Train-surfing Californian coastline from Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo

7:10 AM Pacific Time

On a shiny morning at Los Angeles, I hurried down the stairs of our hotel in downtown Los Angeles and asked the receptionist to call for a cab. We were a little late in preparation of our planned day long train trip and hence the urgency. Fortunately we found the hotel cabby (or at least who called himself so) who picked us up from the reception desk straight to his black Lincoln waiting on the driveway with its engine and AC already switched on. An African American gentleman in his fifties, he shared his thought on Los Angeles. He was thrilled to have riders from Northeast (i.e. my the then home state New Jersey).

At exactly 7:25 AM we arrived at Los Angeles Union Station. The station building was appealing due to its colonial architecture and an incredibly calm ambiance. The grand waiting hall had a typical Californian charm that caught my attention. Before walking through the aisle towards the train platform, I briefly rested on the brown leather couch. The wooden structure and smell of polish felt awesome! This station was indeed very different from the the ones I have been to in North America.

Picture: Waiting Hall of Los Angeles Union station

We had to walk through the waiting hall to the boarding gate. Here our baggage was scanned in machines that we typically see in the airports. 

The station platform was of low level and it needed passengers to climb a few steps into the train. As usual, the seats were not pre-assigned. We walked back and forth a few times to find a good pair of seats before we could settle down. 

On arriving at the platform, we found that our train was parked next to a Metrolink train. In this paragraph I should introduce Metrolink trains to the readers. Metrolink is the suburban commuter train service operated from Los Angeles city by Orange Country Transportation Authority (OTCA). On a weekday, Metrolink operates services across 7 routes. The most significant route covered by Metrolink is from Oceanside (between San Diego and LA) to East Ventura via Los Angeles Union Station. This route goes along the Pacific coastline, recommended for the impatient travelers who cannot sit in a train all day. Metrolink, however, has two other significant routes towards the heartland of California. It connects the suburban towns of Lancaster, San Bernadino and South Perris through there branch lines. All trains are diesel powered push-pulls with EMD F59PH variant locomotives and double decker coaches made by Bombardier / Rotem (newer additions).

Our train, the Los Angeles - San Luis Obispo 761 Pacific Surfliner looked anything but impressive as it consisted of normal single deck Amtrak coaches with one pantry/buffet car in the middle. On a single ticket we were booked from Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo and a through-way Amtrak bus from San Luis Obispo to San Francisco. I found two locomotives at each end. At the San Luis Obispo (northern) end there was a live diesel GE P42DC engine while at the tail of the train there was another one that wasn't quite a locomotive. Its driving cab was retained while engine room (where the crank shaft used to be) was converted to a baggage car. The lady conductor of our train was found to be on board the trailing baggage car cum locomotive. She was a very attractive woman in her 40s and was willing to help me with some information of the train. A driving cab would mean that on its return journey from San Luis Obispo, the train will be controlled from the cab while the real GE engine will push the train from the rear in reverse. Alright – some food for thought at least!

Picture: The leading GE Diesel engine that would haul the train from Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo

Picture; The trailing (hollow) engine that was used as a baggage car. The driving cab of this loco would be used on return journey, when the loco at the other end will push the train.

Picture: A detached Amtrak (EMD F59PHI) locomotive standing on the next track at Los Angeles 

Sharp at 7:45 AM our train gave a gentle jerk and started off to the northwest direction from LA Union station. The Union station was on a barren open land with some tracks here and there. There is a maintenance yard of Metrolink trains in the northern yard of the station that we gently crossed. The engine was madly honking as we crossed a few freight trains towards the eastern side of the track. Here the train picked up speed through the northern suburbs of LA. We cruised through the boundary walls of Whitman airport. This little airport had quite a few small air planes parked. One colorful private plane seemed to take off keeping the little mountains in the background. It was a flat yellowish terrain dotted with small hillocks at a distance. In between there were the usual sights of factories and warehouses.

Picture: Metrolink Loco shed with numerous EMDs humming together on Los Angeles outer.

In a few minutes, unexpectedly, some wineries and agricultural fields were seen on both sides of the track. There was no sight of the ocean that the passengers were craving for. That did not stop me from going to the café car and buying the freshly brewed Amtrak Coffee and some cold sandwiches to start the journey with.

After running through the northern suburbs of LA, hurtling past many wineries and and making halts at stations like Chatsworth and Simi Valley, we came to see the sight of the Pacific after Oxnard. After playing some hide-and-seek, the sea shore seemed to be constantly visible from Ventura station. Here, a massive parking lot and some shopping malls were seen between the train station and the ocean. Anyone can get off from the train and walk to the sea in five minutes flat.

