During my Metrolink ride to Riverside last Tuesday, Conductor Henry informed me about the special 661X train that Metrolink was running on Saturday, February 4th, 2016 for the Golden Dragon Parade Lunar New Year celebration in Los Angeles. I asked for a schedule and Henry obtained it for me then on the way home, I called my friend Robin Bowers to see if he wanted to join me and he did. So we made our plans and agreed to meet each other at the Santa Ana station about 8:00 AM. The day before, I had an idea to ride Pacific Surfliner 562 and 763, thereby getting some more Amtrak Guest Reward points beforehand and let Robin know my plan.
Before the TripI arose at 5:30 AM and ran a couple of errands then bought my Amtrak tickets and had breakfast before driving to the station where I bought my Saturday weekend pass.
Pacific Surfliner 562 arrived at Santa Ana and I boarded the Surfliner cab car for the quick trip to San Juan Capistrano, where we arrived early.
Upon walking around the building, I found a wig-wag crossing signal on display.
Pacific Surfliner 562 departed San Juan Capistrano on the way to San Diego.
The remaining section of the former Santa Fe station.
Pacific Surfliner 793 arrived and I talked with my conductor for most of the trip back to Santa Ana then detrained and walked up to the third level open air balcony on the pedestrian bridge.
Pacific Surfliner 761 departing for Goleta.
Pacific Surfliner 564 arrived then I crossed the bridge and went downstairs before it departed, greeting conductor C.J.
Pacific Surfliner 564 departed for San Diego. I walked over to Robin and we chatted before our Metrolink train arrived.
Metrolink 857 arrived backwards so Henry was on the other end. We sat in the Quiet Car for a few minutes before walking to the cab car, where I introduced Robin to Henry. At Tustin, Robin spotted Christy Walker boarding our car and we sat together, catching up on news.
All too soon we arrived at San Clemente Pier and detrained then helped a lady who had put twenty dollars into the Metrolink ticketing machine but did not get any tickets. This machine had not worked correctly for at least four years. I gave her timetable and advised her to call Metrolink.
The San Clemente Santa Fe sign post.
Pacific Surfliner 1567 came through the pier stop where the gate horn sounds like a steam engine's whistle.
Robin and Christy at San Clemente Pier station. We waited for our train and learnt that Christy would be riding Metrolink 660 to Oceanside then Metrolink 663 home to Tustin.
Metrolink 661X Golden Dragon Parade Lunar New Year Celebration special train
We boarded the empty coach and enjoyed the peace and quiet.
Looking down the San Clemente Pier.
The San Clemente Pier.
North Beach looking towards Dana Point.
When I said empty coach, I truly meant empty coach. As we moved north through Orange County, very few passengers boarded then after Buena Park, we walked forward to see the conductor whom we met at the door of the cab car and he inspected our tickets. We detrained at Norwalk, ending our special train coverage.
Metrolink 661X on its way to Los Angeles.
Back to normal ridingWe walked up the stairs at Norwalk before going across the bridge.
A BNSF stack train was waiting at Santa Fe Springs.
Metrolink 662 arrived. The conductor who brought up Metrolink 661, my normal weekend train, said he had 960 passengers jammed aboard his train and said I was very smart to have taken the special train this morning.
BNSF engines at rest for the weekend at La Mirada.
Fullerton Municipal Airport is the only general aviation airport in Orange County still in its original location. It can trace its origins to 1913 when barnstormers and crop dusters used the former pig farm as a makeshift landing strip. In January 1927, Fullerton City Council Ordinance 514 established the airport in response to a petition from William and Robert Dowling, with the aid of H. A. Krause and the Fullerton Chamber of Commerce, to turn the site into a landing field. In February 1927 William Dowling made the first landing at the new Fullerton Airport in his biplane. On April 21, 1928 it was dedicated as a Municipal Airport and two days later hosted the first of many air shows. The control tower, built with Federal Aviation Administration funds in 1959, was the first in Orange County and it is an Orange County Historical Site.
Before Anaheim we crossed the former Southern Pacific Tustin Branch.
Right after Anaheim, we crossed the Santa Ana River.
The train's reflection in the window of the building.
After Santa Ana was the former Southern Pacific Costa Mesa branch. The train stopped at Irvine and Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo where we met Metrolink 663.
We had green hills again after our now normal rainfall.
An old barn.
The mustard plants were in bloom from the rainfall. We stopped at San Juan Capistrano and met Pacific Surfliner 573 at Serra.
The San Clemente North Beach sand project had been a large failure.
Looking towards Dana Point.
San Clemente Pier.
The surf has been running high along our route.
San Mateo Creek has been running out to sea after our normal rainfall.
Looking down the coast.
San Onofre Creek reaches the ocean only at high tide. We continued to Oceanside where we both detrained and Robin went to Burger King.
Metrolink 665 ready to take us back to Santa Ana.
Metrolink 665 at my home station.
This train departed as we walked back to my car and I thanked Robin for joining me today on our unique rides then I returned home and relaxed.
| RETURN TO THE MAIN PAGE |