Running just 6 hours 53 minutes behind schedule, this day’s Amtrak train 3, the westbound Southwest Chief, is just about to its next-to-last stop in Fullerton. (The previous day’s train 3 was even later at this point – 12 hours 47 minutes!) Somehow this train was just 1 hour 20 minutes late at Lamar CO, but in the next 56 miles lost a lot of time, ending up 6 hours 53 minutes late at its next stop in La Junta CO!
Roughly three miles from the station in Fullerton, the Chief has Phase VII-painted P42DC 196 leading, teamed with P42DC 153, pulling this nine-car train. (Placentia, California – March 16, 2025)
California-bound rail travelers from the east have three choices to reach the Golden State: California Zephyr, Southwest Chief, Sunset Limited/Texas Eagle. A look back through the years including the now-defunct Desert Wind
