A Day Chasing Steam - The Santa Fe 3751 Heads South with San Diego Steam Special II - Part 2

(Continued from:
A Day Chasing Steam - The Santa Fe 3751 Heads South with San Diego Steam Special II - Part 1)

The face of history, the face of progress - the Santa Fe 3751 waits at Fullerton, CA for passengers to board the San Diego Steam Special II on May 1, 2010

As I pulled away from the Fullerton Amtrak station parking lot, I began to estimate an approximate meeting location for both Dan and I and the 3751.  Ultimately we decided to meet at the Junipero Serra Road in San Juan Capistrano, mostly because it was the closet point at which our paths converged. However, it turned out to be rather fortuitous for us with respect the 3751 as well.

After meeting up with Dan we both needed a break to stretch our legs and devise a strategy for the upcoming day’s chase.  After a quick soda break we hopped into my rig and located a street that paralleled the railroad tracks and right-of-way. We began to search in earnest for a decent location with ample scenic elements to complement the 3751 as she rolled by at speed.

We did see a great location that was set back from the road a good piece and afforded that “woodsy” appeal that is rare in the coastal region. It appeared to be accessible from a bike path that transversed the location. We looked for a decent and “approved” parking location but none was to be had.

The lack of parking, combined with my concern about the amount of time it would take for us to get back to the truck and then head off after the 3751 again, convinced me to not try to get “that” shot.

Instead I used my trusty Tom-Tom GPS to gain an appreciation for other opportunities. Just then I saw it! I quickly remembered that this was also a location I identified as a “possible” location during my initial route planning activities with Google Maps from my desk. It was a road which turned out to be a driveway for an assisted living center which bordered the right-of-way.

I found a parking spot and we realized that we were not alone. Soon we were joined by at least three other “chasers” who also parked and scampered up the slight embankment on which Dan and I had taken up as our photographic position.

One of the gentlemen commented “You looking for the train?”.  We affirmed his question with a healthy response to which he replied that he had “heard it pass my house in Santa Ana and I just had to come out and see it! So I raced after it. Why wasn’t there anything in media about this?”

I thought, good question.  I had known about the run since last year but I have my finger on the pulse of all things rail-related. Was there not conventional media coverage? “I saw an article in the LA Times,” I retorted.

“Yeah, I saw that but nothing in the local paper, I mean” was his reply.

Just then I heard another guy shout at us, “You guys gonna shoot? You can stand anywhere in front of the sign but not where you are now because you will be in my shot.” I looked behind me and noticed a thin man perched on the side of the slope leading to the creek that the tracks crossed right where we were.

I asked him for clarification about which area comprised his shot and he gave me two areas to stay out of.  As I was considering my remaining options I heard someone yell “Here she comes!”

“No way!” I shouted.  I hadn’t found “my shot!” I took the thin man’s viewing angle into account, after all he was there first, and ducked in behind a tree sure to be out of his shot.

I pointed my camera down range towards the hustling steam engine and quickly discovered that my options were going to be limited given my location and my angle to the rails. I was essentially left with a long glass head-on shot from a distance so that the train would not entirely fill my frame.

I quickly composed a composition and thought to myself, “This guy is moving!”.

Moving he was.  It was a dead straightway and he was probably doing track speed. In no time at all he was gone and left nothing but the vacuum of the train, the sound of motion, and the sheer excitement of having just witnessed the event!

I had fired off three shots in short order. Here is the best of the three:

The Santa Fe 3751 leads the southbound San Diego Steam Special II through San Juan Capistrano, CA on May 1, 2010

It was far from ideal but that is the way it goes.  This is especially true if you are shooting in unfamiliar territory. Had I scouted out the route or if I was more familiar with the area I might have had time to set-up for and attain a killer shot. I had no one to blame except myself.

Not nearly as fast as the 3751 scooted off to the south, Dan and I rushed back to the truck. Parked in a fashion to afford a quick get away, I fired up the truck and then we were off chasing her again.

We were filled with excitement as we turned the corner and accelerated up the on-ramp to the southbound Interstate 5 freeway. Much to our chagrin, we were greeted with some heavy traffic. It turns out the “tarball” of fellow chasers and the general commuting public has almost brought our vital thoroughfare to a crawl.

Bummer! I made my best efforts to get ahead of the traffic by bobbing and weaving - probably pissing some folks off in the process, sorry - to no avail. I pulled out the crystal ball of traffic flow, Google Maps on my iPhone and it showed no relief in sight. The one saving grace of seeing the red “clogged” representation on the Google Maps display was that it offered  a realistic approximation of the head end of the San Diego Steam Special II as she flew, unimpeded, southbound towards San Diego.

After much discussion and effort our on part to make progress, it quickly became apparent that there was no way we were going to keep up with her, let alone get in front of her for some shots.

So finally at Oceanside, CA, we opted to see if the Pacific Coast Highway, US 1, would be our saviour. Once again our hopes were dashed as we faced even more traffic and stop lights. I decided to cry “Uncle.” The chase was over. We had a good time and a good run but the railfan gods were just not on our side. And besides, I was hungry!

We passed a Del Taco restaurant and I convinced Dan to stop and get some grub. After we parked we took a moment to console each other on the loss and brag about the little victories we had along the way. Our level of excitement started to wane as our appetites grew.

Just then we were approached by a man accompanying his family. He inquisitively asked “You guys chasing the train?”

“Actually,” I replied in a losing tone, “we were chasing her but not anymore. The traffic is just horrible.”

“Not so fast,” he gleefully added. “There’s still a chance to catch up with her.”

