I got off 5283 in Victorville as the kids were loading and headed back to the business car. That's a plastic Santa on the 5283's front walkway!
Round-end observation cars are nice, but a classic platform obs is the ultimate in rail travel. Our car was the Missouri River, an ex-GN car that was originally built in the 1950's as the executives' car. It continues to serve this purpose today. It is outfitted with two large staterooms, a huge bathroom, a secretary's office, a small galley, a 14-seat banquet table, a parlour seating area, a library of antique books, and a big-screen TV with surround sound.
The Missouri River has mirrors to allow riders to see the head end of the train, so it gave me a heads up when westbounds were coming. Here's a meet shot through the mirror.
Arriving in Barstow we pass the engine facility where locomotives of all four pre-merger railroads can be seen - Santa Fe, UP, SP, and BN. Of particular interest is the Santa Fe unit, which is and SD39 mated to a slug. These units are used to switch the huge classification yard.
We turn on the balloon track to get the train headed back west.
These last two photos give a better view of the passenger cars. The first three are a generator car, a baggage car, and the sleeping car Cajon Pass. The next three are ex-Metra gallery cars that have been outfitted as lounges. The other two cars not visible are the dining car and the Missouri River, whose platform I'm standing on.
This is the dead line at Barstow with long lines of aged SDP40F-2's and SD45's awaiting sale to a scrapper. They have been replaced by DASH 9-44CW's like 5283 leading our train.
Out in the Mojave flatlands we pass a long manifest freight at high speed.
Crossing the famed twin bridges over the Mojave River between Oro Grande and Victorville. You can't get this kind of shot from a regular Superliner!