I must mention here that it was almost two hours since the train started from Los Angeles. For travelers who are not too much into LA's suburban area may plan to board the train from Ventura, if not from Santa Barbara, that is a few miles up from Ventura.

Picture: Sight of the pacific from train.

Picture: Arriving at Ventura - The sea shore is visible behind the trees next to the parking lot.

What followed after Ventura was pristine beauty of the mother nature. The train traveled hours through the coastline. However, what made it different from an otherwise day long drive was the proximity of the track to the ocean and the variation of height. At places, it seemed the waves were kissing the track sleepers and in another, we were tens of meters above with the waves kissing the bottom of the cliff. We saw plenty of people camping on the shore with their RVs parked, their plastic chairs laid on the beach. Some were playing loud music, clearly audible from inside the train. The train snaked past many beautiful curves one after another, made stops at Capinteria, Santa Barbara and Goleta. Santa Barbara seemed to be a busy station with many people boarding the train. It had a beautiful station building next to the low level platforms. We crossed a Metrolink train here.

Picture: Camping on the Pacific shore is a common sighting. Here we found a caravan parked right next to the ocean.

Picture: Deserted pristine beaches.

Picture: From an elevation

Picture: The pacific mist and a dream house next to the coast line. 

Soon after Goleta, we started the real long journey to Lompoc Suft station through the coastline that would last for next 50 miles. I witnessed the pacific mist and how mystic it can get at times. Here we were watching through the window of our train a thick layer of mist that blurred the border between the sea and the sky. It was very unreal, yet very exciting to see it changing colors and thinning out at places. The train continued to gain elevation once in a while with the ocean constantly splashing its waves at the foot of it.

At this moment, I should talk a little bit about the on-board options for the taste buds. This train has a typical buffet car with cushioned seats and tables laid for the passengers. Typically the buffet car gets quickly filled by the passengers that tend to stick there for hours. Another good use of the buffet car is as a hangout place for onboard Amtrak staff. We sat, drank and ate on the carriage for 3 hours of our journey time of 5 and half. I tried this really strong local beer from a San Diego brewery: "Arrogant Bastard Ale". At lunchtime the typical Amtrak garden salad seemed to be the favorite of some of the fellow passengers. It was not disappointing! For the ever-hungry travelers, I would recommend that they buy the food in advance since the buffet car seemed to have limited supply. Also, there may not be anything available at the stations to buy. The train takes brief stops, discouraging the passengers to venture out of the stations in search of food. Regardless, the experience of eating and drinking in Amtrak's not-so-pricey buffet car always proved its worth. The other advantage of sitting in the buffet car is to get a chance to face the co-passengers across the table. We would otherwise turn our heads by ninety degrees to talk to our neighbors for so many hours. 


Picture: Tasting the local beverages on the buffet car.

Speed of the train was not extreme on this stretch. I had no reason to complain, since the bounty of colors the nature threw on us were truly mesmerizing. There were yellowish dry grass on the fields dotted with purple flowers. There was the deep blue ocean right next and the dark grey cloud coming and going in uniform succession. It was the most beautiful part of our journey. Our co-passengers stopped conversing and concentrated in absorbing the beautify that nature through the window. A lot of places appeared completely deserted and unearthly. If there were no trains, there were no signs of humanity there. At this point, the train made a screeching halt at Lumpoc-Surf station. This station had a parking lot at one side of the track and a beach at the other. Proving the "Surfliner" nature of our train, a few passengers were seen to alight here.

Picture: Lumpoc-Surf station by the ocean.

Location of Lompoc-Surf station on map

 

After the Lompoc-Surf station, our train made a turn towards the northeast and within a few minutes arrived at Guadalupe station. Guadalupe had quite a few loop lines. A number of gondola freight wagons were parked in the sidings. Here, after a long time I saw some freight locomotives. Yellow Union-Pacific diesel engines in pairs were seen to take charge of a freight rake.

Picture: Guadalupe sidings with freight wagons Union Pacific locomotives.

After Guadalupe, we spent another 45 minutes before the train crossed another typical Californian town - Grove Beach and finally landed in the terminal station of San Luis Obispo. Here were had about 5 minutes to vacate the train and take our baggage to an Amtrak bus waiting for out outside.

Picture: Back to the wine-country as we move closer to San Louis Obispo.

1:00 PM Pacific Time:

Thankfully, it turned out to be an Amtrak California Volvo! Within 10 minutes we left for San Francisco - the city I was to visit for the first time and to go back to on numerous occasions thereafter.

 

Hashtags: Amtrak, Pacific Surfliner