You never know when it could be gone.
It's only been a year and a half since this photo was taken on July 9, 2019 in Steilacoom, WA, but so much has changed. In just another six months, the COVID pandemic would hit the US hard, reducing the Coast Starlight to tri-weekly status with a shorter consist - no baggage car. Additionally, within 2021, the Starlight and all other Amtrak trains are due to move to the Point Defiance Bypass, no longer taking the route past this homely little dock. Finally, the P42s are slated for retirement in the next few years, as the ALC-42s arrive from Siemens. That's why you always shoot what's in front of you... because you never know when it could be gone.
EDIT as of August 6th, 2022: The ALC-42s have had a rough launch to service, but they're out there; the Point Defiance Bypass has also opened. Thus, this scene is freight-only now.
Running daily between Seattle and Los Angeles, this train offers running alongside the Pacific Ocean and through the Cascade Mountains. It has been one of Amtrak's long-distance success stories.
