Yeah! This is my hometown railroad! I've ridden the Surfliner many times to San Diego and LA. The Surf Line, being the 2nd busiest passenger corridor in the country, should be the next state route to receive electrification. Caltrain is currently working to electrify their tracks from San Jose to San Francisco for their trains and future California high speed rail. Being that HSR is set to also share tracks between Burbank and Anaheim via LA, it seems to make a lot of sense to continue electrification past Anaheim to San Diego for not just local trains but also to provide a temporary route for CAHSR trains to directly serve San Diego until their Phase 2 line via the Inland Empire is opened. Metrolink has at least one point in the past explored electrification of their most heavily used lines (called Electrolink), including the Surf Line as far south as Laguna Niguel which is just north of San Juan Capistrano. Even as it currently stands the Surf Line should be faster than driving even during non-rush hour times, but a train ride from SD to LA can take three hours whereas driving can be done in under two. The biggest issue with track improvements is the erosion in Del Mar where the ocean is slowly eating away at the cliffs the tracks sit on. Whether the cliffs can be shored up or a reroute under Del Mar is required remains to be seen. Miramar Hill between Del Mar and San Diego, a bottleneck for the Surf Line, has also been explored for a reroute that'll eliminate the slow, curving line for a tunnel that'll straighten it for faster service. The Surf Line continues to have enormous potential as a higher-speed rail corridor so long as progress to that point continues.
As a person who lives in San Diego I get to say everything train related in San Diego is amazing like the coaster surfliner San Diegan they are the best in west
Awesome video dude! The San Diegan is ne of my favorite routes based purely on its scenery and level of service! My only gripe is the service onboard, but its minor when compared to the overall train with its 13 daily trains between LA and San Diego
wat pack is that in train simulator the locomotive assortments pack has the santa fe but not its cars do i have to buy TS 2020 to get the cars ... thanks
Having taken this service a lot, I never knew the Surfliner, excuse me, the Surf Line, was so widely used and its demand came anywhere near the Northeast Corridor. Great job putting this video together. :)
I've spent my whole life living near this route. My grandparents have a fantastic ovehead view of the line from their back yard and I love watching trains from there when I visit them. I've always been wanting to learn more about San Diego's rail history. Fantastic video! Don't know if you take suggestions, but I'd love to see a video like this on the San Diego & Arizona Eastern Railroad.
@@whitemaniagaming6942 even if the southern pacific owned the SD&AE as a subsidiary before selling it to San Diego MTS? After reading news, looking into history, and being a fan of the route after living in San Diego for a few years, (especially visiting the Balboa Park and Campo museums), I think there is potential for binational passenger and Intermodel traffic if the route could be renovated; in addition to ending the drug war to weaken the cartels. Separate yet poignantly related history.
@@rypatmackrock Yea I just dont care too much for SP's treatment of the line starting after Harrimans death. They could have easily put money into the line to upgrade the tracks and surrounding areas to increase the reliability of the railroad but they obvioualy did not. I live in the area and have quite the fascination with the history and such so I am always up for talking about it
@marioyoshi4723 ill admit with how well supplied passenger trains are judging from the info on this video i don't know if hsr high speed rail that necessary especially given how cali as a whole ain't exactly long migth become a trump airline issue but who knows i guess it migth work
I used Metrolink during my 2019 trip around California’s Six Flags Magic Mountain and Knott’s Berry Farm. It’s nice to know how that venture started and how it has become the transportation method that it is.
It’s nice to see a busy rail line in US, for a change. It feel weird to talk about 70-90 trains a day as really busy. But then I live in the uk and we really cram the timetables full.
I have a video ideas: The legacy of the European Orient Express. Railroads in New Mexico between Belen and Santa Fe. Railroads between Denver and Salt Lake City. Railroads in Chicago. Passenger and freight crossing into Canada. The rail route from New Orleans to Jacksonville, FL. Legacy of the American Orient Express. Wonderful history for the Surf Line, I want to ride on this route soon. This model and history could work between Fort Collins and Albuquerque north and south and Denver and Salt Lake City east and west.
