Train 2 arrived El Paso 11:26. I boarded sleeping car 32110, the Tennessee, to find that my room had just been vacated by arriving passengers and it was not ready.
Photo courtesy of Kathie Lopez who also delivered me to the depot.
I went to the diner to have lunch. The train departed El Paso at 11:53, 2 hr 52 m late. After lunch, I returned to my room and set up my computer with Delorme Topo USA and a GPS and began tracking the progress of the train. We seemed to stay at 80 mph most of the time but at 3:20 CDT we stopped on a siding just west of Valentine. At 3:23 we started moving again and we were soon back up to 80 mph. Not much to see in this part of the world but it was a lot greener than I expected. We stopped to meet a freight just west of Alpine at 4:22 CDT, then we BACKED UP for some reason. By 4:38 we were moving again, never learned what the delay was. Then there was a long delay at the station in Alpine. After sitting there for a several minutes the conductor declared a "passenger courtesy stop" and let folks off to smoke or stretch their legs.
After the train moved forward for a second and then a third spot to board some passengers on rear cars, we finally departed Alpine at 5:24. We also got a new train and engine crew here. Scheduled departure was 2:22 so we are now 3 hrs and 2 m late. Passed through Marathon at 6:45. Met a freight at Rosenfeld at 7:32. Departed Sanderson at 8:04, 3 hr and 53 m late.
Crossed the Pecos High Bridge at 9:42 but could only tell from the sound as it was quite dark. Del Rio had coke machines inside the depot but all the doors were locked ... bummer. Departed Del Rio at 10:42, 4 hr 5 m late.
