle are detached from the rest of the train.

The Sunset Limited continues on its journey to New Orleans whilst our coaches join the rest of the Texas Eagle. We are soon on the journey northward to Chicago and breakfast beckons ……

Next up:

If you enjoy these podcasts please join me in a couple of weeks as we continue our journey on the Texas Eagle.

Links:

To visit the Amtrak website please follow this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music licenses Steam Railway and Corporate Winners for use in this podcast.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 18:33 — 17.0MB)

El Paso and a very wet desert  –  US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 23

‘El Paso and a very wet desert’ describes our time in El Paso and the first part of our journey to Alpine, Texas.

The photographs that accompany this podcast:

Please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery:

El Paso:

Apparently it is 95^oF (35^oC) as I step from the train onto the platform. It really is hot and I keep in the shade as I walk down the platform. It really is pleasant to re-board the train with its air-conditioning.

As we get ready to leave we hear that the next stop is Alpine, about four hours away – although it all depends on freight traffic! The Restaurant car team are taking reservations for dinner.

Into the desert:

The roads are quiet as we leave town, of course it is the July 4th holiday. We are soon into rural areas passing irrigated farmland and then into the desert passing fly-tipped rubbish along the way.

The desert is magnificently rugged and we pass fascinating rock formations. More rubbish, this time a large pile of tyres.

We start seeing some pools of water alongside the tracks. Has there been rain?

There is no sign of any humanity on this stretch although we do pass some cows, an abandoned rusty car and I get another Texas Alert call on my ‘phone.

We are close to the border with Mexico on this stretch and we pass a Homeland Security checkpoint on the road.

Rain:

As we travel the skies are getting darker although it is a July afternoon. Some of the cloud formations are amazing, they promise rain.

We start passing muddy areas, then areas with standing water. In a week or so the seeds of the desert flowers will germinate and go through their rapid lifecycle. Those travelling then will have very different scenery.

It gets darker, the wind is buffets the train and the rain is pours down. The desert is covered in water and a small tornado races by.

Listen to the podcast to hear the full story of the journey into the very wet desert.

Next up:

If you enjoy these podcasts please join me in a couple of weeks as we continue our journey on the Texas Eagle.

Links:

To visit the Amtrak website please follow this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music licenses Steam Railway and Feel Good for use in this podcast.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:46 — 18.1MB)

To the border town of El Paso – US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 22

‘To the border town of El Paso’ covers my journey from our stop at Lordsburg, via Deming, through the inhospitable countryside of New Mexico.

The photographs that accompany this podcast:

Please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery:

Lordsburg:

As we leave Lordsburg we pass alongside a road with dreary buildings. There are a number of motels and, whilst I see one that is open, a number appear long closed. However, on-line sources tell me that there are still 12 motels with 300 rooms available as the city is a day’s drive from Los Angeles for those travelling on Interstate 10.

The Continental Divide:

We cross the Continental Divide between Lordsburg and Deming at 4,587 feet above sea level. Rivers to the east flow into the Atlantic and those to the west into the Pacific.

Deming:

This town of around 14,800 people has another Amtrak shelter and sign. Another short stop on our journey.

There is a marker to show where a Silver Spike was driven to celebrate the meeting of the Southern Pacific and Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe railways. This was second transcontinental railway in the US.

We quickly return to the desert.

Union Pacific Santa Teresa facility:

Completed a year ahead of schedule the 2,200-acre site creates logistics efficiencies for Union Pacific customers in the Southwestern U.S. It is on Union Pacific’s critical Sunset Route, running for 760 miles from El Paso to Los Angeles.

Running into El Paso:

The Rio Grande is a natural boundary which forms the state line between New Mexico and Texas. It is also the border between the US and Texas from El Paso to the Gulf of Mexico.

We pass the  peak of Sierra Christo Rey with its 33 feet high statue of the Crucifixion before crossing into Texas. We pull to a stop in El Paso station a little early!

Listen to the podcast to hear the full story of the journey from Lordsburg to El Paso.

Next up:

If you enjoy these podcasts please join me in a couple of weeks as we continue our journey on the Texas Eagle.

