Sunset Limited
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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.
As of 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. No service is available east of that point, and will not be for quite some time 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; no cars are added there.
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
Contents |
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 towards 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.
The Sunset Limited was rerouted to bypass Phoenix, Arizona on June 2, 1996, due to the Union Pacific Railroad's desire to abandon that 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
- Beaumont
- Houston
- San Antonio (also Texas Eagle) (Current eastern terminus)
- Del Rio
- Sanderson
- Alpine
- El Paso
- Palm Springs
- Ontario
- Pomona
- Los Angeles (also Coast Starlight, Pacific Surfliner and Southwest Chief)
A highlight of the trip is the crossing of the Huey P. Long Bridge southwest of New Orleans and west of the train station. This is the longest railroad bridge in the United States, at 4.5 miles (7.2 km), and takes the train 135 ft (41 m) above the Mississippi River.
Amtrak routes |
---|
South
Auto Train - Carolinian - City of New Orleans - Crescent - Palmetto - Piedmont - Heartland Flyer - Silver Meteor - Silver Star - Sunset Limited - Texas Eagle |
West
California Zephyr - Empire Builder - Southwest Chief - Sunset Limited - Texas Eagle |
California
Amtrak California: Capitol Corridor - Pacific Surfliner - San Joaquins |