Thank You Amtrak, I Saw America So Grand

I saw America

From Amtrak today

Breathtaking beauty

Along the way

Sunshine's splendor

The morning glistening

To the Zephyr's song

Each moment listening

From my window's view

Mountains touched the sky

A welcoming wave

From the passerby

Across sparkling deserts

And rivers wide

Fishermen standing

At their side

With each salute

Across the land

Thank you Amtrak

I saw America so grand

A Rio Grande Train at the Moffat Tunnel

A Rio Grande train hustles towards Denver.  Shortly it will enter the Moffat Tunnel.  Its brightly painted freight cars advertise the slogan "The Action Road."
Rio Grande remains a favorite of railroad enthusiasts today.  Its scenic crossing of the Rocky Mountains via Rollins Pass and the Moffat Tunnel has been treasured for many years.  This route, part of the original California Zephyr, remains today as one of the most scenic stretches of today's Amtrak California Zephyr.

Rio Grande and the California Zephyr

Rio Grande was the "Mainline Thru the Rockies". Its direct route between Salt Lake City and Denver connected Midwestern and West Coast railroads.  

Rio Grande operated the famous California Zephyr with the Western Pacific and Chicago Burlington and Quincy. Amtrak's California Zephyr operates over Union Pacific's former Rio Grande trackage from Salt Lake City to Denver.

Meeting a Fellow Artist Aboard Amtrak

A great thing about Amtrak is that you meet people from all across America and all over the World. Just outside of Truckee on the Amtrak California Zephyr, I met Stan, a fellow artist from Connecticut.

Stan had grown up along the New Haven Railroad.  It was exciting to get to draw him the historic New Haven logo he remembered from riding New Haven's passenger trains to New York and Boston many years ago.

Truckee, California- A Great Place To Visit On Amtrak

As we passed through Truckee, California on the Eastbound Amtrak California Zephyr, I discovered the Truckee Railroad Museum adjacent to the Truckee Amtrak Depot. I am always grateful to see cabooses not only saved but put to a great use.

Truckee is a great town to visit nestled in the Sierra.  Truckee is located next to Donner Lake and countless water sports and Squaw Valley and many other ski resorts in the winter.

Riding the California Zephyr

Some of my first train rides were aboard the California Zephyr at William Land Park in Sacramento.  Here I am with my brother, sister and dad on a Saturday morning in 1979.

Below, I am in the lounge car of the Amtrak California Zephyr as I head to Amtrak Train Days.  Thirty-five years later, I am the same person, always eager to hear the whistle blow and to see the scenery pass by as I ride a train.

Freight and Passenger Railroads Compose Our Rail Network

Our freight railroads connect our industries, manufacturing, ports and consumers.  They provide a critical artery for commerce.

Our freight railroads also provide key corridors for Amtrak.  Freight railroads provide critical maintenance to infrastructure for our rail system to operate effectively.

As a Union Pacific intermodal train passes my vantage at the Davis, California Amtrak Station, I prepare for the arrival of the Amtrak California Zephyr.  Our railroads working together truly make America's great rail network possible.

Watching a BNSF Freight at Denver Reminds Me of the Legacy of the California Zephyr

It is very inspiring when I sit in the Amtrak lounge car and watch America's trains pass by the window as I draw.  Here, as I head west on the California Zephyr, I watch a BNSF intermodal train just outside of Denver Union Station.

As our California Zephyr heads into Denver, we have been traveling over BNSF's former Chicago Burlington and Quincy mainline from Chicago.  Today's Amtrak California Zephyr is rooted in the history of the Chicago Burlington and Quincy which, together with the Rio Grande and Western Pacific railroads, first ran the California Zephyr.  From Denver, we will be traveling west on the tracks of the former Rio Grande, which today are owned by Union Pacific.

Getting to Meet Amtrak Make-A-Wish Honorary Engineer Conductor Ethan

I was truly honored to meet Amtrak Make-A-Wish Honorary Engineer Conductor Ethan as he came through Davis on the Westbound California Zephyr on Wednesday.  I am truly thankful to Joeseph Boardman, President and CEO of Amtrak, and to everyone at Amtrak and to those at Make-A-Wish for making wishes such as Ethan's to travel by train come true.  Thank you Tom Jones,​ Tom Magazin​ and to the entire crew of Ethan's train and to DeLora Davis​, who accompanied Ethan's family across America.
Ethan was truly excited to receive the card that so many of us had signed.  I was truly grateful to the railfan community who had united to wish Ethan well on his journey.  Thank you to everyone who signed Ethan's card.
This Make-A-Wish Amtrak journey truly filled Ethan and his family with joy.  As their train made its brief station stop in Davis, we discussed how beautiful America is and what a wonderful journey they were on.  I was truly grateful to see such a wonderful boy get his wish come true.

