Metrolink started running midday Inland Empire-Orange County service during the last school year while I worked at McFadden Intermediate. With all my weekday holidays booked with other trips, I never had the opportunity to ride it until now. I was going to leave today for a trip from Tijuana to Tecate, Mexico, but it was cancelled yesterday. So with June 23rd free, this was my chance. Checking the Metrolink schedule, I could squeeze in a round trip to San Diego before catching Metrolink 852 at 11:32 AM and this trainset would be following us up from Oceanside.
Pacific Surfliner 562
When this train arrived at Santa Ana, I noticed it had Coaster F59PHI 3002 working on the rear. This would be just a normal run of Pacific Surfliner 562 and we passed Metrolink 683 at Tustin and Metrolink 607 above Laguna Niguel/ Mission Viejo. Later, we held the mainline at CP Serra to meet Pacific Surfliner 763 then after we passed CP Songs, we zoomed by Metrolink 850 and at Oceanside, we went into the siding to meet Pacific Surfliner 565.
At Solana Beach, we waited for Coaster 633 and I walked to the rear for F59PHI 3002. Later at Sorrento Valley, we held the mainline for Pacific Surfliner 567. Our train then climbed Miramar Hill before rolling down Rose Canyon and arriving in San Diego early.
The rear Pacific 562 beside Coaster 635, after which I walked to the front.
Pacific Surfliner 562 and the rear of Coaster 635.
From across Broadway Street, the Santa Fe station.
Coaster 3002 was set out and shared the station tracks with Amtrak coach/café 6303 which had been removed from Pacific Surfliner 567 the day before due to a major truck spring problem.
Pacific Surfliner 769
Our train was now ready to return north to Goleta, along with Coaster 635, which would follow us north to Oceanside. We departed on time, met Coaster 640 above Elvira and below Cumbres, met Pacific Surfliner 564. At Escondido Junction, we met Metrolink 600 from Los Angeles, which, at Oceanside, would become Metrolink 852 en route to Riverside and would follow us north, where I planned to board it at Santa Ana.
We met Pacific Surfliner 566 at CP Oneil before paralleling the surf through San Clemente with the sun trying to peek through the clouds and by San Juan Capistrano, we were in bright sunlight. Pacific Surfliner 768 was passed under Interstate 5 in Mission Viejo and I noted Santa Fe GP50 160 was on a rail train in the siding at CP Bake before we arrived at Irvine.
At Santa Ana, I detrained for this picture and to buy my roundtrip Metrolink ticket for Riverside just as Pacific Surfliner 769 departed. I went up to the north balcony to catch Metrolink 852 arriving amidst the construction.
Metrolink 852
As the train arrived, I ran down the stairs and out to the platform to board through a single open door in the cab car. This train, running in push mode, had cab car 621, coaches 101 and 160 and F59PHi 880. We ran to Orange where we waited at CP Maple for Metrolink 851 to come off the Olive Line then the crew had to "flag" the Taft Avenue grade crossing due to a broken crossing gate before we could proceed to Anaheim Canyon. At Atwood, we curved onto the BNSF mainline to Riverside and passed a westbound BNSF freight just east of there. At the new holding siding east of Imperial Highway were cars from a stack train and just east of the Horseshoe Bend, there was another cut of stack cars on the north main.
At West Corona, we met Metrolink 811 which was on the south main in the station. The train continued on to North Main Corona and then Riverside-La Sierra. I asked about the ridership on these midday trains and was given the answer of low. From what I saw today, that is correct. I will say though, that these Metrolink trains will beat the traffic and stress on the 91 Riverside Freeway. We arrived at the Riverside Downtown station on the north platform five minutes early.
I stepped off into the midday heat of Riverside for a post-arrival picture.
At the same time, an eastbound Union Pacific freight rolled through. Contrary to what the timetable stated, our return train departed from the north platform instead of the south one. I retreated back into the nice cool air of coach 160 for the ride home.
Metrolink 853
Our train had to wait for an eastbound BNSF freight before we could depart but once underway, it was a relaxing trip back to Santa Ana as I listened "The Best of Poison 20 Years of Rock!" At West Corona we met Metrolink 704, a Los Angeles-to-Riverside 91 Line train. The BNSF was quiet on the way back to Atwood, where we turned southwest to Anaheim Canyon, then Orange, before arriving at Santa Ana.
Metrolink Train 853.
The construction progress on our new east platform.
The west tower showing the progress there. I drove home and relaxed the rest of the day.
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