Western Railroad Discussion > Santa Cruz, Big Trees and Pacific

We spent a few days in Santa Cruz CA near the boardwalk, so I got to see the Santa Cruz, Big Trees and Pacific train a couple of times during the visit.  They operate an isolated segment of the old SP Santa Cruz line between Felton and the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, and they operate 2 round trips per day over the line.  Ridership seems pretty heavy, as lots of school and camp groups use the train.  On the Santa Cruz end the attraction is the beach and the boardwalk, and on the Felton end the attraction is the Roaring Camp & Big Trees narrow gauge steam operation.   But I think also a lot of people from the San Jose area just park in Felton and use the train as a way to avoid the traffic and parking issues of trying to drive to the beach in Santa Cruz on busy summer days.   The railroad also operates freight service on a stub of the SP's former Watsonville-Santa Cruz-Davenport line in Pajaro and Watsonville, serving a couple of agricultural industries.  But I just saw the passenger trains this trip.   All trains powered by CF-7 #2641. 

1)  Here's the first train of the morning on Thurs 7/2/26 backing past the Casino at the boardwalk (which is not really a casino - it's an arcade).   
2)  This is where the train lays over at the boardwalk.  
3)  Lots of people coming off the train, ready for a day at the boardwalk or the beach (assuming the marine layer ever burns off!!). 
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/06/26 22:02 by dwatry.

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4)  Last train of the afternoon heading back to Felton, passing the Santa Cruz pier.  Train runs up the middle of Beach Street.    Shot taken from our hotel terrace!
5)  Wooden combine on the rear of the train.   I believe that the wooden coach and combine used on the train are both ex-Boston & Maine.  
6)  On Friday 7/3/26, the marine layer cleared much earlier than usual.  Here's the noon train to Felton leaving the Santa Cruz boardwalk and running up Beach Street. 
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/06/26 22:05 by dwatry.

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7)  Today the consist has been wyed and the last car on the train is their wooden coach. 

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That CF7 just keeps on keeping on.

I would really recommend everyone to go experience this train as much as possible, its existence is under threat by the bicyclist coalition who want the rails from Felton to the Boardwalk removed due to being a "public safety risk". At this point they have set in stone the abandonment of the entire Santa Cruz Branchline from Davenport to Watsonville.

damn bike gang

The rails aren't the public safety risk.

badman Wrote:
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> I would really recommend everyone to go experience
> this train as much as possible, its existence is
> under threat by the bicyclist coalition who want
> the rails from Felton to the Boardwalk removed due
> to being a "public safety risk". At this point
> they have set in stone the abandonment of the
> entire Santa Cruz Branchline from Davenport to
> Watsonville.

In my youth our family rode the SP Suntan Special on this route. 
Summer weekend trains from San Francisci to Big Trees before RC&BT was in Felton.
Regards, Jim Evans

SP4360 Wrote:
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> The rails aren't the public safety risk.
>
> badman Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I would really recommend everyone to go
> experience
> > this train as much as possible, its existence
> is
> > under threat by the bicyclist coalition who
> want
> > the rails from Felton to the Boardwalk removed
> due
> > to being a "public safety risk". At this point
> > they have set in stone the abandonment of the
> > entire Santa Cruz Branchline from Davenport to
> > Watsonville.

People walking and riding bikes on the tracks are the hazard

Good stuff, Duncan.
We were out that way in 2011 and spent some time at Big Trees.

Bob
nerrp.com

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I’ll second the recommendation to ride. The public body that owns the line is standing behind the Big Trees& Pacific, but who knows where political winds may blow.

One other note, the railroad has been operating the freight service around Watsonville as essentially a subcontractor for Progressive Rail. That is coming to an end shortly as Progressive is in the process of stepping away, to be replaced by the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad LLC.

Jeff Moore
Elko, NV

Posted from iPhone

Aside from just riding it, I STRONGLY urge anyone who lives in or regularly visits Santa Cruz County, Santa Clara County and / or Monterey County to contact the Santa Cruz County and City agencies involved with the railroad and show support for rail / multi-modal access to the corridor.  As someone who enjoys bike riding, the folks in SCz from their bike coalition who are pushing this are nuts and very exclusionary.  It is their way or the highway and their tactics over the years have been nasty to say the least.  They give anyone who bikes a bad name.

That corridor can accommodate rail and trails with some creative thought and will be a benefit to Santa Cruz in the long run.  And unlike Monterey County and the unfortunate BS with that branch, there are many in Santa Cruz government who are behind the railroad, from what I understand.

Z

zephyrus Wrote:
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> And unlike Monterey
> County and the unfortunate BS with that branch,
> there are many in Santa Cruz government who are
> behind the railroad, from what I understand.
>

What makes you think that?  Santa Cruz County is just as crooked as Monterey County.  The judge's decision in our fight to save the Monterey Branch will result in the Santa Cruz Branch being torn up.  Prop 116 fund restrictions that were used to pay for the Santa Cruz Branch have been tossed out in the garbage by the Sacramento judge that heard our case.

