Sunset Limited ROUTE GUIDE
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SUNSET LIMITED ROUTE GUIDE Los ANGELES • TUCsoN • SAN ANTONIO • HOUSTON • NEW orLEANS • ORLANDO We hope you enjoy reading this guide and learning about points of interest along our route. It is written starting from the eastern terminus of the train, New Orleans, and proceeds to points west, ending in Los Angeles. If you boarded in Los Angeles, just read the guide in reverse, remembering to look in the opposite direction if one is referenced. AMTRAK STATIONS are shown in all capital letters. The Amtrak System Timetable or Sunset Limited panel card should be consulted for actual station times. While all service presented in this guide was accurate at the time of publication, routes and services are subject to change. Please contact Amtrak at 1-800-USA-RAIL, visit Amtrak.com, or call your travel agent for the most current information. The Sunset Limited whisks you 1,995 miles from America’s Most Interesting City, New Orleans, through the bayous of Louisiana, the huge Heart of Texas, the storied West and beyond – to the home of the Hollywood Western, Los Angeles. While many transcontinental rail lines were forged from east to west, the Sunset had its beginnings in California. The link you are traveling was the second such route, completed in 1883. Eleven years later, its passengers could disembark in New Orleans and continue east by sea on railroad-owned passenger steamers. So sit back and enjoy sunlit marvels of color and unobstructed splendor, for just as a sunset is so much more than just an astronomical event, so too are the pictures painted in your window. The sun will eventually set on your trip, but the afterglow will last forever. [The Sunset Limited is the descendent of the former Southern Pacific Railway’s (SP) service dating to 1894. The “Limited” part of its name once differentiated trains that stopped at a “limited” number of stations along their routes from “local” trains that make every stop. Today, it is the oldest “named” train in continuous operation. The modern-day ”western lifestyle” magazine Sunset began in 1898 as a promotional magazine for the SP. That name traces its origins to a predecessor railroad, the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway, known as the Sunset Route as early as 1874. At its SP inauguration and during several periods in its history, it was an all-Pullman train consisting of only sleeping cars (no coaches) and extending to San Francisco. Through the years, it went from steam power and wooden cars to steel heavyweight cars to dieselization and streamlining in the 1950s. Amtrak took over the train in 1971.] WELCOME ABOARD Welcome aboard the Sunset Limited. From the pulsing rhythm of New Orleans jazz to the flash of Hollywood, discover the spectacular scenery, geology, history and thriving cities that are uniquely American. On board the Sunset Limited, you will experience the comfort and relaxation of train travel while viewing spectacular scenery. We are happy to have you aboard today and want to ensure your trip is everything you want it to be. If there is anything that can be done to make your trip more enjoyable, please do not hesitate to call upon any Amtrak employee. THE TRAIN STAFF The staff of the Sunset Limited is here to make your trip a special and enjoyable experience. Conductor is responsible for the entire On-Board Services Staff including ticket collection, passenger safety, and the safe operation of the train. Lead Service Attendant is responsible for the operation of the Dining car and Dining car staff. Lounge car Attendant is responsible for the operation of the Lounge/Café car Sleeping car Attendant is responsible for providing all service for passengers ticketed in Sleeping car accommodations, including room preparation, luggage service and any assistance necessary to ensure a comfortable journey. Contact your Sleeping car Attendant if you desire drinks before dinner. They will also take your dinner reservations or arrange for your meal to be served in the privacy and comfort of your accommodation. Coach Attendant is responsible for providing service for passengers ticketed in coach. This includes seat assignment, pillow service and assistance to ensure a comfortable journey. ACCOMMODATIONS Superliner Sleeping car accommodations provide a range of private rooms with amenities for day and night use. From roomettes to bedrooms featuring a private lavatory and shower, Sleeping car accommodations will suit any need and can be described in more detail by any member of the crew. Please ask to speak to the Conductor regarding the availability of rooms. Amtrak’s Magnolia Room Lounge is available for Sleeping car passengers boarding in New Orleans and Traxx Club in Los Angeles. Coach seating provides a wide, reclining seat with leg rest, folding tray table and overhead lights. This