The Coast Starlight at San Luis Obispo, California.

The Coast Starlight is a 1389-mile (2235 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. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 249 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Coast Starlight Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 249 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Coast Starlight Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to... San Luis Obispo, San Luis, or SLO (Spanish for ) is a city in California. ... This article is about trains in rail transport. ... Acela Express in West Windsor, NJ Amtrak Cascades service with tilting Talgo trainsets in Seattle, Washington Amtrak train in downtown Orlando, Florida For other uses, see Amtrak (disambiguation). ... Regional definitions vary from source to source. ... Nickname: The Emerald City Location of Seattle in King County and Washington Coordinates: Country United States State Washington County King County Incorporated December 2 1869 Mayor Greg Nickels (D) Area    - City 369. ... View from the northwest with Qwest Field in the background, 2004 View from the southeast with the Smith Tower under construction in the background, 1913 King Street Station is a train station built from 1904 to 1906 by the Great Northern Railway and Northern Pacific Railway. ... Nickname: City of Angels Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: State California County Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Area    - City 1,290. ... A view of Union Station familiar to many of downtown Los Angeles visitors. ...

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). The Southern Pacific Railroad (AAR reporting mark SP) was an American railroad. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ...

Major stops on the route are Portland, Oregon; Eugene, Oregon; Sacramento, California; Emeryville, California (for San Francisco); Oakland, California; San Jose, California; Santa Barbara, California; and Oxnard, California. Nickname: City of Roses, Stumptown, Bridgetown, PDX Location in Multnomah County and the state of Oregon Coordinates: Country United States State Oregon County Multnomah County Incorporated February 8, 1851 Mayor Tom Potter Area    - City 376. ... Nickname: The Emerald City Motto: The Worlds Greatest City for the Arts and Outdoors. ... Nickname: City of Trees Location of Sacramento in California County Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo Area    - City 99. ... The city of Emeryville highlighted within Alameda County Emeryville is a city located in Alameda County, California. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Oakland, founded in 1852, is the eighth-largest city in California[1] and the county seat of Alameda County. ... Nickname: Capital of Silicon Valley Location of San Jose within Santa Clara County, California. ... Santa Barbara is a city in California, United States. ... Nickname: The City that Cares Location Location of Oxnard, California Government Country State County United States California Ventura County Mayor Dr. Thomas E. Holden Geographical characteristics Area    - City km²  (36. ...

In recent years, the train has gained the nickname Coast Starlate due to 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, 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, UP cites ongoing track repairs among other issues.^{[citation needed]} The Union Pacific Railroad (NYSE: UNP) is the largest railroad in the United States. ...

Equipment

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, and is the only train on the Amtrak system to feature a first-class Pacific Parlour lounge car (formerly Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe Hi-Level "Sky Lounge" cars built in 1956) for sleeping-car passengers, offering complimentary beverages, a library and games, afternoon wine tasting, and a movie theater in the lower level. For children, play equipment and other distractions are provided in the Kiddie Car. Baggage is placed in a "Heritage" Baggage Car. Image File history File links Coast_Starlight. ... Image File history File links Coast_Starlight. ... The Superliner is a largely disabled-accessible double decker passenger car used by Amtrak, on mainly its western routes. ... The Santa Fe trademark in the late 1800s incorporated the British lion out of respect for the countrys financial assistance in building the railroad to California. ... Amtraks Heritage Fleet program was started was started in 1977 to equip older cars from Amtraks predecessor railroads to Head End Power (HEP). ...

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. A pair of GE Genesis locomotives Genesis (officially trademarked GENESIS) is a series of locomotives produced by GE Transportation Systems, a subsidiary of General Electric in Erie, Pennsylvania. ... The GE B32-8WH, known otherwise as the Dash8-32BHW or P32BHW, is a modern diesel-electric locomotive used by Amtrak California to pull passenger trains. ... The General Motors Electro-Motive Division model F40PH is a 3000 horsepower (2. ... Santa Fe Railroad 5261, an SDP40F works eastbound in Caliente, California, in the late 1980s. ... St. ... The Southern Pacific Railroad (AAR reporting mark SP) was an American railroad. ... The EMD SDP45 was a six-axle C-C 3,600 hp (2,700 kW) diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division of La Grange, Illinois. ...

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 are being transported to or from repair jobs. The Electro-Motive Diesels F59PHI diesel-electric locomotive is a common locomotive on passenger trains in North America. ... Northbound Pacific Surfliner Cab Car crosses Carlsbad Village Dr. in Carlsbad, Ca. ... Amtrak Cascades consist in Portland, Oregon. ... Amtrak California is a brand name used by Caltrans Division of Rail on all state supported and Amtrak operated rail routes within the State of California. ... Caltrain is a commuter rail line on the San Francisco Peninsula and the Santa Clara Valley in the United States. ... The General Motors Electro-Motive Division model F40PH is a 3000 horsepower (2. ... The Motive Power, Inc. ...

A typical Coast Starlight consist includes: Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. ...

• Heritage Baggage Car
• Superliner Transition Sleeper Car
• Superliner Sleeper Car
• Superliner Sleeper Car
• Pacific Parlour Car (Heritage Hi-Level Lounge Car)
• Superliner Diner Car
• Superliner Sightseer Lounge Car
• Superliner Coach Class Car
• Superliner Coach Class Car
• Superliner Coach Class Car

In the event that a Pacific Parlour Car is not available (in for repairs, etc.) it will typically be replaced by another Sightseer Lounge Car.

