It’s 11:45 a.m. and we’re running a couple hours late, meeting and passing through plenty of BNSF freight traffic in Iowa aboard Amtrak’s eastbound California Zephyr on November 7, 2018. Cruising at track speed about 15 minutes east of Ottumwa, we meet a third BNSF coal empty seen in the last 7 minutes. I still have the bed down from last night in Roomette 12, and after enjoying a late breakfast in the diner, it’s a great place to stretch out and take in the action.
