Episode 4 of US Railway Travelogue finds Tim Davies continuing onto the second part of the San Francisco to Portland leg of his trip on the first of the iconic Amtrak trains he is taking, recording the sights and sounds of ‘The Coast Starlight‘.

With the train running about half an hour late, this episode picks up at a station called Chemult.



As well as the sights and sounds, Tim manages to speak to a few of the passengers to discover why they are using the train, rather than other forms of transport available, such as flying.
After a while, the train crosses through the Cascades mountain range, and eventually some 22 tunnels – as well as some beautiful scenery.





As the train continues to pass through breathtaking views, Tim chats to another passenger, Bob, about what brings him to the train, and about how the scenery compares to back home in Colorado.






The train eventually makes it to Eugene, Oregon – named after the town’s founder. It is the western-most town on the Amtrak system.




Heading out of Eugene, the train passes a significant number of freight yards. Tim steals an opportunity to talk to CJ who looks after the ‘Parlour Car‘ on the Coast Starlight, about what the job entails, and how he got the job.

Onwards, to Albany.



Next stop Salem – an impressive, mansion-like station. The city is famous for being home to Kettle Foods – the people behind the famous Kettle Crisps!

The train then passes through the Oregon City area.



This leg of Tim’s journey came to an end in Portland.


Tim Davies and Sound Vault would like to thank Amtrak who have helped make the recording of this podcast possible, and all of the crew of The Coast Starlight on this trip who made it so memorable.
Music credits:
Theme: “Steam Railway”, AK012, Composer: Kimber-McTiffen; Track Number 1, Royalty Free from “The Special Interest Video Selection“; (AKM Music);