Very good content! This is a great example of covering a history of one of the most important regions in American railroading! Bravo 100 times over! Also, I noticed familiar footgae at 12:06. ;)
I might add, that as early as the mid 1950's there were seven San Diegan's in each direction. In addition there was a Del Mar Express on race track day. In the 1950's there was included in the seven round trips one non stop San Diegan between LA and San Diego with a running time of 2 hours and 15 minutes. Even today there is no non-stop between LA and San Diego and the running time could not be beat even by today''s Amtrak. However by 1966, Santa Fe had gradually reduced the frequency to three round trip San Diegan's which remained until 1971 with the Amtrak takeover further reducing the frequency to two trains a day. The rest is pretty well documented by your video.
Nice overview of the history of the Surf Line, and great work incorporating train simulator footage. I also appreciate that it's clear you used others' film with permission.
Not in their plans yet, but they probably should/will do since both California HSR will be using some of its track and Metrolink wants to electrify. hsr.ca.gov/high_speed_rail/project_sections/los_angeles_anaheim.aspx urbanize.city/la/post/metrolink-plans-increased-service-and-partial-electrification
I'm glad you suggested I watch this video. Great footage and pictures, well put together. Really enjoyed the picture a 1:55, I'm assuming it was an advertising piece. Santa Fe All the Way.
Great video! I've been visiting San Diego ever since I was born in 02, and the fact that so many great changes have been done to expand the rail travel between SD and LA means that the Surf Line won't see a depletion of rail traffic anytime soon. I'm glad I grew up seeing these trains race across SD County and even thru Orange County, and the history is a fine example of rail travel persevering over road and air travel trying to leave it in the dust.
Very descriptive and detailed video, so descriptive a non railfan could learn a lot from this video. Very interesting to learn about the history before I was born! Nice job! (I put the 950th like) also, have a wonderful Christmas everyone!
Fun fact, in the PDX (portland or.'s airport), you WILL get weird looks if you buy a ticket to Seattle. Legit, they'll be like, why don't you take the train!?
My dad and I would hang out at the Santa Fe Depot on the weekends. We were there so often they would let us ride with them when they turned the train at the Washington Street Wye. They let me blow the whistle when backing back into the station. Once, we got to ride in one of the Private observation cars as they set it out on the siding next to the depot. Back in those days, it was quite common to see older E-8s pulling the San Diegan. The SDP40-F became the usual power and during that time, they would come in with High-Level cars too. When they brought in the Amfleet cars, we thought they were Metroliners but they weren't. They just had a similar design for the body. The trucks were different as they had no frame on the outside. They looked like airplanes inside. I was no longer allowed to ride through the wye. It might have been due to the diaphragm design that didn't have the baby gate thing. My dad had a 1971 Plymouth Roadrunner and we would watch trains leave San Diego then, hop in the car and race to the Del Mar station. The engineers would laugh when they saw us waving at them because we waved at them when they left San Diego.
Great video, i love SD and the surf line! However, i disagree on some of the information you provided... there are 2 rail lines in the Chicago area that run more trains (busier) than the surf line... Bnsf Chicago-Aurora line and UP's geneva sub between Chicago-Elburn Both host as many as 60+ metra trains daily, as well as 40+ freights on a slow day!
I love the looks and aesthetics of both the Surfliner and Metrolink trains, however the absolute mishandling of switching rolling stock and ending up with frankenstein trains with a mix of the Hyundai toasters and the Bombardier Bi-Levels irks me to no end.
300 thousand passengers per year is really low for a rail system, it's less than a thousand per day. That's less than some alpine cable cars in France can do in an hour. Wathcing the trains, it's apparent that they are single line tracks, not double lines so it's not surprising that capacity is so low. That said, the video is good as long as it explains existing history and capacities, but gets rather poor when it dives into speculations about future developments. Then it stops being documentary and enters the realm of fortune-telling.
I used to ride this route between San Diego and Fullerton, where I went to college, in the early seventies. I never got tired of the beachfront scenery. 😊
I have only ridden on the Coaster, which is a great value from San Diego to Oceanside for a mere $6.50. I would only use the Surfliner if I needed to go further north, which I have not yet needed.
We shall all miss the F59PHIs on the surfline. Hopefully Metra doesn't scrap them all just yet. Otherwise, we'll never see the wonderful colors of Amtrak's EMD Pacific surfliners.