enhanced service provides at-seat meal service if requested and larger pillows for additional sleeping comfort. Dining car features full-service hot meals prepared by Amtrak chefs with regional menu items unique to the Sunset Limited. The Dining car provides the perfect atmosphere to meet your fellow passengers and enjoy a delicious meal while the scenery glides by your window. Sleeping car accommodation charges include meals in the Dining car while passengers ticketed in Coach may purchase Dining car meals at reasonable prices. Sightseer Lounge - Café car is the perfect car for viewing the spectacular scenery along the Sunset Limited route. Large panoramic windows and informal seating provide the ideal atmosphere for sightseeing and making new friends. The Café is located on the lower level of this car and features sandwiches, snacks, beverages, and other light fare. HOST RAILROADS are the freight and commuter railroads that Amtrak contracts with to operate Amtrak passenger trains. The Sunset Limited travels between New Orleans and Lake Charles over the BNSF Railway Company; and between Lake Charles and Los Angeles over the Union Pacific Railway. Information contained in this route guide as well as described amenities and features are subject to change without notice. While gratuities are not required for services provided, it is an appreciated way to convey to an employee that he or she has made your trip more enjoyable. Maricopa, AZ Sunset Limited Route Guide 2 Los Angeles Cal State-El Monte POMONA, CA PALM SPRINGS, CA ONTARIO, CA CA-AZ State Line YUMA, AZ Maricopa Davis Monthan AFB Tucson Dragoon Mountains BENSON, AZ NEW ORLEANS LORDSBURG, NM AZ-NM State Line DEMING, NM Forgot and the Crescent City. It has existed under four different flags Continental Divide since its founding in 1723: French, Spanish, Confederate States, and Florida Mountains U.S.-Mexico Border U.S. One of the nation’s greatest ports, the city preserves the flavor of Rio Grande River is also known as the Big Easy, the City that Care NM-TX State Line the Old South with a distinctly French accent. It is famed for its filigree Ysleta wrought iron balconied Vieux Carre (French Quarter) and festive Mardi El Paso Gras celebrations that herald the beginning of Lent. Considered the Eagle Mountains Sierra Blanca birthplace of jazz, it is also home to some of the best restaurants in Marfa Time Zone Change the world. With so much to offer, it’s easy to see why it is also known ALPINE, TX as America’s Most Interesting City – a city that never sleeps. At the Paisano Pass SANDERSON, TX beautiful River Walk, you can see the lights of the Greater New Orleans Warwick Flat Bridge cross the Mississippi into Algiers on the West Bank. The street car line dates to 1835, with cars built in the 1920s. Jackson Square Langtry stands at the heart of the Quarter, where the gray spires of the St. Louis DEL RIO, TX Cathedral tower high in the air; at nearby French Market, coffee and chicory with “beignets” (French donuts) are world famous. waters of primitive bayous – slow-moving bodies of water that are home to alligators and tall cypress trees dripping with Spanish moss. Canal Street, America’s widest thoroughfare, divides the “Quarter” from The St. George Observatory offers visits by appointment and education San Antonio downtown’s central business district, running northward from the river. in astrophotography, photometry, spectroscopy and telescope use Houston The world’s first movie theater was established on Canal Street in 1896. among many other programs. The street’s northern “head” terminates at the Cemeteries, some of the on nextContinues page city’s oldest and most historic graveyards; at the south end, or “foot,” NEW IBERIA Orange, TX BEAUMONT, TX LAKE CHARLES, LA are the World Trade Center and the Canal Street (Algiers) Ferry. But the under its moss-laden, majestic oaks in the downtown Historic District. French Quarter is the oldest and most famous section, looking much Legend has it that legendary pirate Jean Lafitte buried treasure beneath exudes Native American, Spanish and French influences NEW IBERIA, LA as it did in the 1700s and 1800s, with buildings crowding the edge of the oaks lining the bayou. Nearby Avery Island houses world-famous LAFAYETTE, LA narrow sidewalks. Here is the infamous Bourbon Street, where the music Tabasco Sauce manufacturer McIlhenny Company as well as one of the world’s largest salt mines; Jungle Gardens and its Bird City rookery SCHRIEVER, LA never stops; one block over, the unique shops of Royal Street beckon. The Bayou La Fourche residential Garden District is filled with flowers, trees and some of New hosts visitors from around the world. The Sugarcane Festival occurs Bayou Blue New Orleans Orleans’ grandest homes. Part of “uptown” New Orleans north of Canal in September and the Gumbo Cook-Off happens in October. Former Huey P.