Scissorfight and Coast Starlight: Difference between pages

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{{Infobox Amtrak
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians -->
| Name = Scissorfight
| name = Coast Starlight
| Img =
| logo_filename =
| Img_capt =
| logo_size =
| Img_size =
| logo_caption =
| Landscape =
| image = Coast Starlight San Jose 01.jpg
| Background = group_or_band
| image_size = 300
| image_caption = Northbound ''Coast Starlight'', No. 14, at [[Diridon Station|San Jose Diridon Station]], [[November 14]], [[2006]].
| Birth_name =
| Alias =
| map_filename =
| map_size =
| Origin = [[Portsmouth, New Hampshire|Portsmouth]], [[New Hampshire]], [[United States]]
| map_caption =
| Genre = [[Crust punk]]<br>[[Stoner metal]]
| Years active = 1995&ndash;present
| numbers = 11 southbound<br>14 northbound
| Label = [[Wonderdrug Records]]<br>[[Tortuga Recordings]]
| route = [[Seattle]], [[Washington]] &ndash;<br>[[Los Angeles, California]]
| distance = {{convert|1377|mi|km}}
| Associated_acts =
| start = 1971
| URL = [http://www.scissorfight.com/ scissorfight.com]
| end = present
| Current_members = [[Jay Fortin]]<br>[[Paul Jarvis (musician)|Paul Jarvis]]<br>[[Kevin J. Strongbow]]<br>[[Christopher Shurtleff]]
| owners = track: [[Metrolink]] (Los Angeles - Moorpark);<br>[[Union Pacific Railroad|Union Pacific]] (Moorpark - Portland);<br>[[BNSF Railway|BNSF]] (Portland - Seattle)
| Past members = [[Joel Muzzey]]
| Notable instruments =
}}
}}
'''Scissorfight''' is an [[United States|American]] four-piece band from [[Portsmouth, New Hampshire]], fronted by singer/songwriter [[Christopher Shurtleff|Ironlung]] The band has a strong [[libertarian]] viewpoint and defines itself as "acid mountain rock".


The '''''Coast Starlight''''' is a 1,377-mile (2,235 km) [[passenger train]] route operated by [[Amtrak]] on the [[West Coast of the United States]]. It runs from [[Seattle]], [[Washington]]'s [[King Street Station (Seattle)|King Street Station]] to [[Los Angeles, California]]'s [[Union Station (Los Angeles)|Union Station]].
==Biography==
Scissorfight formed in 1995 in the town of Portsmouth. The original lineup consisted of guitarist Jay Fortin, bassist Paul Jarvis, and drummer Joel Muzzey. Blending extreme genres such as [[grindcore]] and [[post-hardcore]], the band hired vocalist Ironlung (named for his ability to take in illegal substances) to "stand there and look scary".


The train's name was inspired by the trains of the [[Southern Pacific Railroad]] (SP) that operated in [[California]], many along the same route as the current ''Coast Starlight''. SP's passenger trains in this region carried the name ''Daylight'' in some form (''e.g.'' ''[[Morning Daylight]]'' and ''[[Noon Daylight]]'').
Relocating to Boston, the band was not easily accepted by the local music scene due to their extreme behavior. At one show, Ironlung dislocated his shoulder and then spent the entire show trying to punch it back into place. Muzzey left the band soon after, and was replaced by Ironlung's brother Kevin J. Strongbow. They recorded their debut, 1996's ''[[Guaranteed Kill]]'', and found themselves getting quite a lot of press in the underground. The band followed it up with 1998's ''[[Balls Deep]]'', which received good reviews from mainstream publications. Their success in Boston was now quite impressive, and they signed to independent label [[Tortuga Recordings]] to release 1999's ''[[New Hampshire (album)|New Hampshire]]''. The radio play they received locally earned them a spot at the [[River Rave]] festival, where they performed with [[Cypress Hill]] and [[Stone Temple Pilots]]. They released an EP of covers entitled ''[[Piscataqua (EP)|Piscataqua]]'' soon after, and were featured on MTV's "[[You Hear It First]]" segment. In 2001 the band released two albums, the original ''[[Mantrapping for Sport and Profit]]'' and an album of re-recorded songs to be released in Britain called ''[[American Cloven Hoof Blues]]''. A series of EPs (''[[Potential New Agent for Unconventional Warfare]]'', ''[[Deathchants]]'', ''[[Breakdowns and Military Waltzes, Vol. 2]]'', and ''[[Victory over Horseshit]]'') followed, with the full-length ''[[Jaggernaut]]'' arriving in March 2006. Scissorfight was named "best hard rock band" at the [[Boston Music Awards]] in 2003<ref>Boston Globe, September 5, 2003</ref> and 2004.<ref>Boston Globe, September 30, 2004</ref>


