p&sr
OBS Chief
A couple of years back my wife and I had a free day in Los Angeles, and decided to ride some trains. We drove to the Green Line Station near L.A. Airport. First ride was to "Redondo Beach" (actually the line ends in an industrial area well-inland with no views of any "Beach". Then east to transfer to the Blue Line, north to the Red Line, and north-east to Union Station.
There we got our tickets for the Metro-Link to Antelope Valley (Lancaster) and back. Starting out along the L.A. River and passing the Yards near San Fernando Road, we cut a straight course north-west through the San Fernando Valley. At the north end of the Valley (where freeways I-5 and 14 have a complex intersection with lots of high-arching bridges), the train runs beneath the freeway intersection and enters a tunnel. The other side of the tunnel is Newhall (now part of Santa Clarita), with some good views of the hills and a bit of small-town atmosphere (compared to L.A., anyway) to let you know you've entered a different region. The train does a sharp right-hand turn in the center of town and heads east into more remote countryside. The route climbs and winds through Soledad Canyon, which is very rugged and scenic, with occasional views of higher mountains just beyond. At one point we passed a "retirement home" for movie animals... some elephants and I think some big cats and ostriches could be seen from the train. You can read about it here:
http://www.roarthemovie.com/html/shambala.html
Eventually the train crosses the Summit at Acton and begins its descent to the floor of the Mojave Desert. (Antelope Valley is the local name for this section of the Mojave). As the canyon widens out to a broad alluvial fan, the train follows a large arc to continue steadily losing altitude. The land here is filled with Joshua Trees (a kind of overgrown multi-branched Yucca typical of the Mojave Desert wherever the roots can find water underground).
I found some pictures of the run here, including the interesting stations at Glendale (former SP Depot, 1923) and Burbank:
http://www.transit-rider.com/ca.losangeles...=antelopevalley
The train then passes through the extensive desert suburbs of Palmdale and Lancaster. Crossing a large boulevard here, we heard a horrible crashing sound coming from underneath our train-car, like something large bouncing around between the street and the train. It turns out that a pick-up truck barely succeeded in beating the Train through the intersection, but smashed through a closed crossing-gate to do so. The broken-off gate bounced around under the train until we finished crossing the street there. On the return trip, we stopped just before that crossing, and then proceeded at a walking-pace with a flagman to warn traffic, since there was no longer any gate to stop the cars.
At the end of the line, we asked about someplace for lunch. They recommended a classic hamburger shop a few blocks west. Time was tight, and we asked them to rush the order and pack it to go. We had to run all the way back, but did catch our train (not the last one of the day, but avoiding an unwanted wait of several hours).
We enjoyed our delicious lunch on the way back. Although no food was served on the Train, they didn't mind at all if we ate on board. We found seats facing each other with a small table between us, which was very practical.
After a repeat of the interesting but familiar scenery (and good views of the Mountains above Palmdale), we made it back to Union Station with several good travel-hours remaining. We then rode the Gold Line to Pasadena and back, then the Red Line (both branches, one of which is now called the Purple Line)... surfacing at each terminus and at the branch point so we could get our bearings and appreciate that we had actually travelled somewhere. Then the Blue Line to Long Beach (crossing the new Alameda Rail Corridor for freight traffic), and back to the Green Line. A quick trip East to Norwalk completed the tour of the L.A. Metro-Rail System (light rail, plus heavy-rail transit on the Red & Purple Lines). Returning to L.A. Airport, we drove home.
Some of the Metro-Link Routes are covered by Amtrak... Ventura and Oceanside by the Surfliner, and the southern route to Riverside by the South-West Chief. Of the remaining routes, Antelope Valley is probably the most interesting, going through rugged rural scenery and entering a distinctive Geographical area, the Mojave Desert (actually a part of the Great Basin). I recommend the trip if you are in the area with half a day to spare, but check the schedules carefully as the round trip might require a long wait (like overnight!) at the Lancaster end.
There we got our tickets for the Metro-Link to Antelope Valley (Lancaster) and back. Starting out along the L.A. River and passing the Yards near San Fernando Road, we cut a straight course north-west through the San Fernando Valley. At the north end of the Valley (where freeways I-5 and 14 have a complex intersection with lots of high-arching bridges), the train runs beneath the freeway intersection and enters a tunnel. The other side of the tunnel is Newhall (now part of Santa Clarita), with some good views of the hills and a bit of small-town atmosphere (compared to L.A., anyway) to let you know you've entered a different region. The train does a sharp right-hand turn in the center of town and heads east into more remote countryside. The route climbs and winds through Soledad Canyon, which is very rugged and scenic, with occasional views of higher mountains just beyond. At one point we passed a "retirement home" for movie animals... some elephants and I think some big cats and ostriches could be seen from the train. You can read about it here:
http://www.roarthemovie.com/html/shambala.html
Eventually the train crosses the Summit at Acton and begins its descent to the floor of the Mojave Desert. (Antelope Valley is the local name for this section of the Mojave). As the canyon widens out to a broad alluvial fan, the train follows a large arc to continue steadily losing altitude. The land here is filled with Joshua Trees (a kind of overgrown multi-branched Yucca typical of the Mojave Desert wherever the roots can find water underground).
I found some pictures of the run here, including the interesting stations at Glendale (former SP Depot, 1923) and Burbank:
http://www.transit-rider.com/ca.losangeles...=antelopevalley
The train then passes through the extensive desert suburbs of Palmdale and Lancaster. Crossing a large boulevard here, we heard a horrible crashing sound coming from underneath our train-car, like something large bouncing around between the street and the train. It turns out that a pick-up truck barely succeeded in beating the Train through the intersection, but smashed through a closed crossing-gate to do so. The broken-off gate bounced around under the train until we finished crossing the street there. On the return trip, we stopped just before that crossing, and then proceeded at a walking-pace with a flagman to warn traffic, since there was no longer any gate to stop the cars.
At the end of the line, we asked about someplace for lunch. They recommended a classic hamburger shop a few blocks west. Time was tight, and we asked them to rush the order and pack it to go. We had to run all the way back, but did catch our train (not the last one of the day, but avoiding an unwanted wait of several hours).
We enjoyed our delicious lunch on the way back. Although no food was served on the Train, they didn't mind at all if we ate on board. We found seats facing each other with a small table between us, which was very practical.
After a repeat of the interesting but familiar scenery (and good views of the Mountains above Palmdale), we made it back to Union Station with several good travel-hours remaining. We then rode the Gold Line to Pasadena and back, then the Red Line (both branches, one of which is now called the Purple Line)... surfacing at each terminus and at the branch point so we could get our bearings and appreciate that we had actually travelled somewhere. Then the Blue Line to Long Beach (crossing the new Alameda Rail Corridor for freight traffic), and back to the Green Line. A quick trip East to Norwalk completed the tour of the L.A. Metro-Rail System (light rail, plus heavy-rail transit on the Red & Purple Lines). Returning to L.A. Airport, we drove home.
Some of the Metro-Link Routes are covered by Amtrak... Ventura and Oceanside by the Surfliner, and the southern route to Riverside by the South-West Chief. Of the remaining routes, Antelope Valley is probably the most interesting, going through rugged rural scenery and entering a distinctive Geographical area, the Mojave Desert (actually a part of the Great Basin). I recommend the trip if you are in the area with half a day to spare, but check the schedules carefully as the round trip might require a long wait (like overnight!) at the Lancaster end.