History

Before the formation of Amtrak, there was no passenger train running along the whole west coast. The Southern Pacific Railroad operated the Coast Daylight between Los Angeles and San Francisco and the Cascade between Oakland and Portland. Service from Portland north to Seattle was provided by the Burlington Northern Railroad and service south from Los Angeles to San Diego by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. The Southern Pacific Railroad (AAR reporting mark SP) was an American railroad. ... The Coast Daylight was a passenger train originally run by the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) between the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco, California, via SPs Coast Line. ... Nickname: City of Angels Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: State California County Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Area    - City 1,290. ... Nickname: The City by the Bay; Fog City Location of the City and County of San Francisco, California Coordinates: Country United States of America State California City-County San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom Area    - City 122 km²  (47 sq mi)  - Land 121. ... Oakland, founded in 1852, is the eighth-largest city in California[1] and the county seat of Alameda County. ... Nickname: City of Roses, Stumptown, Bridgetown, PDX Location in Multnomah County and the state of Oregon Coordinates: Country United States State Oregon County Multnomah County Incorporated February 8, 1851 Mayor Tom Potter Area    - City 376. ... Nickname: The Emerald City Location of Seattle in King County and Washington Coordinates: Country United States State Washington County King County Incorporated December 2 1869 Mayor Greg Nickels (D) Area    - City 369. ... Categories: Rail stubs | Defunct railroad companies of the United States | California railroads | Colorado railroads | Idaho railroads | Illinois railroads | Iowa railroads | Kansas railroads | Kentucky railroads | Minnesota railroads | Missouri railroads | Montana railroads | Nebraska railroads | North Dakota railroads | Oregon railroads | South Dakota railroads | Washington railroads | Wisconsin railroads | Wyoming railroads ... It has been suggested that Downtown San Diego be merged into this article or section. ... The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (AAR reporting mark ATSF), often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the largest railroads in the United States. ...

With the start of Amtrak operations on May 1, 1971, a single route was formed between San Diego and Seattle. 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. May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... The southbound San Diegan passes through San Clemente, California in April, 1973. ... November 14 is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 47 days remaining until the end of the year. ... November 14 is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 47 days remaining until the end of the year. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... Northbound Pacific Surfliner Cab Car crosses Carlsbad Village Dr. in Carlsbad, Ca. ...

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. April 25 is the 115th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (116th in leap years). ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Southern Pacific Railroad (AAR reporting mark SP) was an American railroad. ... Tehama is a city located in Tehama County, California. ... Yo davis has got the best rappers yah yah Paymeshizzle ... Orland is a city located in Glenn County, California. ... Nickname: City of Trees Location of Sacramento in California County Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo Area    - City 99. ... Roseville is a city in Placer County, California, located in the metropolitan area of Sacramento. ...

Station stops

The Coast Starlight runs as trains 11 southbound and 14 northbound, making the following station stops (southward), with water refresh stops and shift change stops noted accordingly:

Washington

• Seattle
• Tacoma
• Olympia-Lacey
• Centralia
• Kelso-Longview
• Vancouver

View from the northeast with Qwest Field in the background, 2004 View from the southeast with the Smith Tower under construction in the background, 1913 King Street Station is a train station built from 1904 to 1906 by the Great Northern Railway and Northern Pacific Railway. ... The Kelso-Longview Amtrak Station (Located at 501 South First Avenue in Kelso, Washington)was orginally built sometime in the 1920s or 30s as a freight depot for the Northern Pacific Railway. ... The Vancouver, Washington Amtrak station is located at the foot of 11th Street in west Vancouver. ...

Oregon

• Portland (refresh stop) (inspection and shift change stop for train 14)
• Salem
• Albany
• Eugene
• Chemult (No station here, just an old fashioned wood platform)
• Klamath Falls (refresh stop)

Union Station is a train station near the west shore of the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon,in Old Town. ... Albany Station is an Amtrak station in Albany, Oregon. ...

California

• Dunsmuir
• Redding
• Chico
• Sacramento
• Davis
• Martinez
• Emeryville (serves San Francisco) (refresh stop)
• Oakland (service to San Francisco via BART) (refresh stop)
• San Jose (refresh stop)
• Salinas
• Paso Robles
• San Luis Obispo
• Santa Barbara
• Oxnard
• Simi Valley
• Van Nuys
• Los Angeles

Trivia

Until April 25, 2005 the Starlight had a stop in Glendale, California. This was replaced with the current stop in Van Nuys which, unlike Glendale, has Amtrak staff for checking baggage. Nickname The Jewel City Location Location of Glendale within Los Angeles County and the State of California. ...

External links

• Amtrak - Coast Starlight

References

• McKinney, Kevin. "At the dawn of Amtrak", Trains Magazine, June 1991.
• Schafer, Mike. "Amtrak's atlas", Trains Magazine, June 1991.
• Zimmermann, Karl. "All Aboard! The Coast Starlight", Trains Magazine, 2 July 2001.
• Amtrak's First Trains and Routes. Retrieved on November 19, 2005.
• Amtrak timetable. November 14, 1971. Retrieved on November 19, 2005.
• Geiger, Kimberly. "Coast Starlight Losing Its Luster", San Francisco Chronicle, 2006-08-08. Retrieved on 2006-08-10.