Major stops on the route are [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]] and [[Eugene, Oregon|Eugene]], [[Oregon]]; [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]], [[Emeryville, California|Emeryville]] (for [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]]), [[Oakland, California|Oakland]], [[San Jose, California|San Jose]], [[Santa Barbara, California|Santa Barbara]], and [[Oxnard, California|Oxnard]], [[California]].
The band is believed to be on hiatus after Paul Jarvis and Jay Fortin went to form the band [[Mess With the Bull]]. Though they continue to retain a dedicated fanbase, their future is in question.


In recent years, the train has gained the nickname ''Coast Starlate'' because of its abysmal on-time record. From October 2005 through August 2006 the train delivered its passengers on-time only 2% of the time, with trains consistently running 5 to 11 hours behind schedule. This performance is likely a factor in the 26% drop in ridership between 1999 and 2005. [[Union Pacific Railroad]] (UP), who handles traffic on the route, and local rail groups dispute the causes of the of poor performance. Rail groups blame Union Pacific for giving priority to freight traffic, while UP cites ongoing track repairs among other issues.<ref>{{cite news
The band's name comes from the lesbian sexual practice called [[tribadism]].
| last = Geiger
| first = Kimberly
| title = Coast Starlight Losing Its Luster
| publisher = San Francisco Chronicle
| date = [[2006-08-08]]
| url = http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/08/08/MNGGTKD03A1.DTL
| accessdate = 2006-08-10
}}</ref> Recently, Union Pacific has been giving Amtrak priority on its tracks. According to Amtrak spokeswoman Vernae Graham, the "Coast Starlight" was on-schedule 86% of the time in May 2008.<ref>{{cite news
| last = Engle
| first = Jane
| title = Amtrak’s Coast Starlight Train Classes Up Its Act
| publisher = Los Angeles Times
| date = [[2008-06-11]]
| url = http://travel.latimes.com/daily-deal-blog/index.php/amtraks-coast-starli-2029/
| accessdate = 2008-07-04
}}</ref> In comparison, the ''[[United States Department of Transportation|Department of Transportation]]'' reports that national airlines ran on schedule 74% of the time from April 2007 to April of this year.<ref>http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/reports/2008/June/200806atcr.pdf</ref>


==Members==
==Route==
{{Expand-section|date=August 2008}}
===Current===
*[[BNSF]] [[Seattle Subdivision]]<!--or is it the Fallbridge Subdivision south of Vancouver?--> (ex-[[Northern Pacific Railway|NP]]), [[Seattle, WA|Seattle]] to [[Portland, OR|Portland]]
* Ironlung – [[singer|vocals]], [[songwriter|songwriting]]
*[[Union Pacific Railroad|UP]] [[Brooklyn Subdivision]]<ref name=BRS>[http://www.brs72.org/BRSUPSPAgree.html#R44 Agreement Between Union Pacific Railroad Company and Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen], effective February 1, 2000 (includes a list of subdivisions from the first post-merger timetable in 1998)</ref> (ex-[[Southern Pacific Railroad|SP]]), Portland to [[Oakridge, OR|Oakridge]]
* Jay Fortin – [[electric guitar|guitar]], [[multi-instrumentalist]]
*UP [[Cascade Subdivision]]<ref name=BRS/> (ex-SP), Oakridge to [[Klamath Falls, OR|Klamath Falls]]
* Paul Jarvis – [[bass guitar]]
*UP [[Black Butte Subdivision]]<ref name=BRS/> (ex-SP), Klamath Falls to [[Dunsmuir, CA|Dunsmuir]]
* Kevin Strongbow – [[drumkit|drums]]
*UP [[Valley Subdivision]]<ref name=BRS/> (ex-SP), Dunsmuir to [[Marysville, California|Marysville]]
===Former===
*UP [[Sacramento Subdivision]] (ex-[[Western Pacific Railroad|WP]]), Marysville to [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]]
* Joel Muzzy – drums
*UP [[Martinez Subdivision]]<ref name=BRS/> (ex-SP), Sacramento to [[Oakland, California|Oakland]]
*UP [[Niles Subdivision]] (ex-SP), Oakland to [[Elmhurst, Oakland, California|Elmhurst]]
*UP [[Coast Subdivision]]<ref name=BRS/> (ex-SP), Elmhurst to [[San Luis Obispo, CA|San Luis Obispo]]
*UP [[Santa Barbara Subdivision]]<ref name=BRS/> (ex-SP), San Luis Obispo to [[Moorpark, CA|Moorpark]]
*[[SCRRA]] [[Ventura County Line]] (ex-SP), Moorpark to [[Los Angeles, CA|Los Angeles]]


