Passenger Trains > In San Clemente, CA Today

Finding myself in need of traveling to Mission Viejo to pick up a few things, I decided to stop in San Juan and San Clemente to take pictures on my way home.  I discovered some new walking trails that have been installed with the new housing development above PCH and the railroad and snagged some good photos.

1.  I have to assume this building, which now houses a bycicle shop, was at one time or another the Depot in San Clemente.  Anyone have information on that?

2.  A Metrolink Train heads south to its station stop at SC's North Beach.  Nice to see one without BNSF power on the front.

3.  Another view of the same train.  Form B was in effect and there were a couple guys down there with a Backhoe and Dump Truck


Cheers,
James C.

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4.  A View of the Old Depot/Restaurant at SNC.  The restaurant, formerly Sarducci's is under new ownership and going through an extensive renovation.  I believe the restaurant is located in much of the old Baggage Room/Freight office.  Someone surely knows.

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I was on that Metrolink train enjoying the beach views and high waves with red flag conditions.

Chris



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/24/16 08:04 by Mudrock.

The bike shop was not a station.

 

San Clemente actually never had a "depot" even back in the ATSF days it was just a shelter...

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,2164691,2165403#msg-2165403

apparently I stand corrected, there was a very modest depot at one time...

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,3852137,3854344#msg-3854344

Photos 2&3 are at a location that used to have a siding called "Poche"...



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/24/16 05:15 by ats90mph.

Thanks for the pictures of the San Clemente Depot.  Dad seems to think that the Bike Shop building was build sometime around when Metrolink showed up and may have had a train related purpose, but perhaps it just looks pretty.  Haha.  I'm always interested to learn more about the area.
James

SDA_Brakeman Wrote:
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> 4.  A View of the Old Depot/Restaurant at SNC.
>  The restaurant, formerly Sarducci's is under new
> ownership and going through an extensive
> renovation.  I believe the restaurant is located
> in much of the old Baggage Room/Freight office.
>  Someone surely knows.

The San Juan Capistrano Depot has lots of historic pictures available on the web. The resturant has pretty good food and is a nice place to train watch . There are quite a few trains through the depot each day, the Link and Surflineres go through all the time. Apparantly ti was at one time a very busy place with two tracks instead of one. Not sure if it was double track main or simply a second station track the was alongside the main aat the statioan but its still a really nice place to visit and walk aroudn the local areas. go across teh track at the crossing and hang a left , its pretty and theres some nice little shops on that sde.

SDA_Brakeman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 4.  A View of the Old Depot/Restaurant at SNC.
>  The restaurant, formerly Sarducci's is under new
> ownership and going through an extensive
> renovation.  I believe the restaurant is located
> in much of the old Baggage Room/Freight office.
>  Someone surely knows.

Pretty good food there, and you can get a table and train watch from inside.  For a little one track depot there are quite a few link and amtrak trains through each day.The area is a nice little walking tour cross the tracks and the next street over is  kinda quaint ,theres some local shops to shop in and you can walk to Capistrano , see the church and get some eats in town. Nice litle place. We go to the depot when in town and ride the train to Delmar or San Diego. Theres tons of old historic Santa Fe pics of this depot on the web and at one time there was a double track . I think it was a main double and not a passing siding but I could be wrong on that. 

 

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The building near Metrolink's North Beach San Clemente station was not an old depot as many people who see it think it is. It. does look like a depot. The Santa Fe's San Clemente depot was located at the location where the North Beach station is now. The Santa Fe moved their San Clemente station to the San Clemente pier in the 1960s.

The photos of the passenger train from the bluff were taken from just north of North Beach, Poche siding of the Santa Fe was located a little farther north of this location.

The second track at the San Juan Capistrano was not a second main track and may have been just an industrial track. After CTC was added to the line in the mid 1940s, the SJC passing track was north (railroad west) of the depot until removed in about 1970. Photos at San Juan before the CTC showed trains meeting south of the depot. I don't known if it was ever a passing track. 

Cliff

Thanks I wasn't sure , I do love this little depot though. To me it is kind of an eclectic place.