Having completed its battle up Cuesta Pass, AMTK 164 leads Amtrak 14, the northbound Coast Starlight, downgrade and into Santa Margarita. At this point on the Coast Subdivision, the railroad moves back onto Track Warrant Controlled (TWC) territory with Cuesta being the sole location between Ellwood and Salinas that has CTC available. Standing guard at this location on this cloudy evening are a trio of veteran, ex-Southern Pacific searchlights signals with the siding's 'dwarf' signal pictured here.