==Discography==
==Equipment==
{{Coast Starlight}}
* ''[[Guaranteed Kill]]'' (Wonderdrug Records, 1996)
[[Image:Coast Starlight.jpg|thumb|left|Menu cover.]]
* ''[[Balls Deep]]'' (Wonderdrug Records, 1998)
The train uses Amtrak's double-decker [[Superliner (railcar)|Superliner]] I & II equipment, including a Sightseer Lounge car that has floor-to-ceiling windows to watch the passing scenery. The ''Coast Starlight'' is the only train on the Amtrak system ''intended'' to feature a first-class Pacific Parlour lounge car (formerly [[Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe|Santa Fe]] Hi-Level Sky Lounge cars built in 1956) for sleeping-car passengers, offering complimentary beverages, a library and games, a no-longer-free<ref>[http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Route/Vertical_Route_Page&cid=1081256321841&c=am2Route&ssid=135 "A daily tasting of local wines and artisan cheeses is available ''for a nominal fee'' in the refurbished Pacific Parlor Car."]</ref> afternoon wine tasting, and a movie theater in the lower level. However, due to ongoing maintenance issues, this car is sometimes absent<ref>[http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?showtopic=24053]</ref> <ref>[http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?showtopic=23941]</ref> <ref>[http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?showtopic=23777]</ref> <ref>[http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?showtopic=22996]</ref> <ref>[http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?showtopic=23052]</ref> <ref>[http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=850684]</ref>. For children, play equipment and other distractions are provided in the Kiddie Car. Baggage is placed in a [[Heritage Fleet|Heritage]] Baggage Car.
* ''[[New Hampshire (album)|New Hampshire]]'' (Tortuga Recordings, 1999)

* ''[[Piscataqua (EP)|Piscataqua]]'' EP (Tortuga Recordings, 2000)
Locomotives used on the Coast Starlight are primarily Amtrak's main locomotives, the [[GE P42DC]] AMD-103 Genesis series. Secondary locomotives are [[GE Dash 8-32BWH|GE P32-8 (Dash 8)]] Locomotives. In the past, [[EMD F40PH]], [[EMD SDP40F|SDP40F]], [[EMD FP7|FP7]], and leased [[Southern Pacific Railroad|Southern Pacific]] [[EMD SDP45|SDP45]] locomotives have been used since 1971.
* ''[[Mantrapping for Sport and Profit]]'' (Tortuga Recordings, 2001)

* ''[[American Cloven Hoof Blues]]'' (UK only) (Tortuga Recordings/Eccentric Man Recordings, 2002)
In rare cases, [[EMD F59PHI]] locomotives from the Amtrak [[Pacific Surfliner|Surfliner]] and [[Amtrak Cascades|Cascades]] routes and [[Amtrak California]] F59PHI, or in rarer cases [[Caltrain]] [[EMD F40PH]] and [[MPI MP36PH-3C]] locomotives are used on the Coast Starlight, either as substitutes or while being transported to or from repair jobs.
* ''[[Potential New Agent For Unconventional Warfare]]'' EP (Tortuga Recordings, 2002)

* ''[[Deathchants, Breakdowns and Military Waltzes Vol. 2]]'' EP (Tortuga Recordings, 2003)
==History==
* ''[[Instant Live: Middle East - Cambridge, MA 11/13/04]]'' (2004)
Before the formation of Amtrak, no single passenger train ran the length of the West Coast. The [[Southern Pacific Railroad]] operated the ''[[Coast Daylight (SP)|Coast Daylight]]'' between [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] and [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]] and the ''[[Cascade (passenger train)|'''Cascade''']]'' between [[Oakland, California|Oakland]] and [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]]. The Southern Pacific also ran several overnight trains between Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay area - the all-coach "Lark" on the coast route and the mixed coach and Pullman "Owl" on the San Joaquin Valley line. Service from Portland north to [[Seattle]] was provided by the Union Pacific, [[Northern Pacific Railroad]] or [[Great Northern Railroad]]. After the 1970 merger of the Great Northern and the Northern Pacific into the [[Burlington Northern Railroad]], service was provided by the Burlington Northern. Service south from Los Angeles to [[San Diego, California|San Diego]] was by the [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway]].
* ''[[Victory Over Horseshit]]'' maxi-single (Tortuga Recordings, 2006)

