The Pacific Sun Railroad was perhaps southern California’s most difficult railroad to photograph, as its operations were nocturnal and the power tied up in the joint Coaster/Metrolink facility in Stuart Mesa, accessible only by passing through the heavily guarded USMC Camp Pendleton. Three of their engines, leased from Webb Asset Management, were sitting in Stuart Mesa as Amtrak train 572 passed through with private car "Silver Splendor" in the consist, which provided the opportunity to photograph from an open vestibule. WAMX GP35 3513 is the former Palouse River & Coulee City Railroad 799; ex-BLMR 799; ex-Blue Mountain Railroad 799; ex-Union Pacific GP35 799; née-Western Pacific 3022. WAMX 3513 is coupled to WAMX GP40s 4047 and 4048. In late 2020 the Pacific Sun Railroad ceased operations, and their WAMX engines were shipped out, when BNSF took over freight service to their customers. (Oceanside, California – August 17, 2013)
