Fillmore and Western Railway

Last updated

Fillmore and Western Railway
FWRY Engines.JPG
Fillmore and Western Railway EMD F7 No. 101 and GP35 No. 3502.
Locale Ventura County, California, USA
Coordinates 34°23′57″N118°54′39″W / 34.399031°N 118.910716°W / 34.399031; -118.910716
Commercial operations
Built by Southern Pacific Railroad
Original gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Preserved operations
Owned byTrack owned by the Ventura County Transportation Commission
Rolling stock owned by Fillmore and Western Railway
Operated byFillmore and Western Railway
Reporting mark FWRY
Preserved gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Commercial history
Opened1887
1995Sold to VCTC
Preservation history
1991Short Line Enterprises begins using line
2021Final scheduled excursion
Headquarters Fillmore
Website
fwry.com
Route map
Legend
BSicon exCONTg.svg
Metrolink Santa Paula Branch Gnome-searchtool.svg
BSicon eKBHFxa.svg
Piru
BSicon WBRUCKE2.svg
Hopper Canyon
BSicon BHF.svg
Fillmore
BSicon hKRZWae.svg
Fillmore Canyon
BSicon WBRUCKE2.svg
Orcutt Canyon
BSicon WBRUCKE2.svg
Santa Paula Canyon
BSicon BHF.svg
 Santa Paula
BSicon WBRUCKE2.svg
Adams Canyon
BSicon SKRZ-G4u.svg
California 126.svg SR 126
BSicon WBRUCKE2.svg
Pepper Tree Canyon
BSicon eBHF.svg
 Saticoy
BSicon WBRUCKE2.svg
Long Canyon
BSicon WBRUCKE2.svg
Harmon Canyon
BSicon STRc2.svg
BSicon lvBHF@F-.svg
BSicon ABZ23.svg
BSicon STRc3.svg
 Ventura–East
BSicon cCONTgq.svg
BSicon ABZq1.svg
BSicon STRq+c14.svg
BSicon ABZq+4.svg
BSicon cCONTfq.svg
Coast Line

The Fillmore and Western Railway( reporting mark FWRY) was a heritage railway which operated on track owned by the Ventura County Transportation Commission. [1] Visitors to Fillmore would see filming activity as well as sets and support equipment at the company's rail yard and along the tracks between Santa Paula and Piru. They stopped operating on the line in 2021.

Contents

History

Fillmore & Western Railway Railroad Days Festival, March 2004. FWRY CA Train Fest - March 2004.jpg
Fillmore & Western Railway Railroad Days Festival, March 2004.

The track is a standard gauge railroad constructed in 1887 by Southern Pacific Railroad through the Santa Clara River Valley in Ventura County, California. This line was originally part of the Southern Pacific's main line between San Francisco and Los Angeles before the shorter Montalvo Cutoff was built through the Santa Susana Mountains in 1904. State Route 126 follows roughly the same route from Ventura to Santa Clarita. The track was used extensively by Southern Pacific as late as the 1950s to haul citrus from packing houses at the communities along the Santa Clara River. In 1995, the branch line that connects at its west end to the Union Pacific at Montalvo in Ventura was purchased from Southern Pacific by the Ventura County Transportation Commission. [2] The eastern end of the line terminates in Piru as storm damage in 1979 severed the eastern end of the line to Saugus in Los Angeles County.

Short Line Enterprises [3] was a company that provided railcars for use in movie productions. [4] [5] [6] [7] They came to Fillmore in 1991 to use the rail line and eventually added tourist and dinner trains. [8]

The railroad operated a year-round tourist train and offers numerous special events, including the Railroad Days Festival, the Pumpkinliner, Christmas Tree Trains, [9] [10] [11] the North Pole Express, and the Day Out with Thomas. The normal schedule involved weekend excursions, dinner trains, murder mystery trains, barbecue trains, and shopping excursions to nearby Santa Paula. [12] [13] [14] [15]

The F&W was used in more than 400 movies, TV and commercial shots. Movies shot on the railroad include Throw Momma from the Train , [3] Three Amigos , [3] Seabiscuit , Get Smart , Rails & Ties , I’ll Remember April, and Race to Witch Mountain . [16] [17] Television series CSI , NCIS: Los Angeles and Criminal Minds have used the railroad for location shooting. [18]

Fillmore and Western Railway tracks. The ex-Canadian turntable is being installed just on the other side of the buildings on the left of the photograph. FWRY Tracks.JPG
Fillmore and Western Railway tracks. The ex-Canadian turntable is being installed just on the other side of the buildings on the left of the photograph.

