Private Railcars on Amtrak's California Zephyr During a Severe Thunderstorm, Ottumwa, IA 6/15/19

I got word that Amtrak's westbound California Zephyr would have two private cars on the end the evening of June 15th, 2019. With Amtrak's more restrictive policy regarding private railcar moves these days, the future of their operators is uncertain, making it a priority for railfans to get as many pictures of these moves as they can. Who knows how much longer any of these private cars will be on the rails, and several have already been taken on their last runs.

The two cars on the train this evening were "Salisbury Beach" and "Colonial Crafts". Salisbury Beach is a Pullman sleeping car, built in 1954 for the Boston & Maine Railroad. It later operated on the Canadian National until the 1980's, and has been in private ownership for almost 30 years. Colonial Crafts was built in 1949 for the Pennsylvania Railroad, and is a combination parlor/sleeping car.

The California Zephyr is shown arriving in downtown Ottumwa, Iowa, just as dark clouds come sweeping in from the northwest. This storm brewed very quickly, and by the time the train stopped and I started walking up to the locomotives the town's tornado sirens started going off. For my footage of the train departing I stood underneath the Highway 149 overpass for a bit of shelter. This did little good once the train passed, as major wind gusts blew the driving rain underneath. Regardless, I didn't get too wet and managed to get some pretty dramatic rain pictures. Certainly something I don't normally get every day! The storm continued until past 8 PM, and though it dumped a lot of rain and wind on Ottumwa it did no real damage here.

This train was documented very well on its travels west. It was filmed just east of Ottumwa at Agency, IA by YouTube user A. Train:    • Shave and a Haircut from Amtrak with ...   , then later that night by Trains of Nebraska in Minden, NE:    • Amtrak 5 with 2 PV's in Minden Nebraska   , and the following day by Mike Jensen 80701 in Fort Morgan, CO:    • Видео  

Also, this is my first video I've uploaded to YouTube that I've filmed with my new Sony camcorder that I purchased early this year. This model, HDR-CX675, records video in a similar format as my previous camera (HDR-CX260V), but has some more advanced features, as it is one of Sony's mid-level consumer camcorders. One huge advantage over my old camera is the multi-interface shoe, which allows me to attach an external microphone to the top of the unit for much better sound. In this video, for example, the wind noise (it was VERY windy) is greatly reduced thanks to the microphone's "low cut" setting and windscreen. The camera also allows for lens filters and covers to be attached to the front, so I don't have to worry about getting dust and raindrops on the lens itself.

For more train videos, including more of private cars on Amtrak, plus my Amtrak train trip documentaries, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel:
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