Even though I knew the California trains had power outlets all over, I didn't think that I should've snagged a table so I could plug in my laptop...Oops. So with that in mind, I'm trying to recall the trip with all the details 3 months after the fact...My memory is usually good so I doubt that I'll be missing much...
January 5th, 1998, Noonish - Sacramento, California
After retrieving my luggage from the lockers, I walked out to the train platform where my train (#725) was already waiting...One really nice thing about taking this train from this destination is that I can take pictures of the train without worrying about it moving. For almost the entire time I was near the station (at least half to three quarters of an hour before departure) the train was sitting there at the platform. Of course, it's completely shut up so I can't get on and choose a good seat...However, I've learned that there are 4 seats in each train car which are ideal...Steve from Trainweb.com said that you can manage to get yourself a "private" seat if you snag the single seats at each end of the car on the upper level. Sure you're next to a doorway, and depending on your location within the train this can be a non-existant problem, or a major nuisance. For me, it was a non-existant problem as the car I was in was right behind the engine...So nobody would be going through the door. The only problems with my seat location was that I heard every single whistle and the noise from the engine was a little on the loud side...Some might like that, I didn't mind it, but I think, given the same situation, I probably would've taken a seat at the other end of the car so I would be facing forward, and in a little quieter environment. I also might take a table so I could plug my laptop in and not have to rely on my batteries for the entire trip. Sure I was awfully cozy there...Had no problems stashing my suitcase beside the seat, and had enough room for all my stuff...
While I was on the platform, I had my luggage placed next to the engine, a little ways away from the doors, but at least I was assured that if anyone came near my stuff while I was taking pictures I'd know about it...To go that out of your way, you've gotta have a purpose, and it'd show itself quite quickly... While I was changing film in the camera I was approached by a rather large guy, and most likely suffering from some degree of mental problems...But there was one thing which was quite obvious from the moment you hear him talking to himself...This guy is even more of a railfan than I am! He approached me and asked my name...I told him he didn't know me...He then asked if I was the engineer! I replied politely that I wasn't (although I'd LOVE to be at the controls of the F40PHI engine I was standing next to!), and at that, he left me alone. He also appeared to introduce himself to the conductor of the train as well...On board the train while we were boarding he decided to follow me to the front car, and he decided to hold his hand to his ear and start making announcements about the train's destinations, and the services available...Only those in earshot could hear him, but this guy seemed to be bound and determined to be an Amtrak employee, most likely a conductor. Good luck to him, although with the current situation Amtrak is in, it's doubtful that he'll make that rank within a short period of time.
Once the train started away from Sacramento, I decided to pull out the camera and take pictures...I also enjoyed the scenery out the window as the day was almost perfect...Sunny, very few clouds and a very nice day overall...Certainly didn't seem like it would be when I pulled into Sacramento earlier in the morning! The trip was rather uneventful, but there were some interesting features along the way...For the people who want to see my trip through the pictures I took (Approx. 30 seconds each for a 28.8 modem)...Here's page 1, page 2, page 3, and page 4. There is a link at the bottom of page 4 to bring you back to this point.
For those who are on 14.4 modems or who don't want to look at my pictures, continue reading...here's a not-so-brief summary of the rest of the trip...
I passed through quite a few charming station stops...Davis had a really neat looking train station, Suisun-Fairfield saw the blocking of traffic the entire time we were in the station, and a lot of interesting views from just before Richmond into Emeryville, where I departed from the Capitols train and board a bus for a very interesting trip across the bay into San Francisco...The boarding of the bus was okay, but the driver I encountered had an attitude which I definitely didn't like. The trip itself was very nice, sunny, and I saw quite a few sights I would only see on that trip across the bay...Sights such as Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge (Kind of a misnomer seeing that the bridge is not painted golden, or even close to yellow...It's an orange/red color...<shrug>), and the massive Oakland Bay Bridge...Never before have I seen two Suspension bridges linked together like that...(honest, there are four towers, and between the middle two, they're probably separate cables in that massive amount of concrete!). Once off the bridge, I realized that I've arrived into San Francisco! I saw this poster, and it made me realize why I was here in the first place...The Macworld Expo, which started mere hours from when I saw this...
It wasn't too much longer before I arrived at my destination...But of course, we stopped at the Ferry building first, then after that we arrived at the Shopping Center stop which admittedly dropped me into an area where I probably should've hailed a cab to my hotel...And it's at this point where I begin my San Francisco segment of the trip. Like Sacramento, I don't have any Amtrak travels, but I do have a good deal of travel on the local railways...The Cable Cars and BART. Here's the link.