The rail yard is located adjacent to the restored city hall in downtown Fillmore and is part of the revitalized section of the city rebuilt after the extensive damage caused by the 1994 Northridge earthquake that brought down the facades of many nearby businesses. A vintage 1906 80-ton turntable bridge originally installed in Capreol, Ontario, was purchased from the Canadian National Railway by the Santa Clara River Valley Railroad Historical Society (SCRVRHS) and was installed in a newly constructed pit on February 7, 2007. The turntable allows not only turning of locomotives and cars but also access to planned facilities on tracks in the narrow yard area. This area is planned to be the center of a proposed railway heritage park complex that will also feature a roundhouse and a Railroad Interpretive Center Museum.

Ventura County Transportation Commission reached a settlement with the Fillmore and Western for trains to operate until 2021. [19] [2] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [ excessive citations ] Fillmore and Western's lease agreement expired after June 30, 2021. [38] The final scheduled excursion trip was on June 26. [39]

The Sierra Northern Railway became the contract operator of the line in December after approval by the Ventura County Transportation Commission. [40]

Rolling stock

The majority of F&W rolling stock was acquired from four major studios: 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Warner Bros, and MGM. The rolling stock and right-of-way were frequently used for the filming of television series, motion pictures and commercials and as a locale for private and commercial still photography.

The roster of the F&W includes two GP35s, two F7s from General Motors Electro-Motive Division and an S6 and RS32 from Alco. The railroad also owns numerous coaches, freight cars, cabooses and excursion cars. The F&W roster also includes an Ex-Duluth and Northeastern Baldwin #14 2-8-0 Consolidation steam locomotive. In 2014, a 0-4-0 T Porter tank engine, the Sespe, [41] was sold to the city of Jacksonville, Oregon.

The railroad also owned the two full-size steam locomotive props that were built for The Lone Ranger (2013). [42] They are not working steam locomotives (and never were), being propelled instead by diesel engines located in their tenders. [43] The larger of the two (named "Constitution" in the film) has been used in several other productions, including Westworld and The Good Place .

The majority of the locomotives, rolling stock and other assets were acquired by Sierra Northern after the lease of the rail line ended. [44] Three pieces of equipment, including the S6, a passenger car, and the body of a Pacific Fruit Express reefer, were sold to Virginia and Truckee Railroad in Virginia City, Nevada in February 2022. [45] GP35 #3501 was sold to SMV and the "Jupiter" prop and one of the prop coaches from The Lone Ranger, as well as the GP35 prop from Inception and the prop cab from Unstoppable were sold to Volo Auto Museum.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fillmore, California</span> City in California, United States

Fillmore is a small city in Ventura County, California, United States, in the Santa Clara River Valley. In an agricultural area with rich, fertile soil, Fillmore has a historic downtown that was established when the Southern Pacific built the railroad through the valley in 1887. The rail line also provided a name for the town: J. A. Fillmore was a general superintendent for the company's Pacific system. The population was 16,419 at the 2020 census, up 9.4% from 15,002 during the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BNSF Railway</span> American freight railroad

BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, 33,400 miles (53,800 km) of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that provide rail connections between the western and eastern United States. BNSF trains traveled over 169 million miles in 2010, more than any other North American railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CSX Transportation</span> Class I railroad system in the US

CSX Transportation, known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles (34,000 km) of track, it is the leading subsidiary of CSX Corporation, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida.

<i>Pacific Surfliner</i> Intercity rail service in California, US

The Pacific Surfliner is a 350-mile (560 km) passenger train service serving the communities on the coast of Southern California between San Diego and San Luis Obispo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia Railway Express</span> Commuter rail service in Virginia and the District of Columbia

Virginia Railway Express (VRE) is a commuter rail service that connects outlying small cities of Northern Virginia to Union Station in Washington, D.C. It operates two lines which run during weekday rush hour only: the Fredericksburg Line from Spotsylvania, Virginia, and the Manassas Line from Broad Run station in Bristow, Virginia. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 1,537,000, or about 5,900 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinity Railway Express</span> Commuter rail service in the Dallas/Fort Worth area

The Trinity Railway Express (TRE) is a commuter rail service in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Texas, United States. It was established by an interlocal agreement between Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) and Trinity Metro. Each transit authority owns a 50% stake in the joint rail project and contractor Herzog Transit Services operates the line. The TRE began operating in December 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metrolink (California)</span> Commuter rail system in the United States

Metrolink is a commuter rail system in Southern California, serving Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties, as well as to Oceanside in San Diego County. The system consists of eight lines and 69 stations operating on 545.6 miles (878.1 km) of track. Arrow is operated under a contract with the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ventura County Line</span> Commuter rail line in Southern California

