Meeting Of The
Southwest Chiefs

From: "L. Mason Blaich" 
Subject: Meeting of the Southwest Chiefs--Sunday, August 10

My wife, Janice, and I had a great opportunity to catch a meeting of the
Eastbound and Westbound Southwest Chiefs at approx. 4:00PM MDT at the
station in Lamy, New Mexico (Santa Fe) on Sunday, 8/10.  This was the
first EB SW Chief to pass through New Mexico after the Sat., 8/9
derailment O/S Kingman, AZ.  A packed charter bus met the EB train.  The
bus had come all the way from Las Vegas, NEVADA, not Las Vegas, New
Mexico, full of passengers from the previous day's derailed train.  This
made me wonder where the EB train had originated, because the bus could
have met the EB train in Kingman, Flagstaff, Winslow, etc. much closer
to Las Vegas, NV!!  Perhaps Amtrak just turned around the previous day's
WB SW Chief which had been halted in Albuquerque due to the EB
derailment?!

The EB train arrived in Lamy at 3:15PM MDT (45 minutes late) and waited
at the station for the charter bus which arrived at 3:55PM MDT and the
WB train which arrived at 4:10PM MDT (40 minutes late approx.), and
departed at 4:14PM MDT.  The EB train then departed at 4:20PM MDT (an
hour and 40 minutes late).  An interesting thing happened which we had
not seen before.  The EB train started to leave the station at 4:16PM. 
The entire consist except for the two sleeping cars and six trailing
mail cars had left the platform when the train came to a "screetching"
stop!  Two folks, loaded with luggage, came running out of the station
and ran on to one of the sleeping cars!  The train then resumed its
departure.  I guess sometimes Amtrak does give you a second chance to
board!  I thought it was a bit odd to see latecomers, because the train
was departing over one and a half hours late!  Perhaps the sleeping cars
could not be boarded at first due to the relatively short platform in
Lamy, but the EB train had been on the platform for over an hour!

Well, it was one of those gorgeous summer afternoons in the Land of
Enchantment, clear and crisp after an early afternoon western
thunderstorm!  Janice and I walked across the street and celebrated our
good fortune in seeing both the EB and WB trains by quaffing a bottle of
New Mexico Chardonnay at the Legal Tender Saloon in Lamy.

Mason Blaich