Links:

To visit the Amtrak website please follow this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music licenses Steam Railway, Acoustic Folk and Horticulture for use in this podcast.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 20:54 — 19.1MB)

From the suburbs of Tucson to Lordsburg – US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 21

In ‘From the suburbs of Tucson to Lordsburg‘ I travel through the unhospitable countryside of Arizona and New Mexico.

To view the photographs for this podcast:

Please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery:

Out into the desert:

There are lots of cacti along our route as we travel away from the Tucson area whilst the dining car serves the last breakfasts.

One of the first sights that we see is the El Paso and Southwestern railway bridge at Cienega Creek built in 1912.  The line splits into two tracks a few miles before the bridge, the result of two railways competing in the area.

One line goes over the bridge whilst the other passes under it. We pass under the bridge. They then follow slightly different routes until a few miles after the bridge where they join together again.

The link above has a map that explains it.

A fellow traveller:

I get to talk with Michael who is going all the way to New Orleans on the Sunset Limited portion of the train. Michael is using Amtrak’s long distance trains to see the US. He is lucky as he lives in Portland, Oregon, served by the Coast Starlight and the Empire Builder.

Benson:

The station is a flag stop and is served by three trains in each direction each week. The facilities are basic, consisting of a metal shelter. As some passengers join the train at Benson the conductor broadcasts a ‘Do’s and Don’ts for travelling by train.

Soon after leaving Benson we see a very long freight train requiring 4 locomotives to pull it.

Desert:

US deserts are not boring – I find them fascinating with an everchanging panorama of sand, scrubby green, hilly, flat, occasional settlements and, of course, the ever present cacti. I wouldn’t like to be abandoned in a desert, but from the airconditioned train they are stunning.

Our route:

We pass about 15 miles from the famed city of Tombstone, home to Boothill Graveyard and the OK Corral. The mountains around us were the final homeland of the Apaches.

Listen to the podcast to hear the rest of the story of the journey to Lordsburg.

Next up:

If you enjoy these podcasts please join me in a couple of weeks as we continue our journey on the Texas Eagle.

Links:

To visit the Amtrak website please follow this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music licenses Steam Railway and Nice and Easy for use in this podcast.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:35 — 17.9MB)

Overnight from Los Angeles to Tucson – US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 20

In ‘Overnight from Los Angeles to Tucson‘ I travel through the night on the first leg of my journey to Chicago. We depart on time from Union Station in LA and arrive in Tucson the next morning, 30 minutes early, whilst I’m having breakfast.

To view the photographs for this podcast:

Please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery:

Departing from Los Angeles:

We depart exactly on time. Our GE Genesis locomotives power up and we are soon slipping out of LA Union Station. This is my favourite station in the US. Will I ever return here?

I’m travelling on the Texas Eagle to Chicago which is some 2,728 miles away. For the first part of the journey I’m in a carriage attached to the Sunset Limited. The train splits in San Antonio which is rougly half way.

Pomona:

The schedule says that we should be in Pomona about 40 minutes after departing from LA. We’re running late!

The eastbound Sunset Limited / Texas Eagle stops at the station on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday around 10:40 pm, and the westbound trains are supposed to stop on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 4am.

1,131 Amtrak passengers used the station in 2022.

Ontario:

This is California’s Ontario, not the state in Canada. The station consists of  a covered, open-air pavilion built by the city in 1991. 3,374 Amtrak passengers use the station in 2022 although the trains are during the night.

Palm Springs and Yuma:

I’m sound asleep as we stop at these two stations, probably gently rocked by the train travelling along the tracks. The station at Palm Springs is 7 miles from the city, however 2,224 passengers used it in 2022.

The train schedule says we stop at Yuma around a quarter to three in the morning – why not 3.10? Yuma sees 4,403 night owls in 2022.

Maricopa:

This station dates from 1996 when Amtrak has to move from Phoenix. In 1999, the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad dome car, “The Silver Horizon” from the old California Zephyr moves to act as the station office. Today it is on static display at the station.

Tucson:

The station dates from 1907. We are early and so we have a long stop in the station allowing me the chance to finish breakfast and look around.