The Metrolink Ventura County Line is a commuter rail line serving Ventura County and the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County and the City of Los Angeles, in the Southern California system. The line is the successor of the short lived CalTrain commuter rail line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia and Truckee Railroad</span> Heritage railroad in Virginia City, Nevada

The Virginia and Truckee Railroad is a privately owned heritage railroad, headquartered in Virginia City, Nevada. Its private and publicly owned route is 14 miles (23 km) long. When first constructed in the 19th century, it was a commercial freight railroad which was originally built to serve the Comstock Lode mining communities of northwestern Nevada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amtrak California</span> Caltrans passenger rail services

Amtrak California is a brand name used by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Division of Rail for three state-supported Amtrak regional rail routes in California – the Capitol Corridor, the Pacific Surfliner, and the San Joaquins – and their associated connecting network of Amtrak Thruway transportation services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strasburg Rail Road</span> Heritage railroad in Pennsylvania

The Strasburg Rail Road is a heritage railroad and the oldest continuously operating standard-gauge railroad in the western hemisphere, as well as the oldest public utility in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Chartered in 1832, the Strasburg Rail Road Company is today a heritage railroad offering excursion trains hauled by steam locomotives on 4.02 mi (6.47 km) of track in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, as well as providing contract railroad mechanical services, and freight service to area shippers. The railroad's headquarters are outside Strasburg, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ventura County Railroad</span>

The Ventura County Railroad is a class III railroad subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming, connecting the Union Pacific Railroad in Oxnard to South Oxnard and Port Hueneme. It began operations in 1998 under RailAmerica, leasing its lines from the Ventura County Railway, owner of lines first opened in about 1905 that have remained independent of larger carriers. The railroad serves industrial areas including the Port of Hueneme and Naval Facilities Expeditionary Logistics Center at Naval Base Ventura County.

The Santa Maria Valley Railroad is a 14.8 miles (23.8 km) shortline railroad that interchanges with the Union Pacific Railroad's Coast Line at Guadalupe, California. As of 2006, the Railroad is owned by the Coast Belle Rail Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bay Coast Railroad</span>

The Bay Coast Railroad operated the former Eastern Shore Railroad line between Pocomoke City, Maryland, and Norfolk, Virginia. The railroad interchanged with the Delmarva Central Railroad in Pocomoke City and Norfolk Southern in Norfolk; the interchange in Pocomoke City had been with Norfolk Southern prior to December 2016, when the Delmarva Central Railroad leased 162 miles (261 km) of Norfolk Southern track on the Delmarva peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad (1871–2007)</span>

The Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad was a standard-gauge shortline railroad that operated from 1871 to 2007 over a single-track grade from Belfast to Burnham Junction in Maine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ventura County Transportation Commission</span> Public sector transportation planning body

The Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) is the public sector transportation planning body for Ventura County, California. The VCTC oversees highway, bus, aviation, rail and bicycle activity and controls the use of government funds for transportation projects. The commission was created by state legislation in 1988 and began operation in 1989, when it assumed the transportation responsibilities of the Ventura County Association of Governments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arizona and California Railroad</span> Short line railroad in the Southwestern United States

The Arizona and California Railroad is a class III short line railroad that was a subdivision of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF). The ARZC began operations on May 9, 1991, when David Parkinson of the ParkSierra RailGroup purchased the line from the Santa Fe Railway. ParkSierra Railgroup was purchased in January 2002 by shortline railroad holding company RailAmerica. The Genesee & Wyoming shortline railroad holding company purchased RailAmerica in December 2012. ARZC's main commodities are petroleum gas, steel, and lumber; the railroad hauls around 12,000 carloads per year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colebrookdale Railroad</span> Heritage railroad based in Pennsylvania

The Colebrookdale Railroad, also known as the Secret Valley Line or colloquially as The Colebrookdale, is a tourist railroad located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The railroad operates between Boyertown in Berks County and Pottstown in Montgomery County.

The Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay Railroad (SCMB), or Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line (SCBRL), is a historic railway running through Santa Cruz County, California. It once ran operationally from Davenport to the Watsonville Junction where it connected to the Union Pacific Coast Line. Over the years it has had many splays and connections to other local railroads over, through, and around the Santa Cruz Mountains. It is still active today, including a connection with the Roaring Camp Railroads line that makes regular trips between Felton and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Paula Branch Line</span> Railway corridor in California

The Santa Paula Branch Line is a railway corridor in Ventura County, California. It connects Saugus and Santa Paula through the Santa Clara River Valley, though the route east of Piru is out of service. It opened for traffic by the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1887. Since 1995 the line has been owned by the Ventura County Transportation Commission.

