community of Cabazon, you’ll be able to
take streets again and parallel the railroad as
it begins its descent into the desert. Farther
east, take State Route 111 — it’s the road to
Palm Springs — to follow the railroad.
Highway 111 will eventually veer away
from the railroad, but not to worry. Contin-
ue east and take Indian Canyon Drive north.
That road will intersect the tracks at Garnet.
It is here you’ll find the Amtrak station for
the Palm Springs area, appropriately sur-
rounded by transplanted palm trees. [See
“Amtrak Stops Where?” September 2018.]
It’s not much, mind you, just a military-style,
bunker-like affair that protects travelers
from the sun and wind. It’s on the outskirts
of a sprawling windmill farm sometimes
confused as a place where Mercedes-Benz
grows automobile hood ornaments.
While yet another different background
to photograph trains, don’t hold your breath
hoping to catch the Sunset Limited here. If
the three-day-a-week Amtrak train is on
time, it stops at 12:36 a.m. eastbound and
2:02 a.m. westbound. If either is late, con-
sider waiting if it is going to stop during
daylight hours. From here you can hop back
on I-10 and head back west to look for suit-
able spots you may have missed for photos.
BEWARE THE UNPAVED ROAD
Like any new place, exploring the Beau-
mont Hill area has its own caveats.
Fear not about finding ample food and
gas. Whenever you’re on the interstate,
there is something at almost every exit.
But, especially on the eastern end of Beau-
mont, keep in mind that this is the desert.
It’s cold in the winter and super hot in the
summer. And it’s almost always windy.
So when you’ve found the spot you
want to stake out, make sure there is plenty
of water, preferably with ice. Don’t forget a
hat, one that will protect the back of your
neck as well. During certain months, sun-
screen and lip balm are necessities.
Camera equipment can be as simple or
sophisticated as you want here. A plethora
of excellent shots can be taken with a nor-
mal lens, if that’s all you have. A telephoto,
however, will also work wonders to bring
in the background. Wide-angles have a
place here, too.
Also, inspect any unpaved road you’re
planning to explore before using it. Many
of them look quite solid, only to turn into
tire-spinning mush.
Winter can be just as photogenic. Snow
is rare but not impossible. With snow as a
backdrop, you will come back with stunningimages. If nothing else, Beaumont Hill and
the surrounding area are great for gorgeous
sunsets almost any time of year.
But perhaps the best reasons to explore
the area come from fan and Trains corre-
spondent Steve Glischinski, who comes to
Southern California whenever he can to
escape the frigid winters of his home state
of Minnesota.
“Besides great photographic opportuni-
ties, it’s the sheer volume of trains,” he says.
“There is always another headlight on the
horizon. Plus Interstate 10 parallels the line
so closely, if the train has good clean power
on the point, it’s possible to pace it to the
next photo location. The public accessibili-
ty is incredible.”
Sometimes, however, even the busiest of
rail lines has its maintenance windows. If
you hit Beaumont on one of those days,
don’t worry about it; Cajon is just a moun-
tain pass away.TrainsMag.com 41Rolling through Garnet, Calif., near Amtrak's Palm Springs station, a Union Pacific manifest freight with three units on the point plus a DPU on
the rear (visible over the nose of the first unit) is dwarfed by hundreds of wind turbines as it rolls eastward on Dec. 19, 2011. David Styffe
A westbound double-stack train follows the setting sun as it descends the west slope of
Beaumont Hill at East Redlands, Calif., on June 23, 2016. Matt Van Hattem