Central Coast Steam

Amtrak's Transcontinental Steam Excursion arrives in San Luis Obispo, where it will spend the night before assaulting Cuesta Grade as it heads to Oakland t... (more)

The coastal fog is rolling in over the hills by San Luis Obispo as a late Coast Starlight makes it's way over the Stenner Creek Viaduct.

Amtrak's train #13, the Coast Daylight, led by a pair of Southern Pacific SDP45s and consisting of just six cars, is seen at San Luis Obispo, California, in March 1973. The Daylight... (more)

Golden Hills in the Golden State

Amtrak's Coast Starlight is famed for its views of the Pacific Ocean. But even though the old Southern Pacific mainline veers inland a bit at... (more)

Heading for Cuesta Grade

Amtrak train #14, the northbound (westbound in Southern Pacific's timetable) Coast Starlight, departs San Luis Obispo, California, on July 1, 1976 (Am... (more)

Water for My Horses

It is Independence Day Eve (is that a thing?) 1974 and Amtrak's southbound (eastbound, in Southern Pacific vernacular) Coast Starlight, train #11, makes it... (more)

Sunday in the Park with Doyle*

How I spent my third anniversary: Southern Pacific GS-4 class 4-8-4 4449, with SP SD40E 7342 as a helper, crosses Stenner Creek Trestle as it blasts i... (more)

The "Mothball Surfliner" departs SLO for Grover Beach with a CZ dome in tow and an F59PHI on each end.

Just catched alone from the bridge located at south, while waiting for Amtrak arrival.

For the first time in many years, the ex-Southern Pacific water cars based out of Guadalupe come to life as they are readied for the fight against the raging Cuesta Fire should the call come in. S... (more)

With a spotless ex-CNW unit on the point (spotless in reference to a fresh coat of Union Pacific paint), a southbound work train depends Cuesta Pass and into San Luis Obispo. Despite the cloudy ev... (more)

As a trio of cows live up to the "happy cows come from California" moto, Amtrak 11, the southbound Coast Starlight, drops downgrade off Cuesta Pass through the rolling green hills and in... (more)

The sun is setting on a long day as the crew ties down the power on a Union Pacific Officers Special.

Following the passage of the second of three large storms to pound the southern half of California this past week, massive amounts of water remain scattered across the central coast in areas unabl... (more)

Leaving San Luis Obispo behind in the late afternoon light, Amtrak's southbound Coast Starlight races into Edna sporting a warbonnet leader and Amtrak's Phase I heritage unit.