Western Railroad Discussion > Train Watching So. California

We are planning to go Train watching Thursday and Friday in So. California. We are going to Cajon, Barstow, Tehachapi and Beaumont if possible, or some other locations such as Dagget. The big question is will there be enough action for me, and my Grandson who is 7 years old? We have been to some of these locations before, some others they (dagget and tehachapi) will be new.

We are also planning to stay overnight in Barstow.Any suggestions on good locations of Motels Trackside???

Daggett and Cajon should be pretty active, Beaumont has it's slack periods as does Tehachapi(you might even get a little snow up there Friday).


TCS - happy hunting

Cajon and Barstow are easily done in a single day (even with a run out to Daggett). Tehachappi and Beaumont are too far from each to get much railfanning in at both in a single day.

Keeping a 7-year-old entertained could be hard at the latter two also.

The museum at the Barstow Harvey House is a nice distraction and has great bathrooms! :-)

Follow the oddly disjointed road east from the cabooses, across the tanker track, and up and over the incredibly scary hill. At the other side of the hill, turn off into the dirt area to the right and park. Great view of the trains!

Best Western Desert Villa backs up on the tracks in Barstow. Didn't stay there, but it looked OK. There's a McDonald's with a railway car dining room down the hill from the hotel.

If you want to stay someplace really "railroady", the Oak Tree over in Yermo does rent to city folks
and there's tons of rail flavor there. It's not too far from the Yermo yard and there's a restaurant close
by.

rehunn Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If you want to stay someplace really "railroady",
> the Oak Tree over in Yermo does rent to city
> folks
> and there's tons of rail flavor there. It's not
> too far from the Yermo yard and there's a
> restaurant close
> by.

I'm confused, are you trying to just run him out of the state by having him staying at the Oak Tree, or are you trying to kill him and his family by having them eat at Penny's Diner? I guess it DOES beat the old Yermo Beanery though.-BMT

Barstow also has the "Mother Rode" Route 66 Musem, which is packed full of really great souvenirs, and Debra Hodkin, the curator, is delightful and has TONS of information. She's a blast to talk to, and it's a great location to grab McDonalds, and sit to watch the trains. Lots of stuff for kids in there, as well as in the other trackside Museum.

Aw c'mon BMT, the Oak Tree in Fremont, NE has been exiled to the far east end of town to not scare the locals,
can't be that bad. Not only that, they've got the best dark out curtains of any motel going. And Penny's?? The one
in Yuma wasn't half bad (as opposed to the rest which are all bad!!). And seriously, how many motels have a
computer in the lobby to check (alleged) crew assignments???

> I'm confused, are you trying to just run him out
> of the state by having him staying at the Oak
> Tree, or are you trying to kill him and his family
> by having them eat at Penny's Diner? I guess it
> DOES beat the old Yermo Beanery though.-BMT

At least at the old beanery I could go in the kitchen and serve myself. At Penny's you might starve to death waiting for someone to serve you!

rehunn Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Aw c'mon BMT, the Oak Tree in Fremont, NE has been
> exiled to the far east end of town to not scare
> the locals,
> can't be that bad. Not only that, they've got the
> best dark out curtains of any motel going. And
> Penny's?? The one
> in Yuma wasn't half bad (as opposed to the rest
> which are all bad!!). And seriously, how many
> motels have a
> computer in the lobby to check (alleged) crew
> assignments???


Yeah, you're right. It's not THAT bad. The black-out curtains are realy good (the Holiday Inn in Long Beach has no black-out curtains, but that's what masking tape is for), I just wish they'd get rid of the thread bare towels at the Oak Tree. As for Penny's diners, the one in Yuma makes a good breakfast burrito and if Sally is cooking in the one at Yermo, you're safe, and she's actually a very good cook.
If one was to ask (nicely) the crews hanging around the computer for a line up they would probably oblige.-BMT