Sunset Limited
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Amtrak's Sunset Limited is a 2764-mile (4448 km) passenger train route that connects Orlando, Florida, to Los Angeles, California. The service is operated three days a week. Currently, most of the route is operated at 70 mph (110 km/h), though stops and delays are common. Railfans have pointed out that the Sunset Limited is behind schedule almost 100% of the time. This is said to be due to extensive sharing of congested Union Pacific Railroad lines with freight. A delay of about 6 to 12 hours is common.
Since August 28, 2005, the Sunset Limited route was truncated at San Antonio, Texas, as a result of damage to trackage in the Gulf Coast area caused by Hurricane Katrina. In late October 2005, limited service has been restored between San Antonio and New Orleans as the line has been repaired through southwest Louisiana. No service is available east of that point, and will not be for quite some time (possibly several years) unless Amtrak decides to reroute the train. Much of the train's route through Mississippi has been completely destroyed, including at least two major bridges.
On days when the Sunset Limited runs, it picks up cars of the Texas Eagle at San Antonio, Texas, carrying them to Los Angeles. Due to the hurricane, it is actually the Texas Eagle that continues to Los Angeles while limited service is; no cars are added there. The San Antonio-New Orleans section is provided by a special train which connects to the Texas Eagle. [link]
The Sunset Limited was the first transcontinental passenger route across the U.S. operated by a single company, though many routes have run between the Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.
The tracks used were once part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, Seaboard Air Line Railroad, Louisville and Nashville Railroad and Southern Pacific Railroad systems, and are now owned by CSX and the Union Pacific Railroad. The origin of the Sunset name comes from the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway, which was known as the Sunset Route as early as 1874. The following lines are used:
- South Florida Railroad (ACL), Orlando, Florida to Sanford, Florida, now CSX
- Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railway (ACL), Sanford to Jacksonville, Florida, now CSX
- Florida Central and Western Railroad (SAL), Jacksonville to Chattahoochee, Florida, now CSX
- Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad (L&N), Chattahoochee to Pensacola, Florida, now CSX
- Pensacola Railroad (L&N), Pensacola to Flomaton, Alabama, now CSX
- Mobile and Montgomery Railway (L&N), Flomaton to Mobile, Alabama, now CSX
- New Orleans and Mobile Railroad (L&N), Mobile to New Orleans, Louisiana, now CSX
- Morgan's Louisiana and Texas Railroad and Steamship Company (SP), New Orleans to Lafayette, Louisiana, now UP
- Louisiana Western Railroad (SP), Lafayette to Orange, Texas, now UP
- Texas and New Orleans Railroad (SP), Orange to Houston, Texas, now UP
- Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway (SP), Houston to El Paso, Texas, now UP
- Southern Pacific Railroad, El Paso to Los Angeles, California, now UP
History
Prior to the start of Amtrak service on May 1, 1971, the Southern Pacific Railroad operated the Sunset Limited between Los Angeles, California, and New Orleans, Louisiana. The Louisville and Nashville Railroad and Seaboard Coast Line Railroad operated the Gulf Wind for passengers continuing east from New Orleans to Jacksonville, Florida. With the Amtrak takeover, the Sunset Limited was kept without changes, while the Gulf Wind was dropped.From New Orleans east to Jacksonville, the tracks remained unused by passenger trains, and maximum speeds had been lowered to reduce costs of freight service. The short-lived Gulf Coast Limited traveled the route from New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama, only operating between April 29, 1984 and January 6, 1985. East of Mobile, the Gulf Breeze began on October 27, 1989, running northeast at Flomaton, Alabama, toward Montgomery rather than south to Pensacola, Florida, to continue east. (The Gulf Breeze was discontinued in 1995.)
On April 4, 1993, the Sunset Limited was extended to Miami, Florida, via the old route to Jacksonville and the route of the Silver Meteor the rest of the way. The full route to Miami was short-lived, and it has since been cut back to Orlando.
Less than half a year later, Amtrak's worst train wreck, the Big Bayou Conot train disaster, happened on the extension in Alabama on September 22, 1993.
On October 9, 1995, saboteurs derailed the Sunset Limited at Hyder, Arizona, by removing 29 spikes holding a section of the track in place and short-circuiting the signal system. [link] Eight of the 12 cars left the tracks, some rolling down an embankment. Michael Bates, a porter, was killed, and seventy-eight people were injured. The perpetrators have never been apprehended. [link]
The Sunset Limited was rerouted to bypass Phoenix, Arizona, on June 2, 1996, due to the Union Pacific Railroad's desire to abandon track between Arlington, Arizona and "Roll" (east of Yuma, Arizona and Wellton, Arizona). Southern Pacific opened the "West Line" between Yuma and Phoenix in 1926; since 1996, the line has not been abandoned. As of early 2006, recent construction activities suggest Union Pacific may reopen the line.
Station stops
The Sunset Limited makes the following station stops:- Orlando (also Silver Meteor and Silver Star)
- Winter Park (also Silver Meteor and Silver Star)
- Sanford (also Silver Meteor and Silver Star)
- Deland (also Silver Meteor and Silver Star)
- Palatka (also Silver Meteor and Silver Star)
- Jacksonville (also Silver Meteor and Silver Star)
- Lake City
- Madison
- Tallahassee
- Chipley
- Crestview
- Pensacola
- New Orleans (also Crescent and City of New Orleans) - Current eastern terminus
- Schriever
- New Iberia
- Lafayette
- Lake Charles
{| class="toccolours" border="1" cellpadding="4" style="margin: 0 auto; border-collapse: collapse; text-align: center;" width=50% |- style="background:#F0F0F0;" ! Amtrak routes |- style="text-align: center;" |South
Auto Train - Carolinian - City of New Orleans - Crescent - Palmetto - Piedmont - Heartland Flyer - Silver Meteor - Silver Star - Sunset Limited - Texas Eagle |- style="text-align: center;" |West
California Zephyr - Empire Builder - Southwest Chief - Sunset Limited - Texas Eagle |- style="text-align: center;" |California
Amtrak California: Capitol Corridor - Pacific Surfliner - San Joaquins
long-distance: California Zephyr - Coast Starlight - Southwest Chief - Sunset Limited - Texas Eagle
External links
References
- Mike Schafer, Amtrak's atlas, Trains June 1991
- Bob Johnston, Getting Ready for the Sunset, Trains March 1993
- Bob Johnston, At last, a transcontinental passenger train, Trains July 1993
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