(Continued in part 3…)

A Day Chasing Steam - The Santa Fe 3751 Heads South with San Diego Steam Special II - Part 1

It was with much anticipation and uncertainty of the coming day’s outcome that I left for the Fullerton Amtrak Station to begin the chase of the San Diego Steam Special II and the 3751.  I was already an hour or so behind schedule and as I packed the truck I realized that this trip was going to be different. Despite being aware of this special run since last year I found myself unprepared due to a series of family illnesses.

I normally travel with my best friend and rail scout, Debbie, my wife. Although she was willing to accompany me on this trip I felt she needed some rest so I fired up the Cummins diesel and headed out alone. 

As I drove south towards Fullerton I planned my day’s objectives and gave careful considerations to my expectations for this trip. I normally like to hang by a picturesque location and wait for the trains to come to me. This time I knew I couldn’t do that because my goal was to capture the Santa Fe 3751 in all of her glory at several locations as she headed south to San Diego with the San Diego Steam Special II.

Realizing that the Orange and northern San Diego counties left me disadvantaged in terms of knowing the more scenic locations and track alignment, I convinced a friend of mine to meet up with me in San Juan Capistrano for a day of chasing steel, er steam. Dan is a great guy who lives in Orange County and likes adventure so he agreed to do it. (Thanks Dan!) But first I wanted some photos of the train as she came into Fullerton.

As I neared Fullerton I tempered my expectations because I knew there would already be a crowd gathered and, for a rail photographer, it is very tough to get a great shot of any train when the public is on location as well. Not everyone understands the situation and shares an awareness of fellow photographers and “getting out of the shot.”

I found one of last remaining spots on the eastern end of the parking lot and was not disappointed. There was a huge crowd already in position at the station, on the platforms and crowding the pedestrian bridge that crossed the three mainlines of BNSF’s San Bernardino Subdivision that comprises the rail head at the Fullerton station.

Looking west towards the Fullerton Amtrak station and the crowd gathered to see the Santa Fe No. 3751 leading the San Diego Steam Speciall II on May 1, 2010. (Photo: Joe Perry)

There were all types of folks present, which was great to see. This event, probably based solely on the anticipated presence of the beautiful 3751, drew more than the average “train crowd.” It was great to see fathers and daughters, moms and sons, and even grandparents all filled with excitement and anticipation. There were even actual tourists from other countries present. This was a big deal.

As I looked around for my “spot,” I had already accepted the notion that I was there to record the “event” and not focus on getting the best shots of the 3751. Hopefully there would be ample time for that later in the chase as the train headed to San Diego.

I found a decent spot with OK lighting on the edge of the northeast parking area by a spur track that is home to a nice collection of Cabooses.  Ideally the best spot, based on the location of the sun and the arrival track, would have been on the southeast side of the station complex. However, I opted to stay close to my truck so I could egress the area quickly to get ahead of the train was I had gathered some shots.

Literally every opening along or near the right-of-way not blocked my some obstruction like a fence or such, and some as that were as well, where home to pockets of photographers and sightseers. This train would be fully documented by the day’s end, without a doubt.

Several Metrolink trains and a finally southbound (eastbound) Surfliner came into the station. A fellow fan commented that the arrival of the Surfliner signaled that the 3751 would be arriving soon since she was gonna run between two of the hourly-spaced Surfliners. I took a few test shots of these trains to triple-check my camera’s settings.

Sure enough, at 9:33 AM the train could be heard first blowing her steam whistle at the crossings west of the station and then finally seen. The crowd cheered and shifted locations with glee.

Kids, of all sizes and filled with excitement, race closer towards Track 3 to see the 3751 when can be seen approaching Fullerton, CA in the distance.With all of the fanfare, I suspect, of a 1940’s train carrying Hollywood’s latest heart-throb into the station at Pasadena or Los Angeles, California, the 3751 slowly drifted into the station on Track 3 with camera shutters firing ad nauseam. Dads lifted little ones onto their shoulders to see over the crowd as “That’ll do 3751,” broke over the radio channel.  As she slowly came to a stop, the crowd rushed forward across the tracks for a closer look. Again, I was glad I tempered my expectations!

The 3751 brings the San Steam Special II to a stop on Track 3 at Fullerton, CA as the crowd draws nearer. (Photo: Joe Perry)

I photographed the scene best as I could as I also marveled at the sight of the engine and the sheer power she conveyed as she hissed and spouted as if to say “let’s go!” That reminded me that I should wrap it up as well because soon the train would be on her way south and all of these people will be taking to the roads. So I took a few parting shots as the engineer of the 3751 began to release some steam to the crowd’s delight.

The engineer puts on a show for the crowd.Now the true “chase” begins. (Continued in part 2…)

SOCAL - Get Ready! Here She Comes!

This weekend, Saturday and Sunday, (May 1-2, 2010), southern Californians will have a rare opportunity to see a famous steam locomotive, the San Bernardino Railroad Historical Society’s Santa Fe 3751 as she powers the Central Coast Railway Club and the Pacific Locomotive Association joint special - the San Diego Steam Special-II.

The legendary 3751 is a Baldwin Locomotives Works 4-8-4 ‘Mountain’ type locomotive which entered service with the former Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway in 1927. She was initially assigned duty on Santa Fe’s crack passenger trains like the all-Pullman California Limited, the Fast Mail Express, the Grand Canyon Limited, and the Navajo.

More information can be found from my past post:

RARE RAILROAD PHOTO AND FAMILY OPPORTUNITY IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA