Running on the Amtrak since 1971

Thank you!

We are so grateful for Paul Jenkins (far right), President of Grow Raton! for helping coordinate a mini press conference/discussion forum with officials and community members from Raton this afternoon. There is nothing like hearing from passionate people to get you excited about your radio story!

Train Travel

Greetings from Raton, NM. We had quite the morning on the Southwest Chief learning about train travel, meeting passengers, and best of all, conducting interviews with crew members that you'll soon hear on our radio series. Here is Martha with Conductor Gary Norris in the lounge car.

Through the East Colorado plains

On the train!

We were the only passengers to board in Lamar, but we were relieved to find dozens of others already on the train. Next stop- La Junta! 

Lamar, CO

We spent the night at a charming motel just south of the train station. At 6:30am we were up and ready to catch our 7:00 train when we received a delay notification from Amtrak. Now 9:15am, we're just a few minutes from boarding the Southwest Chief westbound to Raton.

The Quiet Kansans

We haven't heard much out of Kansas recently....

It was something of a relief to find a story from a local Kansas newspaper today indicating some Southwest Chief support from the cities it passes through. Garden City Manager Matt Allen and Dodge City Attorney Ken Strobel weren't shy about voicing their support; as for Governor Sam Brownback (R), his support for the Southwest Chief remains unconfirmed.

Today in 'The Kansan': Cities on the Southwest Chief line want state support

According to an article in the Santa Fe New Mexican, Brownback was known for heavy criticism toward Amtrak when he was a U.S. Senator. As of now, we know Garden City Mayor Dan Frankhauser and U.S. Representative for the district John Doll (R) are doing what they can to save the Chief.