southwest chief

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  1. Amtrak in New Mexico's beauty

    Amtrak in New Mexico's beauty

    Amtrak No. 3 rounds scenic curve at Romeroville, NM, just south of Las Vegas, NM, and off I-25. July 2016.
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    • Category: Amtrak and other US Passenger Trains
  2. Amtrak Southwest Chief in scenic northern New Mexico

    Amtrak Southwest Chief in scenic northern New Mexico

    Amtrak No. 3, the Southwest Chief, rolls past scenic cliffs between Las Vegas, NM, and Lamy, NM, near San Jose, NM. June 2013.
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    • Category: Amtrak and other US Passenger Trains
  3. Yard Limit

    Surfliner F59PHI's on the Southwest Chief

    On November 3 and 3, 2018, two more Amtrak Surfliner F59PHI locomotives moved across the country on the Southwest Chief. These two locomotives, Amtrak 452 and Amtrak 462, are part of a purchase by Metra in Chicago from Amtrak in California. Amtrak maintains a dedicated fleet of 15 EMD F59PHI...
  4. Yard Limit

    A Collection of Private Varnish on the Southwest Chief

    Private cars, or Private Varnish is one of the beautiful sights on the Southwest Chief. Here are some that have visited New Mexico that we haven't previously shared. The Silver Splendor was built by the Budd Co. in 1956 as Chicago, Burlington & Quincy No. 4735, this stainless steel Vista-Dome...
  5. Yard Limit

    Deadhead Locomotives on the Southwest Chief

    Locomotives can deadhead on trains for several reasons. In this video we first see AMTK 457 deadheading to Chicago to become part of the METRA roster. AMTK 505 makes its way through the 505 area code on its way to the Beech Grove maintenance facility in Indiana. Sometimes the deadhead didn’t...
  6. Yard Limit

    Amtrak Southwest Chiefs Meet in Bernalillo, NM!

    It's a very rare occurrence when Amtrak 3 and 4 meet in Bernalillo, New Mexico. Amtrak 4 has to be about 3 hours late and Amtrak 3 has to be on time. On August 10, 2018 I was monitoring the progress of both trains and realized that Amtrak 4 would be delayed at CP Hahn by a southbound...
  7. Yard Limit

    F59PHI Surfliners on the Southwest Chief

    On March 16, 2018 and July 1, 2018, two Amtrak Surfliner F59PHI locomotives moved across the country on the Southwest Chief. These two locomotives are part of a purchase by Metra in Chicago from Amtrak in California. Amtrak maintains a dedicated fleet of 15 EMD F59PHI locomotives painted to...
  8. Yard Limit

    Private Cars on the Southwest Chief

    Maybe once or twice a year, Amtrak 4 is running late enough to meet Amtrak 3 in Bernalillo, NM. June 25, 2018 was one of those rare moments. What made this event more interesting was Amtrak 4 had the Silver Rapids and Silver Solarium on the rear and Amtrak 3 had the Puget Sound. Special...
  9. Yard Limit

    BNSF 5836 Leads a Backwards Amtrak 4!

    We lead off with Amtrak 3 being led by AMTK 3 as it passes through Bernalillo, NM. After a tragic derailment near Kingman, AZ, Amtrak 3 became Amtrak 4 in Flagstaff, AZ. Passengers were bused in from California and Kingman. Unfortunately, the train was still pointing west so BNSF 5836 was...
  10. Yard Limit

    BNSF 7026 Leads Amtrak 4

    For the second time in a week BNSF assists the Southwest Chief. AMTK 824 was on this train but got set out near Flagstaff because of a flat wheel. BNSF 7026 picked up the slack and led the train to Chicago.
  11. Yard Limit

    Patrick Henry PV's on the Southwest Chief in Cerrillos, NM

    The village of Los Cerrillos was first established as a tent camp between the lead and silver mines of the Carbonateville to the north and the coal mining camp of Madrid and the gold mines of the Placer and Ortiz Mountains to the south. Los Cerrillos flourished as a natural access point between...
  12. Yard Limit

    AMTK 90278 Deadheads on the Southwest Chief

    AMTK 90278 is a non-powered cab unit (NPCU). It was originally built in 1977 as AMTK 278, an EMD F40PH. NPCU's are used on regional trains such as the Amtrak Cascades which goes between two points and aren't turned at either destination. One end of the train has a powered locomotive and the...
  13. Yard Limit

    Pacific Parlour Cars Make Their Last Journey

    Amtrak, in a recent poorly conceived decision, decided to retire the five Pacific Parlour Cars that were well known and appreciated on the Coast Starlight. On February 17 and 18, 2018, these cars departed Los Angeles on the eastbound Southwest Chief where we were fortunate to catch them in...
  14. Yard Limit

    Amtrak Surfliner Cars on the Southwest Chief

    Railcars are often deadheaded on the Southwest Chief between Los Angeles and Chicago. Here we see the Amtrak Surfliner Grover Beach on Amtrak 4, the eastbound Southwest Chief on February 8, 2018, and the Point Buchon on Amtrak 3, the westbound Southwest Chief on February 4, 2018. Both trains...
  15. Yard Limit

    Amtrak Southwest Chief in New Mexico

    Twice a day the Southwest Chief passes through New Mexico and here are a few videos of them!
  16. Yard Limit

    Private Varnish on the Southwest Chief

    I love private rail cars, also known as Private Varnish. I’ve always thought this would be the best way to travel and see the country if time was no factor. During the summer months, PV’s are fairly common on all the transcontinental trains as private owners vacation or the public charter cars...
  17. Yard Limit

    Deadhead Power Moves on the Southwest Chief

    On August 28, 2017, NCDOT 1859 was on the westbound Southwest Chief. This unit was being transported to the Rail Propulsion Systems Fullerton, CA location for followup testing. This locomotive, an F59PH, was built over 20 years ago and outfitted with a Blended After Treatment System, or BATS...
  18. Yard Limit

    Pacific Parlour Cars on the Southwest Chief

    No, Amtrak hasn't started using Pacific Parlour Cars on the Southwest Chief, but it is the preferred method for deadheading them between California and Beech Grove, Indiana where they are refurbished and maintained. The Pacific Parlour Car is a First Class lounge car that operates...
  19. Yard Limit

    BNSF 1770 Meets AMTK 821 in Bernalillo, NM

    Fall is a beautiful time of year in New Mexico and the world's largest cottonwood tree forest starts to turn yellow. What could be better than a blue and yellow BNSF legacy locomotive pulling the Lamy Local? The dispatcher puts him on the siding at Bernalillo, giving me a perfect opportunity...
  20. Yard Limit

    AMTK 822 on the Southwest Chief

    AMTK 822 is a GE P40DC built in 1993. The P40 series was built from 1993 to 1996 and the only other 800 series I've seen on Amtrak is 821. Additional deliveries of the P42DC ended up replacing the P40DCs. Three units had been wrecked (819 in the 1993 Big Bayou Canot train wreck and 807 and 829...


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