Listen to the podcast to hear more about the first section of my journey on the Texas Eagle.

Next up:

If you enjoy these podcasts please join me in a couple of weeks as we travel through the desert on the Texas Eagle.

Links:

To visit the Amtrak website please follow this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music licenses Steam Railway and One More Bebop for use in this podcast.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 20:05 — 18.4MB)

Los Angeles – US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 19

Los Angeles is an amazing city that I am visiting for the second time.

To view the photographs for this podcast:

Please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery:

New Orleans to Los Angeles:

Another day, another Uber! This time I’m travelling to the New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport for my journey to Los Angeles. I am flying with American Airlines. My first flight is to Dallas Fort Worth and then a second to LAX.

On arrival at LAX I quickly collect my bag from the carousel and go to the FlyAway bus stop for my transport to LA Union Station and then a short taxi ride to my hotel – the DoubleTree in Downtown LA.

Angels Flight:

The Angels Flight is a funicular railway running between Grand Avenue on Bunker Hill and Hill Street where it ends opposite the Grand Central Market. The railway has run since 1901. Unfortunately at the time of my visit it is closed for refurbishment work on the upper station. Even though I can’t travel on it I have seen it.

Grand Central Market:

Grand Central Market is well named! It is grand, I’m sure it is central and it is a market with an amazing number of cultures and food types. Whoever you are and whatever you like you’ll find food to enjoy here. There is food to eat and stalls selling all the ingredients you might want for a really tasty meal.

I decide to have a coffee at G&B whose coffee is really good and spend a while absorbing the atmosphere of the bustling market.

Listen to the podcast to hear about my time in LA, my fruitless search for a watchstrap, some wonderful buildings, Traxx Bar at Union Station and joining the Texas Eagle.

Next up:

If you enjoy these podcasts please join me in a couple of weeks for the start of my journey to Chicago on the Texas Eagle.

Links:

To visit the Amtrak website please follow this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music licenses Steam Railway, Fashion Show and The Gold Rush for use in this podcast.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 20:11 — 18.5MB)

Longue Vue Garden in New Orleans – US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 18

In Longue Vue Garden in New Orleans I visit the amazing garden created by Edith and Edgar Stern.

To view the photographs for this podcast:

Please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery:

Getting to Longue Vue:

I take an Uber from my hotel, the French Market Inn, in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The driver has to follow his SatNav to get to the famed Longue Vue Garden in Bamboo Road in the Lakewood neighbourhood of the city.

We get there without too much trouble and I go to the gatehouse with the details of my booking.

History:

In 1921 the newlyweds Edith and Edgar Stern buy the property. Edith is a Sears Roebuck heiress and Edgar comes from a wealthy New Orleans family. In 1935 they attend a dinner party where they meet the self taught landscape architect Ellen Biddle Shipman.

Ellen Shipman works with the Sterns from 1935 until her death in 1950. Her designs are still evident in the garden that we see today. She uses two techniques – a series of ‘axial’ views which guide the visitor’s sightlines and also ‘garden rooms’ such as the ‘Pan Garden’ and the ‘Walled Garden’.

My visit:

It is a hot and sticky day in late June when I visit. I think I’m too late for many of the flowers but it is still an amazing experience and I can see why the Sterns loved it here. My visit ends with a thunderstorm bringing much needed rain.

Some of the staff are in 1920s dress because it is the 101st anniversary of the Stern’s wedding and there is a big celebration that evening.

Listen to the podcast to hear my thoughts as I walk round the garden.

Next up:

If you enjoy these podcasts please join me in a couple of weeks when I explore the city of Los Angeles.

Links:

To visit the Amtrak website please follow this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music licenses Steam Railway, Jazz Street and Horticulture for use in this podcast.

Sound effects are courtesy of Pixabay.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 17:27 — 16.0MB)

We reach New Orleans on The Crescent – US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 17

In We reach New Orleans on The Crescent this section of my journey comes to an end as we reach New Orleans after midnight.

To view the photographs for this podcast:

Please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery:

South of Meridian:

This episode begins after we leave the station at Meridian. We are running over an hour and a half late. We pass a collection of storage silos beside the line. It doesn’t look as though they are used to load railcars.

