Nostalgia & History > More Santa Paula Branch Memories

Sorry just right of way shots

#1.....Looking east just west of Castaic Junction. Look closely and you will see a yellow highway sign on the extreme left through those trees. That was on SR126...11/18/1984 Lee Meyers slide
#2.....Taken East of Castaic Junction along the old Road that at one time was Highway 99 before I-5 was built. You also can see I-5 to the extreme left. Lee Meyers slide

Both #1 and 2 the tracks have been pulled and today there is little evidence they were ever there.

#3.....Fillmore January 1985. I took this because this was one of the only times I ever say any revenue on the line. Cars were sand and gravel for those silos to the right of the cars.

I have a bunch more but for now...thanks for looking-See you down the tracks

Jay

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I can't wait to see more as these tracks once went through Santa Clarita where I live. The track looked like it was well maintained with ballast and good ties.

Todd Clark
Canyon Country, CA
Trainorders.com

Todd, considering that it was only a few years removed from being a secondary main line.

Out

Love that SP salt 'n pepper ballast!

Kit Courter
Menefee, CA
LunarLight Photography

I remember when I was a kid going out to Saugus, and seeing the wye junction for the Santa Paula Branch. i also remember going down Rt126 and seeing the whole line from Saugus to Piru still intact. There was some cars always by the trailer park west of the 99/5 highways.

The other memory I did have was in the 60's I got to take the train to Fresno from Saugus, and remember going through the T-Loop.

I would agree with Todd, if the could only re route to old ROW from Castiac to Saugus, and put Metrolink on it, with the occasional freight, that would be really great.

Man, am I getting old.

Super cool pics! It's strange not seeing any traffic on the 5 in photo #2.

I just took the 126 from Ventura last week and was pleasantly pleased how much track was still criss-crossing over the road thanks to the F&W. At least SOME of this unique line is still kicking.

In a side note, I watched them film the movie "Throw Mama From the Train" back in the early eighty's. I think Shortline enterprises was the operator at the time. I remember their silver SW1 and passenger cars or was the SW1 painted Amtrak ? It has been a long time since that day.

Now if I can just find the slides, I know I got them!!!

I will past more Santa Paula Branch scans tonight after I get home from work.


Jay

Photo 1 brings back memories of the old airfield next to the tracks there, which was often used in Hollywood productions. The TV series Black Sheep Squadron was filmed there, with the airfield filing in for a South Pacific island (ironic, SP....). I lived in Ventura County for ten years, 1975-85, the only "action" on the line east of Fillmore was the parking of hundreds of boxcars in the early 1980's, during an economic downturn. Seems they provided "lodging" for quite a few homeless at the time. After a heavy storm which caused the Santa Clara River to overflow and take out some railway bridges close to this spot, SP didn't want to invest in replacing them, so the Santa Paula Branch became one very long spur line.

With all the current noise about crude loading, crude was loaded just West of Castaic Junction for
many years. More pictures that should have been taken.

Out