Tom Cockle of the Passenger Car List adds to the information on this
mysterious train.
"I too recall that ill-fated enterprise, although I had moved from
Southern Califonia by then and never actually saw it. The only
definite info I have is from Dick Stephenson's book on the "San
Diegans" titled "The Surfliners", which states:"
""Considerable space could be devoted to the issue of the Los Angeles
County-owned train, sponsored by then-Supervisor Baxter Ward, which
saw service on the Surf Line for a six month period in 1978. In
brief, the equipment was acquired from the Oregon, Pacific, and
Eastern Railway at Cottage Grove, Oregon. It had been used to carry
tourists on a leisurely summer schedule on that shortline railroad;
previous owners of the cars were Illinois Central, Milwaukee Road,
and Western Pacific. The 1973 gas crunch had made the issue of
alternative modes of travel a hot topic. Baxter Ward, long a rail
supporter, challenged the system, and withstood jibes of "Ward's
Folly" and "Baxter's Choo-Choo". Long discussions with Amtrak and
the Santa Fe Railway resulted in arbitration to determine what
responsibilities Amtrak and Santa Fe had for operating commuter
versus intercity service. In the end, a new train was added
effective February 14, 1978, and was named the "El Camino". The
refurbished equipment, which was steam-heated, became the trainset,
pulled by SDP40F locomotives. This meant that other "San Diegan"
equipment could not be operated on this train, and vice versa. At
the end of the agreed-upon six-month period, the "El Camino" cars
quietly went into storage (where they sat until sold to Mexico in
1987), and Caltrans stepped in to support the sixth daily "San
Diegan", effective September 1978. Train numbers 770-780 and 771-781
were assigned.""
"There is also a photo, captioned:
""The "El Camino" heads south behind SDP40F 504 near Cardiff. Three
coaches, a snack-lounge, and a dome observation round out the
consist, which served on the Surf Line for six months in 1978.""
Denny
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Denny S. Anspach, MD
Sacramento, CA
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