Amtrak’s Phase I Heritage engine, P42DC 156, was painted to celebrate the carrier’s 40th Anniversary in 2011. After departing Los Angeles, AMTK 156, leading train 4, the now tri-weekly Southwest Chief, departs from its first stop, Fullerton, under a burst of exhaust smoke just after sunset. The train’s engineer, seeing a dozen or so railfans on the platforms, was also using the air horn liberally, allowing those shooting video this evening to get interesting footage – note the man plugging his ears in the distance. AMTK 156, wearing the carrier’s first official paint scheme (dubbed the “Pointless Arrow” scheme) is teamed with P42DC 77 to pull their eight-car train (consisting of sleepers 32064 and 32111, dining car 38021, lounge 33009, coaches 34086, 34136 and 31031, along with Pacific Surfliner business class coach 6804, which is deadheading to the shops in Beech Grove IN) to Chicago. Making Amtrak long-distance trains tri-weekly? Yet another black mark on 2020. (Fullerton, California – October 17, 2020)
A continuously growing album of photos that IMHO reveal the awesome and seldom-seen beauty of the railroad world from the dimming of day to dawn's early light! From dusk to dawn, trains roll on! (I'm still finding gems of sunset-to-sunrise surprises!)