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San Luis Obispo Central Coast Pacific Surfliner First Run Trains 799/798 11/17/2004

As always, one would hear rumours of future service to be added or a service to be restored. Las Vegas train service had been rumored ever since the Desert Wind ran its last trip. A new Los Angeles-to-San Luis Obispo train was also said to be planned, but not enough Pacific Surfliner cars were bought to cover the new service. After years passed, finally someone made a decision to use the Horizon cars and the last full length dome car for a new train service, mornings north from Los Angeles and afternoons south from San Luis Obispo, back only as far as Los Angeles.

For anyone wanting to go to Santa Ana, a transfer would have to be made to reach Pacific Surfliner 590. On weekdays, I could use Metrolink to make the 7:30 AM departure and on weekends, would have to use the Thruway Bus service from Santa Ana to Los Angeles. Amtrak finally announced that this new train service would begin on November 17th, 2004 and I bought my ticket to be on the first roundtrip.

I drove to the Santa Ana station where I found my friend Winston Walker waiting for me. I purchased a Metrolink ticket to Los Angeles for $7.50 and the train arrived on time with the two of us enjoying the quick journey to Los Angeles Union Passenger Station, where we detrained and walked around the end of the train.

As I was taking the previous photograph, here came the new low-level Pacific Surfliner train for the new service. On the platform, I found Ray Burns of Trainweb.org then I recorded the consist, which was P42DC 81, baggage 1213, Great Dome 10031, coach 54532, club 58018, coaches 54516, 54552, 54500 and 54509 and P42DC 42.

After a few minutes, I ran into Dan Dalke, an Orange County Railway Historical Society member who told me there was a Sounder trainset on a San Bernardino train that had come in, so I used my mother's camera. For the press and media, there was a Central Coast Pacific Surfliner kick-off service ceremony.

Randy Iwasaki, Chief Deputy Director of the California Department of Transportation, was the Master of Ceremonies.

Bill Alexander, Southern California Regional Rail Authority board member.

Will Kempton, Director of Caltrans.

Art Brown, Director of LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency. LOSSAN is Los Angeles-San Diego.

Lynn Berberian, Amtrak Southwest Division passenger superintendent.

Dennis Zine, Los Angeles City Council Member.

After the speeches and ceremony was finished, everyone boarded the train and the VIP party went to the Great Dome while Winston and I went to the Business Class section in the Horizon club car, where we chose two leather seats which were extremely comfortable and reclined nicely. This area of the club car has 14 seats in 2-1 arrangement. Behind us was the café area and the rest of the car were tables. Ken Ruben found us and would be in this section on the way back as Business Class was sold out on this first run.

Central Coast Pacific Surfliner departed on time, passed LA Metro's Gold Line shops and crossed the Los Angeles River before running by Metrolink's shops where the finishing touches were being put on the 2004 Metrolink Holiday Train that tours their system with a program and over 50,000 lights. What was left of the former Southern Pacific Taylor shops had many gray remote control slugs ready to be used in service on the Union Pacific.

This train is replacing a Metrolink train's timeslot and will make all the Metrolink stops to Chatsworth, whereas Pacific Surfliner 768 would now make all the stops towards Los Angeles as part of the Rail-to-Rail Program. We stopped in Glendale as Winston and I made our way to the dome car and old and new friends would be made here all day. Our next stop was at Downtown Burbank Metrolink before our route turned west to the Burbank Airport stop then continued to cross the San Fernando Valley to Van Nuys on this beautiful perfectly clear November morning. Minutes later, we stopped at Metrolink's Northridge station then ran on to Chatsworth, after which we waited for Pacific Surfliner 768 to pass in the long siding there.

Our train climbed to the Chatsworth Tunnels before we stopped at Simi Valley, then passed a Union Pacific freight in the siding at Strathearn before making our stops at Moorpark, Camarillo and Oxnard, where another Central Coast Pacific Surfliner kick-off ceremony was held, thus delaying the train a few minutes.

We proceeded to Ventura and reached the shore of the blue Pacific Ocean after crossing the Ventura River. On this absolutely beautiful clear sunny day, we rolled along the California coastline to Carpinteria and later at East Santa Barbara, met waiting Pacific Surfliner 774. At Santa Barbara, there was yet another Central Coast Pacific Surfliner ceremony to be held, further delaying our train. After our Goleta stop, I rode the dome car for the rest of the northbound trip along the beautiful shoreline of the Pacific Ocean and it was a perfect day for a train ride as we rounded Point Conception and made our way across Vandenberg Air Force Base.

