We survived the train!!
It was two nights! This trip was one of the most pleasant long Amtrak trips I've been on... loads of other people were going long-distance, any of them all the way to New Orleans too. We had a great conversation nearly every meal with an actually-nice person, which is unusual. There were also plenty of fun weirdos - people who were personally odd, rather than unsettling, which is always great. Ideal train trip, really.
Here are some pictures from the train experience.
The metropolitan lounge, a room full of seats and free food where they let you sit and wait for the train if you have some types of non-coach seats.
The observation lounge at night.
The Union Pacific refuelling station outside El Paso. I rushed to get pictures of this because I've been obsessed with it for a long time time now - you pass it every time you head to Texas from LA on this route and I've already taken loads of weird pictures of it. It looks like some kind of fairytale train infrastructure?? While I was taking pictures of it, I noticed a lady with a massive expensive camera doing the same, and we had a nice conversation.
At the El Paso stop. It's my favorite station stop on the route. There's a lady here who sells burritos.
Our locomotive once we completed the trip in New Orleans!