As report on another rail forum several years ago:Does anyone know the highest elevation reached on the Sunset Ltd?
A Small World Indeed! My Grandfather was the Section Formean on the SP between Alpine and Paisano Pass when I was Born in 1944 and My Mom and I lived there @ the Section House in Paisano for almost 2 Years until my Dad Returned from WWII! At the time All SP Passenger Trains Except the Sunset Ltd. did Flag Stops @ Paisano!As report on another rail forum several years ago:Does anyone know the highest elevation reached on the Sunset Ltd?
On the Union Pacific web site you can find a map showing high and low point elevations on their various lines. (This is also useful for the high points on the California Zephyr route.) It is at
www.uprr.com/aboutup/maps/attachments/elevations.pdf
On it you will see that the high point is elevation 5,078 feet at Paisano TX, milepost 619.26. (Zero is at Houston TX.) This point is between San Antonio and El Paso.
On my last two SL trips, I had a waypoint with proximity alarm on my GPS for the Continental Divide...pretty much nothing there. Certainly no geological landmark!Also, an interesting note is that the SL has the lowest crossing of the Continental Divide of the 4 midwest-west Amtrak routes. If fact you don't even realize it, as the nearest mountains are over 20-30 miles away! (This is in New Mexico BTW.)
Interesting info Jim. Even though I've been through the area a hundred times it's still hard for me to imagine multiple passenger trains hitting station after station on a rural line. Never seen anything like that in my lifetime. Paisano the town is apparently long gone but Marfa and Marathon are still around and featuring restored historic hotels. Alpine seems to be doing well. I enjoy stopping for dinner at the Holland Hotel whenever I'm passing through. Although I prefer the more modern Holiday Inn for actual sleeping. Does Alpine have a good breakfast place anywhere? That's the only thing that seems to be missing.A Small World Indeed! My Grandfather was the Section Formean on the SP between Alpine and Paisano Pass when I was Born in 1944 and My Mom and I lived there @ the Section House in Paisano for almost 2 Years until my Dad Returned from WWII! At the time All SP Passenger Trains Except the Sunset Ltd. did Flag Stops @ Paisano!As report on another rail forum several years ago:Does anyone know the highest elevation reached on the Sunset Ltd?
On the Union Pacific web site you can find a map showing high and low point elevations on their various lines. (This is also useful for the high points on the California Zephyr route.) It is at
www.uprr.com/aboutup/maps/attachments/elevations.pdf
On it you will see that the high point is elevation 5,078 feet at Paisano TX, milepost 619.26. (Zero is at Houston TX.) This point is between San Antonio and El Paso.
Yes, I believe there is a sign along the highway but, no geological/topographic features that stand out.I think I saw a small sign labelled "Continental Divide" at the specific location on my last journey aboard the SL
Thanks Chris: I like to eat Breakfast @ Pennys Diner located @ The Oak Tree Inn on Highway 90 East on the Edge of Town.Interesting info Jim. Even though I've been through the area a hundred times it's still hard for me to imagine multiple passenger trains hitting station after station on a rural line. Never seen anything like that in my lifetime. Paisano the town is apparently long gone but Marfa and Marathon are still around and featuring restored historic hotels. Alpine seems to be doing well. I enjoy stopping for dinner at the Holland Hotel whenever I'm passing through. Although I prefer the more modern Holiday Inn for actual sleeping. Does Alpine have a good breakfast place anywhere? That's the only thing that seems to be missing.A Small World Indeed! My Grandfather was the Section Formean on the SP between Alpine and Paisano Pass when I was Born in 1944 and My Mom and I lived there @ the Section House in Paisano for almost 2 Years until my Dad Returned from WWII! At the time All SP Passenger Trains Except the Sunset Ltd. did Flag Stops @ Paisano!As report on another rail forum several years ago:Does anyone know the highest elevation reached on the Sunset Ltd?
On the Union Pacific web site you can find a map showing high and low point elevations on their various lines. (This is also useful for the high points on the California Zephyr route.) It is at
www.uprr.com/aboutup/maps/attachments/elevations.pdf
On it you will see that the high point is elevation 5,078 feet at Paisano TX, milepost 619.26. (Zero is at Houston TX.) This point is between San Antonio and El Paso.
Ill have to check it out.I like to eat Breakfast @ Pennys Diner located @ The Oak Tree Inn on Highway 90 East on the Edge of Town. (towards Marathon) It looks like a Street Car and is the only 24/7 Joint in Alpine!
Ive seen UP vehicles at the Hampton Inn (owned by the same company as the Holiday Inn Express). Maybe they were just passing through and not part of the standard rotation. Is the Oak Tree nice or is it just another dump? Have you ever stayed at The Maverick? Its always sold out when Im passing through but seems like a blast from the Route 66 past.The Oak Tree Inn is where Railroad Crews stay !(Alpine is a crew Change Spot for Amtrak and UP)
Ive had my share of experiences at the Holland Hotel. I found the Penthouse to be rather underwhelming for the name and the price. And Im not used to staff that simply disappear for the night. However, I did find the spooky Shining vibe of the place to be rather interesting and the dinner service is top rate for West Texas. Its just that when it comes time to sleep I like the cleaner and quieter Holiday Inn. I tried a couple of the off brand hotels and found them to be in really bad shape.I've stayed in the Holland Hotel several times, its pretty Nice, its an Old Railroad Hotel but the Rooms are Remodeled and there is a Penthouse on Top that has a Good View of the town!
I keep hearing that Marfa is all these things but whenever I pass through I see a tiny town that looks half asleep. I guess its time to make an effort to have a look around. They have a restored Paisano Hotel there so it might be fun to stay there and imagine the way it used to be.Marfa has become a Trendy, Santa Fe Type Place with Artitists, Trendies and Hipsters hanging out in what used to be Basically a Cow and Railroad Town!
I remember when the Gage Hotel was just beginning the early stages of its eventual comeback, decades ago at this point, and how precarious the idea seemed in the first few years. It seems to have done pretty well though. They were asking $300+ per night last time I looked, which would be pretty reasonable for a true resort, but Im not sure the Gage Hotel qualifies in that regard. I suppose if youre just looking for an interesting place to stay while getting far away from whatever troubles you it may be worth it.Marathon has the Gage Hotel with a Good (Expensive) Dining Room and that's about it!
Ive seen the Observatory and I agree its beautiful up there. Never stayed overnight though.My Favorite is Ft. Davis for the Observatory, Old Ft. Davis and the Small Town Atmosphere with really Good West Tex/N. Mexico Style Mexican Food! (I still stay in Alpine but there are Nice Hotels/Motels in Ft. Davis)
Ive been to Pecos on business and that dump of a town left such a bad taste in my mouth that I never bothered to do any more exploring of the area, including Balmorhea. Ive never had anyone suggest I was missing out on anything, but you seem to be saying otherwise.Bahlmorea (Off I-10 North of Ft. Davis) has the Famous Springs with a great Natural Swimming Pool! (Similar to Barton Springs but Better! A Real Oasis in the Desert!) )
Your post has helped remind me just how much history rests among those hills. Ill have to set aside some more time for exploring next time Im passing through.As for the Passenger Train Stops., the Old Highway 90 used to go past Toronto and Paisano Pass instead of the Current Route. There wasnt a Town per se @ Paisano but since it was a Major RR Junction and the Ranchers in the Area Caught Trains so it was a Flag Stop for all but the Sunset Ltd. which stopped in Marfa and Alpine! There was an Army Airfield between Alpine and Marfa (Marfa Army Air Field/Long Gone) where my Dad was stationed while doing Bomber Training for WWII! Marfa had an Army Base/POW Camp(Ft. DA Russell/now an Artist Colony forDonald Judds Followers) where my Uncle was Stationed, so the Trains would do Flag Stops @ Paisano for Soldiers to Board/De-Train!
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