Laurel:

Our first stop is at Laurel, a flag-stop. Our stop is short and we are soon on our way. The station dates from 1913, built by the New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad. The station is a Mississippi Landmark and is also on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 2022 the station was used by 2,024 Crescent passengers.

Hattiesburg:

Hattiesburg station is also known as Union Station and the New Orleans & Northeastern Passenger Depot. The station is the last regular stop before reaching New Orleans.

The City of Hattiesburg owns the depot plus approximately 3 acres of land. A major project to converted the facility into an intermodal transportation centre. The depot’s Grand Hall is used for art exhibitions, social functions, and private events as it is no longer used by rail passengers.

The station hosts the Bonhomie & Hattiesburg Southern No. 300, built in 1925 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works. The locomotive was in service until 1961 and was one of the last steam locomotives in regular use in the USA. In the last year there has been a legal case about the ownership and placing of the locomotive.

Picayune station:

The station is in the heart of downtown Picayune. This flag-stop is served by The Crescent. The building dates from 2008, a replacement for an open covered shelter. Picayune has been the only Amtrak station on the Mississippi Gulf Coast since the 2005 suspension of the Sunset Limited east of New Orleans.

Slidell:

The flag-stop at Slidell station dates from 1913. It was built for the New Orleans and Northeastern and the New Orleans Great Northern Railroads. Slidell was established in 1881 as a construction camp for the NO&NE and is across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans.

Arrival into New Orleans:

We cross Lake Pontchartrain on the single track Norfolk Southern Lake Pontchartrain Bridge, this is a rolling lift trunnion bridge running parallel to the Maestri Bridge . It is 5.8 miles long and therefore the longest railway bridge in the United States and the longest rail bridge over water in the world.

After further delays we arrive in New Orleans over three hours late at around midnight. I share a taxi to my hotel, check in and am soon asleep!

Next up:

If you enjoy these podcasts please join me in a couple of weeks when I visit the beautiful Longue Vue gardens in New Orleans.

Links:

To visit the Amtrak website please follow this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music licenses Steam Railway and America on the Move for use in this podcast.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 18:16 — 16.7MB)

From east of Leeds to Meridian on The Crescent – US Rail Journeys Series 3 Episode 16

From east of Leeds to Meridian on The Crescent continues my journey as we  travel, with many unscheduled stops, towards New Orleans on  The Crescent.

To view the photographs for this podcast:

Please click on a thumbnail to open the gallery:

Leeds:

This is not the Leeds of my University days! Instead this is a relatively small city of just over 12,000 in the Alabama.

Leeds is a city of mixed industry and although it is a suburb of Birmingham there are lots of trees and it is quite rural. We are soon out into the countryside again.

Irondale:

We pass through Irondale. The downtown area seems to have many grey buildings but someone seems to like the place as there is a very colourful ‘I love Irondale’ message painted on a wall.

Irondale’s (after Irondale Furnace) incorporation dates from October 19, 1887. The Golden Rule Bar-B-Q opens in 1891, it is the oldest restaurant in Alabama.

In 1916 the Irondale earthquake, magnitude 5.1, causes damage in the area. In 1981, Mother Angelica founds the Eternal Word Television Network.

The Irondale Chamber of Commerce uses the old Great Southern Railway’s X500 refurbished caboose as their office.

Sloss Ironworks:

We pass the historic Sloss Ironworks on our approach to the station in Birmingham. The ironworks is a historic monument with the only US blast furnaces making up part of a museum.

Birmingham station:

How depressing. The platform area really is in need of a great deal of TLC! When we leave the station we soon pass through one of the best scrapyards I’ve seen in the US.

Please listen to the podcast to hear the full story.

Next up:

If you enjoy these podcasts please join me in a couple of weeks as I continue my journey south on The Crescent towards New Orleans.

Links:

To visit the Amtrak website please follow this link.

This podcast is also available through Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox , Deezer, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher and Vurbl and others.

Music:

AKM Music licenses Steam Railway and Summer Party for use in this podcast.