Robin Bowers had never been to Fillmore and due to the weekend of limited train service south of Santa Ana, we decided we would go since it was Fillmore Railfest and they would be running their steam engine. I bought tickets online, to be picked up at cill call at the Fillmore station, and we were all set for the Sunday 10:00 steam train ride behind Fillmore and Western 2-8-0 14, originally Duluth & Northeastern 2-8-0 14. Robin picked me up at 7:00 AM and we drove to Fillmore, parking in the Fillmore City Hall lot and started to look around.
Fillmore and 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.
Fillmore and Western F7A 101, ex. Maryland Midland 101; exx. Winchester and Western 101; exxx. Rails Diversified 413; exxxx. Metra 413; exxxxx. Chicago and North Western 413; nee Chicago and North Western 4083A.
Fillmore and Western GP35 3501, ex. Arizona and California 3501; exx. Conrail 2262; exxx. Penn Central 2262; nee Pennsylvania Railroad 2262.
Movie prop "steam" engine used in the 2013 film "The Lone Ranger" as "Jupiter".
Fillmore Southern Pacific station built in 1887.
Two small diesels ride the Fillmore turntable.
Fillmore and Western RS-32 4009, built by Alco in 1962 as Southern Pacific 7309.
Fillmore and Western GP35 3502, originally Pennsylvania Railroad 2339.
Disney "Lone Ranger" Movie Replica 4-6-0 148.
Fillmore and Western 2-8-0 14 built by Baldwin in 1913 for the Duluth and Northeastern.
West Horizon Railway fake unit used in the movie "Inception".
Southern Pacific caboose 1119 built by the railroad in 1942. I picked up our will call tickets then saw Bob Riskie who joined us in a photo line.
Fillmore and Western 2-8-0 14 backed out of the storage yard. I took off running down to the next grade crossing.
I caught this picture of the steam engine.
Fillmore and Western 2-8-0 14 then crossed over to its train track.
Fillmore and Western S-6 1059, formerly Ventura County 9 and originally Southern Pacific 1059, built by Alco in 1956.
Fillmore and Western 2-8-0 14 backed to its train.
Coupling up the engine to our train. I then saw that Chris Parker had made it to Fillmore and joined the line for train boarding and soon Robin, then Bob and Chris arrived.
The last car was loaded first then the train was backed into the station so the rest of us could board. The four of us rode in the open car behind the steam engine. This was going to be fun!
The train departed Fillmore.
We went past those slumbering diesels.
Then by those passenger cars in storage.
Looking back toward Fillmore.
Chesapeake and Ohio dome car 1851 "Chamberlin Dome" built by Budd in 1948, currently "Starlight Romance".
Southern Pacific Business Car 99 "Houston" built by Pullman in 1926.
Salt Lake, Garfield and Western S-6 DS4 built by Alco in 1955 as Southern Pacific 1040.
Ventura County S-6 11 built by Alco in 1955 as Southern Pacific 4641.
Movie props.
Amtrak coach/dormitory 39923 built by Budd in 1963 as Santa Fe 549.
The train took the first curve east of Fillmore.
We went in and out of the fake tunnel which is made out of containers.
We came to the CA Highway 126 grade crossing.
We have left the Fillmore city limits.
Four truss bridges in a field.
The train runs through unique countryside on this beautiful Sunday morning.
The railfans were out and about this morning.
Through the orange groves, never around them!
A very beautiful view. We stopped and detrained for a photo runby. I made a photo line and had twelve people in my line with a clear sight line of the train. First was the reverse move.
The reverse move. Now the photo runby!
The photo runby during which Fillmore and Western 2-8-0 14 put on an excellent show of steam. From here the train returned to Fillmore where we all detrained and then got Tri-Tip sandwiches and ate them at a table. Robin and I then drove out to Fish Hatchery Road and set up for the caboose train on its return to Fillmore.
Our caboose photo runby just for the two of us. We returned to Santa Ana fighting the traffic on Interstate 5 but made it home by 2:20 PM, ending another excellent railfan adventure!
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