* ''[[Jaggernaut]]'' (Tortuga Recordings, 2006)
With the start of Amtrak operations on [[May 1]], [[1971]], a single route was formed between Los Angeles and Seattle--and for a few months between San Diego and Seattle<ref name= "Schwantes">{{cite book |last= Schwantes |first= Carlos A. |title= Railroad Signatures across the Pacific Northwest |publisher= [[University of Washington Press]] |date= [[1993]] |pages= 317-318}}</ref> . The unnamed train (assigned numbers 11 southbound and 12 northbound) ran three times a week. Supplementing it on the other four days (northbound Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday and southbound Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) was another unnamed train between Los Angeles and Oakland (assigned 98 northbound and 99 southbound). Additional service was also provided between San Diego and Los Angeles and between Portland and Seattle (those became the ''[[San Diegan (Amtrak)|San Diegan]]'' and ''[[Mount Rainier (Amtrak)|Mount Rainier]]''/''[[Puget Sound (Amtrak)|Puget Sound]]'' on [[November 14]]). In the [[November 14]], [[1971]] timetable, the LA-Oakland train received the '''''Coast Daylight''''' name that the SP had used for its LA-San Francisco train, and was extended to San Diego and assigned numbers 12 and 13. The San Diego-Seattle train received the new name '''''Coast Starlight''''' and became trains 11 and 14. A few years later, the ''Coast Daylight'' was merged into the ''Coast Starlight'', which was expanded to run every day. The ''Coast Starlight'' has since been truncated to Los Angeles, though frequent ''[[Pacific Surfliner (Amtrak)|Pacific Surfliner]]'' service continues south. For a couple of years in the mid-nineties, the Coast Starlight sent 2 through coach cars from Los Angeles to San Diego as the last [[Pacific Surfliner]] train of the evening (#511). The coaches were then coupled onto the first morning train back to Los Angeles where they were re-coupled to the remainder of the Coast Starlight for the journey to Seattle. This was later discontinued because of the timekeeping unreliability of train #11. Instead, if train #11 arrives into Los Angeles prior to the final [[Surfliner]] departure, through passengers to Orange County and San Diego will take the connecting [[Surfliner]] train, otherwise passengers will be provided motor coach transportation to destinations south of Los Angeles (the motor coach option typically occurs with greater frequency than the train).

Until [[April 25]], [[1982]] the ''Coast Starlight'' used [[Southern Pacific Railroad|Southern Pacific Railroad's]] "West Valley Line" between [[Tehama, California|Tehama]] and [[Davis, California]] with a stop in [[Orland, California|Orland]], bypassing [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]] to the west.<!--need the railroad that built that line--> At that time it was rerouted to the line between Tehama and [[Roseville, California|Roseville]], east of Sacramento via Chico. In southern California, the ''Starlight'' had a stop in [[Glendale, California|Glendale]]. This was later replaced with the current stop in Van Nuys which, unlike Glendale, has Amtrak staff for checking baggage.

On [[January 19]], [[2008]], Amtrak suspended all service on the ''Coast Starlight'' because of mudslides in the [[Chemult, Oregon]] area. On [[February 6]], [[2008]], Amtrak restored rail service between [[Union Station (Los Angeles)|Los Angeles]] and [[Sacramento Valley Rail Station|Sacramento]], then filled the service gap between Sacramento and [[King Street Station (Seattle)|Seattle]] with [[Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach|Thruway Motorcoach]] service starting [[February 29]].<ref>[http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Copy/News_Release_Popup&c=am2Copy&cid=1178294112316 Amtrak - Inside Amtrak - News & Media - News Releases - Latest News Releases<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> As Of April 15, 2008, Amtrak restored much of the ''Coast Starlight'' service, with a temporary Thruway Motorcoach line running between [[Eugene (Amtrak station)|Eugene]] and [[Klamath Falls, Oregon|Klamath Falls]]. Because of the significantly shorter route, the ''Starlight'' north of Eugene temporarily operated without sleeper and diner services, with only coach class available to passengers, but checked baggage service was still available.<ref>[http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Copy/News_Release_Page&c=am2Copy&cid=1178294141895&ssid=180 Amtrak - Inside Amtrak - News & Media - News Releases - Latest News Releases<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> As of [[May 7]], [[2008]], full service between Seattle and Los Angeles through Oregon was restored.

