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| Santa Fe 3751, Miramar, Cal., 2008 |
I'm writing from the restored El Trovatore Motel in Kingman, Arizona (watch for a post soon!), en route to meeting Santa Fe no. 3751 in Williams and covering her westbound trip to Los Angeles. Click here for the full schedule. This is the big 4-8-4's first big road trip outside California in nearly 10 years -- she powered a similar odyssey to Williams in August 2002. Since then she's handled excursions to San Diego, San Bernardino and around the Los Angeles basin. On Friday she'll take her train down the BNSF line towards Phoenix and turn west to Parker via the Arizona and California Railway (a former Santa Fe route). After staying the night in Parker, she'll cross back into California and rejoin BNSF rails for the return trip to LA.
Appropriately enough, Amtrak No. 66 is one of the two helper diesels assigned to the train. You can bet I'm looking for a good Route 66 photo op! To celebrate 3751's return to her old stomping grounds, here are a few photos of the 1927 Baldwin during recent travels.
Steaming past an old packing house in Upland, Cal., on the old Pasadena line, May 2010.
In September 2008, 3751 leads a private car owners' excursion through Torrey Pines Park near Del Mar, Cal. at dusk.
No matter where she goes, 3751 always draws a crowd. San Bernardino, Cal., May 2010.
