A couple of questions for railroad buffs

Factual Questions
1

I have a couple of railroad related questions that I hope someone here can answer.

  1. When was the line between Seattle and Los Angeles, over which the Coast Starlight runs today, originally completed? Foolishly, I didn’t think to ask this question when I was actually on that train.

  2. Are there any sites that provide up-to-date maps of citywide rail networks? I don’t mean rapid transit systems, but mainline track leading into and out of a city. Specifically in the case of L.A., I often see tracks in reasonably heavy use, but I can’t imagine where they link up with the rest of the nationwide rail system.

2

Would this be of any help?

3

The UPRR site will have a pretty decent system map, and if you do enough digging you can probably find the timetable/special rules PDF for the particular subdivision the Starlight runs on. I’m not in that part of the country, so I can’t help too much. You probably didn’t err by not asking while on-board the train, as the crew probably wouldn’t know much about the history of the route. The on-board service crew (coach/sleeper attendants, diner staff, etc) are on the train for its entire journey, but typically aren’t from the area of the country they work. For instance, “my” Amtrak train, the Texas Eagle, is staffed out of Chicago. The operating crew (engineer and conductor) MIGHT have a little more knowledge, as they work a specific subdivision on the route and would, therefor, live in the area. Chances are they’re not native, as railroading tends to move you around quite a bit, especially Amtrak.

If you’re really interested in the history of the route, my suggestion would be to find out what the subdivisions are named. I know the detoured Starlight passed over the Valley subdivision. You might also try “The Capitol Route.” I would assume there are some historical societies out there with the build history, etc.

For the extremely serious, you could order a copy of the Railroad Atlas for that neck of the woods. I have the Texas edition and it is quite informative. That will give you all the branches, feeders, interlockings, etc.

Also check BNSF.com, because they operate in that area. I’ve found their online maps to be superior to UP’s.