During early-summer 2008 the Coast Starlight was relaunched with new amenities, and refurbished equipment. As of July 2008 the Pacific Parlor cars have been refurbished and are back in service as part of the relaunch. This has been much anticipated due to the vast success from Amtrak re-launching the ''[[Empire Builder]]'' (Chicago-Seattle) and ''Empire Builder-Portland'' (Chicago-Portland)


==References==
==References==
*{{cite news | last=McKinney| first=Kevin| title=At the dawn of Amtrak| date= June 1991 | publisher=Trains Magazine|}}
*{{cite news | last=Schafer| first=Mike| title=Amtrak's atlas | date= June 1991 | publisher=Trains Magazine|}}
*{{cite news | last=Zimmermann| first=Karl| title=All Aboard! The Coast Starlight | date=2001-07-02 | publisher=Trains Magazine| url=http://www.trains.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/001/187ruzpj.asp}}
*{{cite web | title=Amtrak's First Trains and Routes| work=| url=http://broadway.pennsyrr.com/Rail/Amtk/routes_1971.html | accessmonthday=November 19 | accessyear=2005}}
*{{cite web | title=Amtrak timetable| work=November 14, 1971| url=http://groups.google.com/group/bit.listserv.railroad/msg/71c75eb00db0da08?hl=en | accessmonthday=November 19 | accessyear=2005}}
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


==Εxternal links==
==External links==
*[http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Route/Vertical_Route_Page&c=am2Route&cid=1081256321841&ssid=132 Amtrak - ''Coast Starlight'']
* [http://www.scissorfight.com Official website]
*[http://www.coaststarlight.net Coast Starlight Communities Network]
*[http://www.coaststarlight.com TrainWeb's Coast Starlight]

{{Amtrak routes}}


[[Category:American indie rock groups|Scissorfight]]
[[Category:Amtrak routes]]
[[Category:New Hampshire musical groups]]
[[Category:Passenger rail transport in California]]
[[Category:American heavy metal musical groups]]
[[Category:Passenger rail transport in Oregon]]
[[Category:Passenger rail transport in Washington]]

Revision as of 03:43, 13 October 2008

Template:Infobox Amtrak

The Coast Starlight is a 1,377-mile (2,235 km) passenger train route operated by Amtrak on the West Coast of the United States. It runs from Seattle, Washington's King Street Station to Los Angeles, California's Union Station.

The train's name was inspired by the trains of the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) that operated in California, many along the same route as the current Coast Starlight. SP's passenger trains in this region carried the name Daylight in some form (e.g. Morning Daylight and Noon Daylight).

Major stops on the route are Portland and Eugene, Oregon; Sacramento, Emeryville (for San Francisco), Oakland, San Jose, Santa Barbara, and Oxnard, California.

In recent years, the train has gained the nickname Coast Starlate because of its abysmal on-time record. From October 2005 through August 2006 the train delivered its passengers on-time only 2% of the time, with trains consistently running 5 to 11 hours behind schedule. This performance is likely a factor in the 26% drop in ridership between 1999 and 2005. Union Pacific Railroad (UP), who handles traffic on the route, and local rail groups dispute the causes of the of poor performance. Rail groups blame Union Pacific for giving priority to freight traffic, while UP cites ongoing track repairs among other issues.[1] Recently, Union Pacific has been giving Amtrak priority on its tracks. According to Amtrak spokeswoman Vernae Graham, the "Coast Starlight" was on-schedule 86% of the time in May 2008.[2] In comparison, the Department of Transportation reports that national airlines ran on schedule 74% of the time from April 2007 to April of this year.[3]

