I had been hoping to ride behind one of the newly-painted Metrolink F59PH locomotives.

The day I reached 2,000,000.0 kilometers, I spotted my first one at Los Angeles. Then the question was when would I be able to ride behind one? I saw another but could not get a picture from Pacific Surfliner 582 on Monday 12/21/2009.

I boarded Pacific Surfliner 562 for an early morning ride to San Diego.

An angry sea as we rolled through San Clemente. There was not a single surfer to be seen.

San Diego now has a protection engine after all the Pacific Surfliner engine failures.

There was a lack of surfers on the return trip as well aboard Pacific Surfliner 769. At Oceanside, we arrived with a Metrolink train led by F59PH 860 right outside my window.

The new ribbon-style paint scheme of Metrolink 860. As we departed and knowing that train would be following us north, I came up with a plan to ride behind it. When Surfliner Pacific 769 arrived at Santa Ana, I detrained and went straight to the Metrolink ticketing machine and bought a round-trip ticket to Riverside then waited for the slightly late-running Metrolink 852 to arrive.

Metrolink 852 arrived in Santa Ana.

Metrolink F59PH 860 before I boarded the rear car for the trip to Riverside where I detrained.

Metrolink 860 from the station side of the Riverside platform.

The front. With plenty of time until my train back to Santa Ana, I walked to the east platform.

Metrolink 853 waiting to leave for Oceanside.

Metrolink F59PH 860. I walked back across the bridge to the station side with my train ready to board.

An eastbound Union Pacific auto rack train came through Riverside then I boarded Metrolink 853 for Santa Ana on its way to Oceanside.

The Metrolink train that returned me to Santa Ana, which ended my day of train riding. Merry Christmas to everyone!

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