After stopping at Surf and later Narlon, we had to realign a switch left open by a Union Pacific freight. With no cabooses on trains anymore, this was a common occurrence on the Coast Line in track warrant control territory. We climbed away from the shore to Casmalia and descended into the Santa Maria Valley at Guadalupe and from there, I returned to my comfortable Business Class seat as the train ran onto Grover Beach, passed through the hills and at East San Luis Obispo, came upon an eastbound Union Pacific freight waiting on the main.

We arrived at San Luis Obispo late at 1:10 PM {12:40 PM} and while I was off to photograph the train from both ends, another welcoming Central Coast Pacific Surfliner ceremony took place. All too quickly, it was time to be back onboard, now with a San Luis Obispo crew, bound for Los Angeles.

The train departed at 1:37 PM, or seventeen minutes late, and passed that eastbound Union Pacific freight that was still waiting to leave. I enjoyed some barbecued hot chicken wings while Ken bought a pizza which he proceeded to spill onto the floor. Ken was now a Business Class passenger and the three of us were enjoying those comfortable chairs. The train travelled through the green hills, from the recent October rains, to Grover Beach and passing the Oceano sand dunes, I wondered when Steve Grande of Trainweb.com would be passing the Glamis sand dunes since he had been hoping to connect with this train this morning to be on this first run, but since he had been in Florida and the combined efforts of CSX and Union Pacific prevented this from happening.

I returned to the dome for more views and great conversation then dolphins were spotted as we proceeded towards Goleta; we all were wondering where we would pass the Coast Starlight. If it was on time, we would pass them at Narlon but as we approached, we had nothing but green signals and no Coast Starlight in the siding. We went by Tangair, Surf and Honda with the same result but as we neared Sudden, saw a silver streak off in the distance and sure enough, the Coast Starlight sat in Sudden siding as we sped by. We left Goleta only three minutes late and made our way to Santa Barbara, departing there on time at 4:05 PM then made our way to Carpinteria and onto Ventura. After doing our station stop there, we went into the Ventura siding to meet Pacific Surfliner 775.

The sunset was really nice was the train travelled to Oxnard. Off into the twilight, we continued to Camarillo then at Strathearn, we flew by Metrolink 113 tucked into the siding before arriving at Simi Valley, then went into the siding at Hassan to wait for Metrolink 115; the schedule had padding in it for this meet. Through the Chatsworth Tunnels we went then out into the San Fernando Valley to the Chatsworth station stop and on this inbound trip, we would not make any of the Metrolink stops. At CP Raymar, we stopped to let Metrolink 117 go west before Van Nuys, which was followed by Burbank Airport and Glendale then we arrived at Los Angeles eighteen minutes early at 6:52 PM {7:10 PM}, ending a fantastic day to San Luis Obispo on the new Central Coast Pacific Surfliner service trains 799 and 798.

Ray called Steve on the Sunset Limited and we learned he was twenty minutes away on this over thirteen-hour-late train, having just passed the El Monte Metrolink station. We were on Track 10 and a few minutes later, Ray called Steve again to find out he was coming in on Track 11. Winston watched our bags while Ray and I went to over to wait, then the Sunset Limited arrived at 7:23 PM {6:40 AM}, ending Steve's long rail adventure. Ray and I led Steve to Track 10 and with Winston, we all boarded Pacific Surfliner 590, departing ten minutes late and started south towards home.

This was the first day of Amtrak trains making Metrolink stops as we did this morning and as such, our train was now scheduled to stop at Norwalk and Laguna Niguel. As we proceeded through Santa Fe Springs, the train sped by the switch leading to the Metrolink station located on a pocket track and the BNSF dispatcher must not have been aware of 590 now stopping there. We stopped beyond the east end of the Norwalk south pocket track and after receiving a green signal to enter, we reversed into the station where four Metrolink riders detrained. The train then continued to Fullerton where Ray and Steve detrained then carried on to Anaheim and a few minutes later, Winston and I detrained at Santa Ana, ending a new and exciting rail adventure on the new Central Coast Pacific Surfliner.

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