References

  1. ↑ Harris, Mike (July 25, 2014). "Railway's eviction is back in force". Ventura County Star. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  2. 1 2 McLeod, Jean (July 23, 2014). "Western Railway, VCTC still at odds over track maintenance, lease". The Fillmore Gazette. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 "SHORT LINE ENTERPRISES COLLECTION". oac.cdlib.org. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  4. ↑ "How We Came About". www.fwry.com. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  5. ↑ Hulse, Jane (June 24, 1993). "Locomotive Ride Is a Throwback to Rural Times : Rail firm is hooking up steam engine No. 51 to its string of 11 vintage rail cars for a series of trips over the July 4 weekend". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  6. ↑ Hulse, Jane (September 29, 1994). "JAUNTS : Old Depot Is Right Stop for Train Buffs : Facility is the site of an Autumn Rail Festival that includes historical exhibits and a barbecue". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Business of the Year - Fillmore & Western Railway Co". The Fillmore Gazette. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  8. ↑ Harris, Mike (September 8, 2014). "Fillmore railroad owner tires of legal battle". Ventura County Star. Archived from the original on April 20, 2017. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Santa Claus Comes to Fillmore". The Fillmore Gazette. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Santa Train". The Fillmore Gazette. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Fillmore Historical Museum and Railway decorated for Christmas". The Fillmore Gazette. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  12. ↑ "The California Honey Harvest Festival". The Fillmore Gazette. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Dad's Day Express delights the whole family". The Fillmore Gazette. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  14. ↑ "SCV Railroad Historical Society's Rail Fest 2013". The Fillmore Gazette. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  15. ↑ "4th of July Car Show entries down 30%". -The Fillmore Gazette. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Shooting a huge headache". The Fillmore Gazette. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Disney Filming". The Fillmore Gazette. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  18. ↑ Verrier, Richard (July 21, 2010). "His trains have a great Hollywood track record". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 21, 2010. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
  19. ↑ "$950,000 Shortfall for Fiscal Year 2011 to be addressed". The Fillmore Gazette. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Transportation commission and Fillmore & Western Railway reach settlement to keep trains running". Ventura County Star . Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Appellate court reverses Fillmore & Western Railway's eviction". Ventura County Star. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Transportation commission seeks injunction against Fillmore & Western Railway". Ventura County Star. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  23. ↑ "Fillmore & Western Railway dismisses suit against transportation commission". Ventura County Star. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Fillmore & Western Railway told to halt operations or face eviction". Ventura County Star. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  25. ↑ "Railway's eviction is back in force". Ventura County Star. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  26. ↑ "Fillmore railway sells vintage car to help fund litigation". Ventura County Star. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Appellate court hears arguments in Fillmore & Western Railway eviction". Ventura County Star. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  28. ↑ "Fillmore & Western barred from running tourist trains on branch line". Ventura County Star. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  29. ↑ "Fillmore railway again seeks delay of its eviction". Ventura County Star. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  30. ↑ "Judge delays eviction of Fillmore & Western Railway". Ventura County Star. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  31. ↑ "Judge upholds Fillmore railroad lease termination, but trains to keep running". Ventura County Star. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Fillmore & Western trains resume at least temporarily". Ventura County Star. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  33. ↑ "Historical society cancels Fillmore festival over railroad uncertainty". Ventura County Star. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  34. ↑ "Railway won't run trains until insurance matter is resolved". Ventura County Star. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  35. ↑ "Fillmore & Western plans to run Christmas trains, with or without a lease". Ventura County Star. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  36. ↑ "Christmas tree train runs despite lease termination". Ventura County Star. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  37. ↑ "Fillmore & Western could reach settlement with commission". Ventura County Star. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  38. ↑ "Request for Proposals for An Operator of Rail Service on the Santa Paula Branch Line" (PDF). Ventura County Transportation Commission. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  39. ↑ Garcia, Sid (June 28, 2021). "Future of beloved Fillmore & Western Railway in Ventura County uncertain". ABC7. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  40. ↑ Lustig, David (December 16, 2021). "Sierra Northern to operate line formerly used by Fillmore & Western". Trains. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  41. ↑ Harris, Mike (July 1, 2014). "Fillmore railway sells vintage car to help fund litigation". Ventura County Star. Archived from the original on August 2, 2014.
  42. ↑ "4/28/18 Preview: Fillmore & Western 14 pulls alongside the prop steamers used in "The Lone Ranger"". YouTube .
  43. ↑ "'The Lone Ranger' revels in railroading | Trains Magazine".
  44. ↑ Lustig, David (February 2, 2022). "Sierra Railroad acquires former Fillmore & Western equipment". Trains. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  45. ↑ "F&W Equipment leaving Ventura County for V&T in Virginia City, NV". Trainorders.com Discussion. Retrieved July 11, 2022.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.