Our train arrived in Saticoy, where most of the rest of the Cal Rail 2020 Conference members came by bus from Ventura to ride our special train. Who is up on those railroad ties?
None other than my good friend Carl Morrison of Trainweb.com, who was covering the conference.
The former Southern Pacific Saticoy station built in 1887. With all the passengers on board, our train made its way east to Piru. Carl joined Chris and I at our table and I would relax on the way back to Fillmore.
Sunkist Santa Paula Orange Association. Lunch would be served buffet-style and the crew asked if the photographers on board would like to take pictures before we were all served.
The salad table.
Italian meatballs and chicken.
Tri-tip sirloin.
Prime rib.
The dessert table. I had a plate of tri-tip and Prime rib, a roll and chocolate cake for dessert.
The view looking back crossing Sespi Creek.
Our lead locomotive had problems, so a short stop was made in Fillmore to repair it and more passengers boarded.
We entered the Movie Tunnel.
Inside the tunnel; note the side walls.
The Movie Tunnel is made out of used containers.
Crossing California Highway 126.
The view ahead.
Haase.
The view looking south.
Linda.
Happy passengers aboard our train.
A train through the orange groves.
Rounding a curve on the way to Piru.
Sherm.
I love the views of orange groves and mountains.
Buckhorn.
Traversing yet another curve.
Rolling into Piru.
The Piru Packing House.
The Piru station, a replica of the original. We stopped to let one person off before returning to Fillmore with a twenty minute stop at Bennett's Honey Farm.
Our train stopped at Buckhorn and Bennett's Honey Farm.
Fillmore & Western F7A 100, ex. Maryland Midland 100, exx. Winchester and Western 100, exxx. Rails Diversified 410, exxxx. Metra 410, exxxxx. Chicago and North Western 410, nee Chicago and North Western 4068A, built by Electro-Motive Division in 1949.
Bennett's Honey Farm. After the passengers shopped for honey, they all reboarded and the train returned to Fillmore. It had been a fantastic trip on the Fillmore Western Railroad but like all good things, this trip must come to an end. Chris Parker did a great job of driving us back to LAUPT and with the help of light traffic, we arrived at 2:56 PM. By 2:58 PM, I was aboard Pacific Surfliner 580 for the trip home to Santa Ana where I arrived on time, ending yet another excellent rail adventure.
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