Route

Equipment

Legend
Amtrak Cascades to Vancouver, BC
Empire Builder to Chicago
0 mi
 Seattle
Sounder commuter rail Link light rail First Hill Streetcar
pre-2021 route
 Tacoma Dome
Sounder commuter rail Link light rail
39 mi
63 km
 Tacoma
closed 2021
 Tacoma–Union Station
closed 1984
Point Defiance Bypass
72 mi
116 km
 Olympia–Lacey
75 mi
121 km
 East Olympia
closed 1990
94 mi
151 km
 Centralia
137 mi
220 km
 Kelso
Empire Builder to Chicago
177 mi
285 km
 Vancouver, Washington
swing span across
Columbia River
WA
OR
187 mi
301 km
 Portland
TriMet
239 mi
385 km
 Salem
267 mi
430 km
 Albany
310 mi
499 km
 Eugene
432 mi
695 km
 Chemult
505 mi
813 km
 Klamath Falls
OR
CA
610 mi
982 km
 Dunsmuir
Heritage railway
665 mi
1070 km
 Redding
Gerber
closed 1972
pre-1982 route
739 mi
1189 km
 Chico
Orland
Marysville
closed 1999
Capitol Corridor to Auburn
California Zephyr to Chicago
824 mi
1326 km
 Sacramento
Sacramento RT Light Rail
837 mi
1347 km
 Davis
San Joaquins
to Bakersfield
881 mi
1418 km
 Martinez
Richmond
bypassed 2013
908 mi
1461 km
 Emeryville
Oakland
closed 1994
913 mi
1469 km
 Oakland – Jack London Square
Altamont Corridor Express
to Stockton
Caltrain to San Francisco
954 mi
1535 km
 San Jose
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Altamont Corridor Express Caltrain
1021 mi
1643 km
 Salinas
King City
proposed
1119 mi
1801 km
 Paso Robles
1157 mi
1862 km
 San Luis Obispo
1274 mi
2050 km
 Santa Barbara
1310 mi
2108 km
 Oxnard
Metrolink (California)
1341 mi
2158 km
 Simi Valley
Metrolink (California)
1358 mi
2185 km
 Van Nuys
Metrolink (California)
1363 mi
2194 km
 Hollywood Burbank Airport
Metrolink (California)
Metrolink to Lancaster
 Glendale
bypassed 2005
Amtrak
to San Diego, New Orleans & Chicago
1377 mi
2216 km
 Los Angeles
Metrolink (California)
Disabled access All stations are accessible
This diagram:
Menu cover.

The train uses Amtrak's double-decker Superliner I & II equipment, including a Sightseer Lounge car that has floor-to-ceiling windows to watch the passing scenery. The Coast Starlight is the only train on the Amtrak system intended to feature a first-class Pacific Parlour lounge car (formerly Santa Fe Hi-Level Sky Lounge cars built in 1956) for sleeping-car passengers, offering complimentary beverages, a library and games, a no-longer-free[5] afternoon wine tasting, and a movie theater in the lower level. However, due to ongoing maintenance issues, this car is sometimes absent[6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]. For children, play equipment and other distractions are provided in the Kiddie Car. Baggage is placed in a Heritage Baggage Car.

Locomotives used on the Coast Starlight are primarily Amtrak's main locomotives, the GE P42DC AMD-103 Genesis series. Secondary locomotives are GE P32-8 (Dash 8) Locomotives. In the past, EMD F40PH, SDP40F, FP7, and leased Southern Pacific SDP45 locomotives have been used since 1971.

In rare cases, EMD F59PHI locomotives from the Amtrak Surfliner and Cascades routes and Amtrak California F59PHI, or in rarer cases Caltrain EMD F40PH and MPI MP36PH-3C locomotives are used on the Coast Starlight, either as substitutes or while being transported to or from repair jobs.

History

Before the formation of Amtrak, no single passenger train ran the length of the West Coast. The Southern Pacific Railroad operated the Coast Daylight between Los Angeles and San Francisco and the Cascade between Oakland and Portland. The Southern Pacific also ran several overnight trains between Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay area - the all-coach "Lark" on the coast route and the mixed coach and Pullman "Owl" on the San Joaquin Valley line. Service from Portland north to Seattle was provided by the Union Pacific, Northern Pacific Railroad or Great Northern Railroad. After the 1970 merger of the Great Northern and the Northern Pacific into the Burlington Northern Railroad, service was provided by the Burlington Northern. Service south from Los Angeles to San Diego was by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.

