The southbound Coast Starlight barrels toward Albany Station on Wednesday night.
Another day, another train shot in Albany. But why not? Our town, after all, is a railroad town. Here, take a look:
I titled that brief video “Amtrak is fast” because the train took just a few seconds to pass the crossing where I was standing. I was straddling my bike because after I heard the horn, there was no time to dismount, lean the bike somewhere and get the camera phone set.
Someone commented on YouTube that from where he lives to Eugene, Amtrak can go 79 miles an hour.
Where I was standing, at the Burkhart Street pedestrian and bike crossing, Coast Starlight No. 11 was not going quite that fast. It was probably beginning to slow down for the stop at Albany Station, but it was still moving at a good clip.
For train watchers, the trouble with Amtrak passenger trains is that they are not only fast but short a well. On Wednesday night, Train No. 11 took only 16 seconds to pass the crossing where I stood watching it go.
This was at exactly 5:13 p.m. The train probably took another minute to reach the station and stop. Which, according to the timetable, made Wednesday’s Train 11 exactly one hour late. (hh)
Growing up in Shedd, I can remember every engine sporting their different flags all seemed to have distinct horns. SP, BN, SP&S, UP, SF, even the old Cotton Belt. I often wondered if that was deliberate. You could often guess what name would be on the behemoth before even seeing it. And you knew it was Amtrak by the higher pitch, sometimes causing the hair on the back of your neck to stand up.
Thanks for the train videos, Hasso. Can’t have too many of those.