Then we all reloaded the train. Then I went to the Domeliner. Kayley and Kelsey were sat with me. I was just about to order as our stars came up and took the table that was at the front of the dome. I watched the sunset from my seat. My Filet came fast I tipped the waitress well. I was signaled to come to the other table to help them chose what they wanted, and to help Cha’s the waitress broken English (my normal waitress at Red Lobster, she knows my order before I sit down, she just hard to understand). After that I went to the Lookout Lounge. Most people fell asleep by Santa Barbara. I stood in an open vestibule and waived to my railfan friends that live in the area. Then as we went thru San Luis Obispo, I turned the lights off for the observation car, so I could see the whole train go around a horseshoe curve, with all the lights on the other cars, I took a few photos. Then I 34 went to my room. I woke up as we stopped in the San Fran. I saw everything I moved to our next place we were aloud to go. So I went to Oakland, on a commuter train. I sat at a street café and watched the trains role thru Jack London Square while eating breakfast. I saw our stars walking thru the area and I waved them down. After talking for awhile, I went to the bookstore next door and picked up some books for my collection. Then I found those guys again at the commuter train station for the Six Flags Park in the area, Samantha was also there. I couldn’t pass up going to an amusement park so I got on the same train. So I rode all of the rides with my new friends and my really good friend. At 6:30 those of us who came here for the day caught our train. Then we went up the Shasta Line. The Cascade Club car is where I rode this leg of the trip. It probably felt at home seeing it was on its home rails. (Cascade Club was built for the Southern 35
Pacific’s Cascade San Fran to Portland) Most people were asleep before we even began our assent on the Cascade mountains. I went to bed after one last check of the train at 1. The next morning I woke up as we departed Portland, for refueling. I went to the twin unit diner, and ate by my self. I then went to the dome car. I enjoyed the ride. I got my laptop out to watch our train go by on a web cam. Then as we got to the station, I lowered the steps as soon as we got close to the station. I hung off as we approached. Then as we stopped I got down and put the step box down. Then once everyone was off , the film crew got ready to film the scenes. I was supposed to be in my conductors uniform. I then read the lines I was supposed. I was supposed to act like an Amtrak Conductor. When they got to the scene by the train I was ready. 36 “Hello ticket please,” I said like I didn’t want to be doing this, “Go down the hall to the left room 6.” Then that was done for me, till we got moving. The renamed the train the North Coast Limited. Then after my little part I went and toured the city. I had lunch at the space needle, and then it was about time to go. Once everyone was on we got going. The train paralleled the Puget Sound for a while before turning east on the Great Northern. The film crew came to me and said, “ Can you stop the train so we can film here as a run by.” “I can’t I’m the boss of the train, not the track that is the dispatcher, I know he won’t because there is a hotshot intermodel freight behind us,” I said. Then I went back to the dome car. The train ride was very pretty seeing some snow was still on the ground. Right before we went into Cascade Tunnel I saw I guy fall off the train, “ Stop the train now, a body has just fell off of one of the cars,” I ordered into my radio. The engineer stopped our train and backed up. I got off to see if I could help the poor man. We couldn’t because he was dead. I called the police about the incident. We had to stay stopped till the police came. We backed up most of the trains coming out of Seattle for three hours. The police were letting me conduct the investigation. Now I was really wondering if I was fit for the investigation. I called Kyle, Tyler, and Megan to car 1018 (car 18 Amtrak number style room numbers) A,B,C.
“Hello, Kyle,” I said. “Hello, what do you need,” he asked. “I need an another detective, I know your whereabouts at the time of murder, so your free because you were in the dome that I was in,” I said. “Cool, lets get started,” he said. Then I went into the room. “Hello, Jonathan,” Megan said. “Hello,” I replied, “Do you know where you were at 6:47 PM.” “Tihe Dome diner eating roast chickin,” she replied. “Ok,” I said while jotting it down, “Your dismissed.” “Send, Danielle in,” I said. “What in the world do you want,” she said. “I can ask you the same question where were you at 6:47 this evening,” I asked. “Playing scrabble,” she said, “ and I 37
want to get back to it.” “Ok, your dismissed, and try not to be so rude,” I said. “Wil it is your turn now,” I said. “Wil do you know anything about the murder,” I asked. “What are we talking about,” he said. “You can go now,” I said. “Kyle, you get anything out of this,” I asked. “No, but we can compare notes,” he said. “You have dinner yet,” I asked. “No, why you ask,” he said. “Lets compare the notes in the dome diner,” I said. The hostess sat us in a four-seat booth. Not surprising two of the stars Miranda, and Jennette came up into the diner, and they way do diners is they seat others with you to influence conversation. We ended up talking about that case I had earlier in the trip. “I 38 think I would like to see that,” Miranda said. “I think that sounds cool to,” Jennette said. “Ok we’ll do that tomorrow, I’ll go and reserve a theater for it,” I said. Then I went to the observation car to find out that my mom was in a scrabble game with the band director. After I watched the game, I went to my room. I slept as we made our way to Glacier National Park (the reason this train stops in all of these places is, it was the only way to get the trip approved). After we had breakfast, we went an caught one of those red cars that they have, and had our tour. The others went on a hike, while I had to return to the train to help the production film squad film. While the engineer was on brake, when the train needed to be moved for the movie I moved it seeing I was also a licensed engineer (couldn't due to FRA regulations). I then had to do a few lines in the movie to. Then once the people came back we had to reverse seeing a big 39 derailment messed up trains for miles, so we would detour over the Northern Pacific Mainline (now BNSF). Our train left East Glacier at 11:06. We then backtracked to Spokane. When we got to Spokane it was already twilight. I had time to go to the computer, and print some former North Coast Limited Menus for this trip on the historic line. Then I had to put them in each dining car. I sat in the dome sleeper for this part of the trip. I sat alone for a while, seeing people were going to the diners first. I was lucky enough to go before the rush. Then a few friends came up and all took window seats. As time went on more people came to the isle seats. Then the film crew decided it would be great to film in the dome car. So then I had to move someone out of their window seat, so the stars of the show could sit down in a row in the dome. This time I paid no attention to the whole thing. 40 It was kind of nice to be able to be close to it and not have a line to say, or to cater to the crew. Then I sat and watched as we began our assault on the Rockies. Then after awhile the film crew left. Jennette decided to stay and move next to me which didn’t bother me at all. We talked for awhile, till it was time for lunch. “So what diner you want to go to, you can go to the twin unit, Cascade Club(diner-lounge-kitchen car articulated length of 3 standard cars), dome diner, turquoise room (high end place to eat in the Pleasure dome’s first floor), and the standard 48 seat diner,” I said. “I’ve not been to the Turquoise room yet,” she said. “Most people hadn’t it is the high-end restaurant on rails here, we actually charge to eat in it,” I said. ''Why do you not charge at the other diners,"Jennette asked. ''Well when these guys in the band bought there tickets they also bought their meals with it like Amtrak, we only charge for the high end resturant so we make a little bit of profit," I said. “Cool, Then lets go,” she said. We walked 22 cars. Today it was actually somewhat busy. 41 We ate a very nice elegant meal, I was shocked the movie star was hanging around me the a lot. After that she had to go back to filming. I walked thru one of the shoots, and they went along with it, “So where you going,”Miranda asked. “The Great Dome ran out of freeon, its is hot as a desert,” I said. “So that’s what is in your hand,” she replied. “I got to go before someone has a heat stroke,” I said those lines were being filmed. Then I continued on my way, the engineer stopped the train and helped me put it in. Then we got the train moving again. The views on this part of the trip were spectacular. All to soon we left the mountains behind, and went into the Amber Waves of grain. I was walking to the end of the train after eating when Cha flagged me down. “What is the problem,” I asked. 42 “That film crew is filming during the dinner rush and it’s a nuisances to get around them and deliver the food,” she said I think. “I’ll take care of it don’t worry,” I said. I walked to where they were and said, “Cut, you can’t film till after dinner, and I’ll find some extras for you guys, as long as you don’t film here right now,” I said. “Why,” the director asked. “Lets see the waitress are saying it’s a problem to get around you guys,” I said.
“Ok, but you better get those extras,” he said. “Shouldn’t be hard, how many people on this train want to be in a movie, probably all of them,” I said as people heard that they were like include me. Then I continued down to the information counter, to check to see what time, I had reserved the theater for. I found those two, and we went down to the strata dome where one of the theaters was. We watched. “Oh, my god, that’s is our answer to the whole case,” I yelled while pausing the show. “What,” Miranda said. “The killer is found, now I have a date with a murderer,” I said, “if you excuse me, I think I’m about to double check my long shot.” I also told them who it is. "Be careful," Jennette said. I then found Edward. “Edward I need you to go to, the theater in the Strata Dome,” I said. “Why do you need to go,” he asked. 43
“I’m worried Miranda and Jennette, may be in danger seeing they know who the killer is,” I said. “Ok, I’ll go do it, good luck at finding him,” he said. Then I went and got the last few minutes from that guys camera, to check my guess. I then put that in the projector in the watched it. It proved it was who I thought it was. But when I went to the suspect’s room, he was asleep. So I went to my room for the night. I woke up as we were passing the Twin Cities. When we were about to pass thru Wisconsin Rapids, the radio told me about a washout further up ahead the track. “Again, this place is loaded with them,” I said. It is always this way in the spring. Then we put the engines on the other end of our train. After that we backtracked to Minneapolis. We decided that we would stop here for 6 hours for people to tour the city. I went to Union station, and walked around downtown, till I went to the Mall of America, to try out their coasters. After sometime, I had to return to our train. While the killer was away, I searched his room. I found the plans on how in his room, and took those. Then I tried to find his white gloves, no where in the area, I found a guns in there I didn't have time to take those as long as I heard foot steps, so I fled for his bathroom. I was locked in there for a few minutes till he left and I ran out of there. I fled for the dome. This time we were going to take the Burlington Route(now BNSF) instead of the Milwaukee Road(now Canadian Pacific) to Chicago. I made a few posts on my laptop about the change of plans. The train entered the Mississippi River Valley. As the Burlington said on its timetables, “Where nature smiles for 300 miles.” Today it was like the slogan. I enjoyed the view, as we were on the Afternoon Zephyr time card. The people in the domes were getting the best view of the valley. You could not see this from a Sardine Can (a railfans term for airplanes) 2800 ft up. Eventually we turned away from the river and turned toward Aurora. That was part 5. Any questions, comments. Who do you guys think the murderer is.