California Governments have been taken over by money from the real estate industry and they get what they want.  It has been years in the making and they control everything. Lightly used railroad right-of-ways are unused real estate in their eyes ripe for development.

Todd Clark
Canyon Country, CA
Trainorders.com

Its too bad, imho, the the SCBT&P doesnt seem to have any intrerest maintaining their connection with the outside world.  They used to be an interstate common carrier (IDK if they maintain that status these days).  but as an interstate common carrier, maintaining their connection to the interstate rail system i think would overrule a SAC judge.    But they seem to have had zero interest in SC to WJ all along. 

I think what has empowered the trail morons, is that no one seems to want to operate the tracks from WJ to SC.

>
>
> What makes you think that?  Santa Cruz County is
> just as crooked as Monterey County.  The judge's
> decision in our fight to save the Monterey Branch
> will result in the Santa Cruz Branch being torn
> up.  Prop 116 fund restrictions that were used to
> pay for the Santa Cruz Branch have been tossed out
> in the garbage by the Sacramento judge that heard
> our case.
>
> California Governments have been taken over by
> money from the real estate industry and they get
> what they want.  It has been years in the making
> and they control everything. Lightly used railroad
> right-of-ways are unused real estate in their eyes
> ripe for development.

Do you guys have to vote to retain the judges every few years,?   not that it would help...

pdt Wrote:
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> that no one seems to want to operate the tracks
> from WJ to SC.

Freight pay the bills and there is no freight business.  At best there could be potential for transloading lumber out of Watsonville to Santa Cruz, but not enough to justify the expenditure of keeping the railroad open.  I could probably make tourism work here with trains and people powered rail vehicles, but it would be a risky slog considering the economic downturn in Silicon Valley as layoffs mount. Roaring Camp doesn't do anything to grow their business and Melani Clark that owns the railroad has no interest. She certainly doesn't have the passion her father had for the operation.

The big problem with any property being leased is what operator wants to make a significant investment into facilities when you could be thrown out at anytime? To run a legitment tourism operation millions needs to be spent on facilities for equipment maintenance, passenger areas, platforms, and track improvements such as a passing siding.  The railroad generally sits on a 50 foot wide right-of-way and doesn't provide space for facilities. Then any expansion of tourism on the track will be met with roadblocks from the Coastal Commission that will demand unrealistic conditions and payments to various funds for poor people that will be impacted by your rail operations and cannot afford to participate in them.  It is a terrible idea to get involved in an agreement with the government, especially in Santa Cruz to operate. On top of that there is the real estate interests that bankroll the politicians in Santa Cruz that would be pulling the strings as to what gets agreed upon. Any potential rail operations that would effect their business would get nixed.

Todd Clark
Canyon Country, CA
Trainorders.com

Oh yes, I should share this analysis by the Santa Cruz County Grand Jury that summarizes the management of the branch line.
https://www.santacruzcountyca.gov/Portals/0/County/GrandJury/GJ2026_final/Santa%20Cruz%20Branch%20Rail%20Line.pdf

The fate of the rail line is described here. A train will never roll over the line past Watsonville:

 The RTC will take over the remaining 29 miles of the line not currently in use for freight through a newly created non-profit subsidiary controlled by the RTC. The termination settlement calls for Progressive Rail to file for a “discontinuance of service” on this section of the rail line, a designation that indicates the line is currently unsuitable for active rail transportation without precluding future rail use. This allows for greater flexibility, for example giving the RTC the option to direct construction of a multiuse trail directly over the tracks while continuing with longer range passenger rail planning. In return, the RTC will pay Progressive $450,000, avoiding a potentially costly legal fight. 

Todd Clark
Canyon Country, CA
Trainorders.com

Don't forget the two Magnetic Flagman wigwags on Chestnut Street!  One is at Lincoln and the other at Walnut.

Stan Praisewater

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Always fun to see trains at the Boardwalk.  Got to see it once, wish I had been able to see it a few more times.  Such a unique line.

Nathan

well, the whole thing has been an unfortunate mess.  Way back when, when the UP sold the line to whatever SC govt agency, the govt looked for a operator for the line.  Unfortunately EEE/Iowa Pacific got the contract as operator by promissing a dream that they were never able to come close to delivering on.  IPH was WAY overextended financially, which no one knew at the time.  

With Iowa Pacific never having operated any train from WJ to SC (afaik), the line continued to deterierate, making it less & less  attractive even for a subsidized tourist operation.     
And while seems that the  political interests then were more amicable to having an operable rail line, ,,certainly now we have the scum-of-the-earth RE interests trying to make a quick buck building condos, and the taking the money and running.     I personally had better hopes for Newsome being a more honest and far sighted person than he is.  It just sucks.

OTOH, .  Who ever thought that the NWP would come back to life. 

WFIW...thats how its looked from where im sitting