Hundreds catch train to Salem for Eclipse

PORTLAND, Ore. — Early Monday morning, about 260 packed into Union Station in Portland to catch an Amtrak train to Salem.

The special trip took the dozens of people on a quick trip down south. Just after 6:15 a.m., the train stopped outsides the fairgrounds in Salem.

"It's just really exciting. I'm excited to see it," traveler Aryn Orwig said.

The train was packed with people from all over the world.

"I expect that I might get emotional and might even cry today," Roz Lee, from Hong Kong, said.

The hundreds of train travelers hopped off in Salem and merged into the fairgrounds with thousands of other eager Eclipse fans.

After a few hours passed, the eclipse began.

"It was a very strange feeling," Lee said. "It was kind of eerie."

Then just after 10:15 a.m., the sky went dark. The total solar eclipse bringing out all kinds of emotions.

"This whole feeling of completeness came over me," Sally Middleton, who traveled from the Bay Area, said. "That's the only word I can think of."

"Everything about it was just very magical and beautiful and amazing." Orwig said.

After the main event, those heading back on the train had time to relax. The train was supposed to leave Salem at 1 p.m. Monday, but a two-hour delay pushed back departure time until just after 3 p.m.

Eventually, the train made it back to Portland, and the hundreds of passengers flooded back home. A once in a lifetime experience is now a lifetime memory.