13th Aug 2018

The South West Chief is probably one of the most well known of the remaining Trans-American passenger trains still running. Once known as the South West Limited, and before that the Super Chief, today this trains runs the 2,265 miles between Los Angeles and Chicago on a daily schedule that takes, on average, and when everything runs to plan, 43 hours. The west-bound train is known as no, 3 and the east-bound as no, 4. Generally made up of Amtrak Superliner cars, the sleeping accommodation is extensive, and the train includes full dining.

This is train no. 4, the east-bound, and it's arriving at Kansas City just over an hour later than scheduled, not a bad day according to other observers that I spoke to. It clearly is not uncommon for this train to be a lot later, given the distance already travelled. From KC, Chicago is just over 400 miles. So, at 08.40 General Electric P42DC locomotives nos. 155 and 72 gradually slow to a stop alongside the station, pause a while, and then draw forward to the east end of the station, and then reverse in to the remaining platform.

I took some video of this train, one of it arriving, and then of it pulling forward to go to the east end before backing in:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ov7969tw4PI

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0zeuHBLfvj8