Amtrak Personnel-Always There For Their Passengers

While waiting for the California Zephyr, A heartwarming scene unfolded as an Amtrak California Capitol Corridor commuter train stopped at the Davis, CA depot.  One of the train's conductors assisted a blind woman and her service dog from the train towards the station.
Whenever I ride Amtrak, I am impressed with the care Amtrak personnel have for their passengers.  Amtrak personnel are always there to go above and beyond the call of duty when needed.  Thank you to all at Amtrak.  Your work is greatly appreciated.

Amtrak California Zephyr At Donner Lake

The Sierra Nevada Mountains truly are spectacular.  I enjoy the journey through the Sierras aboard the Amtrak California Zephyr lounge car, as I am able to relax and witness the scenic beauty.  Here our California Zephyr passes by Donner Lake, known throughout northern California for its beauty and for recreational water sports.
All seasons in the Sierra are truly beautiful.  Here our train is traveling in fall.  We witness the change in color in the cottonwood trees, which beautifully accent the evergreen.  Amtrak truly is my favorite way to explore America.

Tom, Our Great Amtrak Conductor on the Amtrak California Zephyr

Great conductors and great crew members make a spectacular Amtrak trip even more memorable.  Our conductor, Tom, on the eastbound California Zephyr through Eastern Utah, made a point to describe the scenery along our route.  As the train passed through a small ghost town, Tom pointed to a small gas station and mentioned that a scene from the movie "Thelma and Louise" had been filmed at that location.
I had just been finishing drawing an Amtrak P42DC locomotive and was honored to give it to Tom.  Thanks again for making our trip so memorable.

Chicago Burlington and Quincy-Way of the Zephyrs

Chicago Burlington and Quincy was known as "The Way of the Zephyrs" for its famous Zephyr trains, the most famous was the California Zephyr which ran from Chicago to San Francisco in partnership with the Rio Grande and Western Pacific.  Amtrak's Chicago to San Francisco California Zephyr gets its name and a significant portion of its route from this famous train.
 The California Zephyr has always been popular for the beautiful scenery along its right-away as it passes through across both the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada.  Chicago Burlington and Quincy proudly advertised its passenger service with its "Way of the Zephyrs" slogan painted on the side of its freight locomotives.

Amtrak and The Class 1 Railroad System

Drawing in the Amtrak lounge car is a great way for me to enjoy my Amtrak journey. As I draw, many passengers ask about the artwork.  I explain the history of our railroad system and how Amtrak travels over tracks that are maintained by our Class 1 railroad system for much of its journey.  Here I am drawing a historic Chicago Burlington and Quincy locomotive, which is part of the BNSF history of railroads as our Amtrak California Zephyr heads through Nebraska over BNSF rails.

The Legacy of Railroading-A System That Moves America

Amtrak was born out of our railroad system.  In today's BNSF, Union Pacific, CSX, Norfolk Southern, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern, we see the legacy of many historic railroads and their named trains.
Amtrak's Southwest Chief, California Zephyr, City of New Orleans, Capitol Limited, Empire Builder, Silver Star and many others take their name from a legacy of railroading.  Railroads such as the Baltimore and Ohio, Great Northern, Illinois Central, Pennsylvania Railroad, Southern Railway and many others built the rails upon which we travel and their freight railroad successors maintain the right of way in order for us to get the goods we need everyday and to make our Amtrak journey possible.  
Here a BNSF locomotive moves intermodal containers at Hobart Yard built by the Santa Fe railroad in Los Angeles.  Railroading truly is a system that moves America.  As our train passes by, we witness the legacy of railroading.

The Amtrak California Zephyr and Southwest Chief

The lobby of the Grand Junction, Colorado Amtrak Station is colorfully adorned with posters of the many Amtrak trains. Here I am taking the California Zephyr to Amtrak Train Days in Galesburg and thinking about my return trip home on the Amtrak Southwest Chief.  Both trains are spectacular.

Amtrak Connects Communities Across America

Amtrak connects communities across America.  Trains such as the Southwest Chief, the California Zephyr, the Empire Builder and the Texas Eagle link our Western States to destinations throughout the East Coast.

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy-The Way of the Zephyrs

Chicago Burlington and Quincy connected people and places across the Midwest and the Rocky Mountain States. It was known as the "Way of the Zephyrs" for its signature train "The California Zephyr" that it operated in partnership with Denver and Rio Grande Western and Western Pacific.