Santa Fe #3751 LA-SD 6/1/08

[MILW205]

Apologies if I missed this discussed elsewhere:

Any suggestions on good spots to catch this (sold out) run? 

http://www.sbrhs.org/Pages/sdiego.html

 

[sp2353]

san juan capristano at  the amtrak/metrolink station. solana beach, near the San Diego county

fairgrounds. Those are just two places. Del Mar is a good area also, near the old depot.

[MILW205]

Thanks much, sp2353!  I'll look into those spots.

[glh3751]

Hi MILW205 --

 Be glad to help out if you still need info --  Are you local and therefore know the area?  Do you just want spots in the San Diego area or LA and/or Orange County too??  Do you want to chase and avoid crowds and traffic?  Or do you want to catch the 3751 at the stops (Fullerton and Irvine) as well as LAUS and San Diego?  There are LOTS of options!  You can post here, or via e-mail:  [e-mail]

[Bruce Kelly]

Suburban sprawl and loss of classic lineside structures has ruined many of the grand old shots where she'll be working hard while making good speed through Irvine, Lake Forest (formerly El Toro), Mission Viejo, etc. Surf Line being what it is, you can't go wrong with the traditional views at San Clemente and Del Mar, where the sea and sand and cliffs look about the same as they did in the steam era. But for the best spot to see 3751 prove her muscle, it's Miramar Hill just north of San Diego. Southbound run will twist and turn up Soledad Canyon (not to be confused with the former SP Soledad Canyon north of L.A.); northbound run will climb up Rose Canyon. Both grades are in the 2% range and come to quite a crest at CP Cumbres (formerly called Miramar).

[tomwazy]

 

   Being somewhat familar with the area,ie the major roads,but not all the "shortcuts",how difficult would it be to keep ahead and find photo locations? Since this is possibly a once in a lifetime excursion,I'm more interested in quantity as well as quality locations. How many locations do you imagine I'd be able to get to on each leg of the trip? What would you advise as an itinerary? Thanks for your advice and suggestions.

[MILW205]

Hi MILW205 --

 Be glad to help out if you still need info --  Are you local and therefore know the area?  Do you just want spots in the San Diego area or LA and/or Orange County too??  Do you want to chase and avoid crowds and traffic?  Or do you want to catch the 3751 at the stops (Fullerton and Irvine) as well as LAUS and San Diego?  There are LOTS of options!  You can post here, or via e-mail:  [e-mail]

I'm not at all familiar with the area, but my first inclination is to go to Fullerton and get some initial pics, then get well ahead of it while it is stopping in Irvine.  I'm only able to catch the southbound leg. 

Am I correct that the route will be following I-5 for much of the way?  I'd love to try and chase it for a while; but if it's anything like the UP #844 runs from Denver-Colo Sprs, I'm planning that it'll be unpleasantly crowded...so I'd also like to stake out a few spots to stop along the way.  Based on what folks have said, it sounds like Del Mar and Miramar Hill would be good candidates.

Does this seem reasonable?  Thx for the guidance, glh3751 and all! 

 

[espeefoamer]

I will be riding this special train! Chasing steam can get pretty bizzare.I suspect that due to traffic on I 5 that chasing will be very hard to do.Picking a couple of spots to photograph the train will be your best bet.

[cyber hobo]

does anyone know if the plan to turn her at San Diego? I know some good locations if she is at the head end on the northbound trip. also what scanner freq's might be used?

[espeefoamer]

From out on the pier at San Clemente,one could get some telephoto long shots of the special as it runs along the beach.

[erikem]

Am I correct that the route will be following I-5 for much of the way?  I'd love to try and chase it for a while; but if it's anything like the UP #844 runs from Denver-Colo Sprs, I'm planning that it'll be unpleasantly crowded...so I'd also like to stake out a few spots to stop along the way.  Based on what folks have said, it sounds like Del Mar and Miramar Hill would be good candidates.

Does this seem reasonable?  Thx for the guidance, glh3751 and all! 

The line pretty much parallels I-5, the farthest deviation is the Miramar summit (about a mile east of I-805). Be aware that the best viewing from I-5 is through Camp Pendelton and that much of the line south of Oceanside is not visible from I-5 (the line through Cardiff-by-the-sea is a few hundred feet from the coast, while I-5 is about 0.5 mile from the coast and on the other side of a hill).

Old Highway 101 follows the line closely from Oceanslide to Del Mar, but speed limits are typicaly 35 to 45 MPH and there are a lot of traffic lights (pacing the train on 101 is asking for an accident). Hmm, there are some places in Leucadia where the background doesn't look too modern... 

[erikem]

does anyone know if the plan to turn her at San Diego? I know some good locations if she is at the head end on the northbound trip. also what scanner freq's might be used?

I heard that she'll be backed to the Miramar wye. 

[cyber hobo]

 hi thanks for the info.

 

I was thinking that they mignt do the turn at the wye in  national city. guess that i can see what way she heads leaveing the station in SD and change my photo locations accordingly

 

 

[MP57313]

It was almost an hour late out of LA, but it was a relatively clear morning. 

[YoHo1975]

Crossing Batquitos Lagoon Trestle as seen from LaCosta Ave. Carlsbad.

 

Carlsbad station is one of the few remaining Santa Fe structures on the line (the Encinitas station still exists, but has been moved to the other side fo the 101.)

Unfortunatly none of my shots from that location turned out.

 

Here's a shot from the northbound leg about an 1/8th of a mile south of the first shot

 

You can see the rest of my shots here:

http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/showgallery.php/cat/500/ppuser/1227