With the start of Amtrak operations on May 1, 1971, a single route was formed between Los Angeles and Seattle--and for a few months between San Diego and Seattle[12] . The unnamed train (assigned numbers 11 southbound and 12 northbound) ran three times a week. Supplementing it on the other four days (northbound Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday and southbound Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) was another unnamed train between Los Angeles and Oakland (assigned 98 northbound and 99 southbound). Additional service was also provided between San Diego and Los Angeles and between Portland and Seattle (those became the San Diegan and Mount Rainier/Puget Sound on November 14). In the November 14, 1971 timetable, the LA-Oakland train received the Coast Daylight name that the SP had used for its LA-San Francisco train, and was extended to San Diego and assigned numbers 12 and 13. The San Diego-Seattle train received the new name Coast Starlight and became trains 11 and 14. A few years later, the Coast Daylight was merged into the Coast Starlight, which was expanded to run every day. The Coast Starlight has since been truncated to Los Angeles, though frequent Pacific Surfliner service continues south. For a couple of years in the mid-nineties, the Coast Starlight sent 2 through coach cars from Los Angeles to San Diego as the last Pacific Surfliner train of the evening (#511). The coaches were then coupled onto the first morning train back to Los Angeles where they were re-coupled to the remainder of the Coast Starlight for the journey to Seattle. This was later discontinued because of the timekeeping unreliability of train #11. Instead, if train #11 arrives into Los Angeles prior to the final Surfliner departure, through passengers to Orange County and San Diego will take the connecting Surfliner train, otherwise passengers will be provided motor coach transportation to destinations south of Los Angeles (the motor coach option typically occurs with greater frequency than the train).

Until April 25, 1982 the Coast Starlight used Southern Pacific Railroad's "West Valley Line" between Tehama and Davis, California with a stop in Orland, bypassing Sacramento to the west. At that time it was rerouted to the line between Tehama and Roseville, east of Sacramento via Chico. In southern California, the Starlight had a stop in Glendale. This was later replaced with the current stop in Van Nuys which, unlike Glendale, has Amtrak staff for checking baggage.

On January 19, 2008, Amtrak suspended all service on the Coast Starlight because of mudslides in the Chemult, Oregon area. On February 6, 2008, Amtrak restored rail service between Los Angeles and Sacramento, then filled the service gap between Sacramento and Seattle with Thruway Motorcoach service starting February 29.[13] As Of April 15, 2008, Amtrak restored much of the Coast Starlight service, with a temporary Thruway Motorcoach line running between Eugene and Klamath Falls. Because of the significantly shorter route, the Starlight north of Eugene temporarily operated without sleeper and diner services, with only coach class available to passengers, but checked baggage service was still available.[14] As of May 7, 2008, full service between Seattle and Los Angeles through Oregon was restored.

During early-summer 2008 the Coast Starlight was relaunched with new amenities, and refurbished equipment. As of July 2008 the Pacific Parlor cars have been refurbished and are back in service as part of the relaunch. This has been much anticipated due to the vast success from Amtrak re-launching the Empire Builder (Chicago-Seattle) and Empire Builder-Portland (Chicago-Portland)

References

  • McKinney, Kevin (June 1991). "At the dawn of Amtrak". Trains Magazine. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  • Schafer, Mike (June 1991). "Amtrak's atlas". Trains Magazine. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  • Zimmermann, Karl (2001-07-02). "All Aboard! The Coast Starlight". Trains Magazine.
  • "Amtrak's First Trains and Routes". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  • "Amtrak timetable". November 14, 1971. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  1. ^ Geiger, Kimberly (2006-08-08). "Coast Starlight Losing Its Luster". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2006-08-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ Engle, Jane (2008-06-11). "Amtrak's Coast Starlight Train Classes Up Its Act". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-07-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/reports/2008/June/200806atcr.pdf
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Agreement Between Union Pacific Railroad Company and Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, effective February 1, 2000 (includes a list of subdivisions from the first post-merger timetable in 1998)
  5. ^ "A daily tasting of local wines and artisan cheeses is available for a nominal fee in the refurbished Pacific Parlor Car."
  6. ^ [1]
  7. ^ [2]
  8. ^ [3]
  9. ^ [4]
  10. ^ [5]
  11. ^ [6]
  12. ^ Schwantes, Carlos A. (1993). Railroad Signatures across the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. pp. 317–318. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ Amtrak - Inside Amtrak - News & Media - News Releases - Latest News Releases
  14. ^ Amtrak - Inside Amtrak - News & Media - News Releases - Latest News Releases

External links

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