Imagine a world where Santa Fe held out on passenger service just a few more years, like Rio Grande, and actually saw the success that came to the line just a few years later.
I love San Diego I have lived here my whole life, San Diego has a rich history with trains. There were trains everywhere up until the 70’s or 60’s and now we just have the trolley along with this.
Awesome stuff, Brian! A very nice summary of the passenger train history on the Surf Line! Glad I was able to help!
Oh hello
Hi CoasterFan2105
Hello
@Gold Gamer b uuuuyyytttr you
I have a
Did you upload toy trains galore yet??
That last scene tho
*CoasterFan2105 Intensifies*
Yeah! This is my hometown railroad! I've ridden the Surfliner many times to San Diego and LA. The Surf Line, being the 2nd busiest passenger corridor in the country, should be the next state route to receive electrification. Caltrain is currently working to electrify their tracks from San Jose to San Francisco for their trains and future California high speed rail. Being that HSR is set to also share tracks between Burbank and Anaheim via LA, it seems to make a lot of sense to continue electrification past Anaheim to San Diego for not just local trains but also to provide a temporary route for CAHSR trains to directly serve San Diego until their Phase 2 line via the Inland Empire is opened. Metrolink has at least one point in the past explored electrification of their most heavily used lines (called Electrolink), including the Surf Line as far south as Laguna Niguel which is just north of San Juan Capistrano. Even as it currently stands the Surf Line should be faster than driving even during non-rush hour times, but a train ride from SD to LA can take three hours whereas driving can be done in under two. The biggest issue with track improvements is the erosion in Del Mar where the ocean is slowly eating away at the cliffs the tracks sit on. Whether the cliffs can be shored up or a reroute under Del Mar is required remains to be seen. Miramar Hill between Del Mar and San Diego, a bottleneck for the Surf Line, has also been explored for a reroute that'll eliminate the slow, curving line for a tunnel that'll straighten it for faster service. The Surf Line continues to have enormous potential as a higher-speed rail corridor so long as progress to that point continues.
Yeah, that's about 100% correct, as usual!
Santa Fe And Amtrak My Favorite Railroads
As always spot on you guys. The info was superb and the message about how efficient things on the Surfline are now (and elsewhere) was great.
I've ridden the Surfliner, quite a beautiful ride. It's more expensive than Greyhound but worth every penny more.
Good video! I think you forgot to mention the California High Speed Rail since that’s probably the future of passenger rail travel within California.
As a person who lives in San Diego I get to say everything train related in San Diego is amazing like the coaster surfliner San Diegan they are the best in west
This is fantastic like usually great video
Awesome video dude! The San Diegan is ne of my favorite routes based purely on its scenery and level of service! My only gripe is the service onboard, but its minor when compared to the overall train with its 13 daily trains between LA and San Diego
California is so beautiful.
I think march 27th is a day everyone needs to pay attention to because alot of things in history happened on that date
Imagine if the Missouri River runner between KS and Saint Louis was like this.
Great job dude I just subscribed
Nice!
What was that music in th beginning
What’s the song at the beginning
Nice video of the American antique rail system, take a look at Europe's rails system on TH-cam.
what is the music in the background at the beginning?
whats the name of the song at the start of the video
what sim do you use
wat pack is that in train simulator the locomotive assortments pack has the santa fe but not its cars do i have to buy TS 2020 to get the cars ... thanks
The ATSF Lightweights are free from Railworks America.
@@HighIron oh so it is in ts2021 in market place
How do you get them? I have railworks cause it’s Microsoft to2021 in store I can’t find lightweights srry
@@scr2392 Railworks America dot com; different site unaffiliated with Steam. It's in their File Library and packaged with cars from the SP, UP and GN.
what videogame is that?
Most scenes were made with Train Simulator 2020, while a few shots were from Trainz: A New Era.
Having taken this service a lot, I never knew the Surfliner, excuse me, the Surf Line, was so widely used and its demand came anywhere near the Northeast Corridor. Great job putting this video together. :)
I've spent my whole life living near this route. My grandparents have a fantastic ovehead view of the line from their back yard and I love watching trains from there when I visit them. I've always been wanting to learn more about San Diego's rail history. Fantastic video! Don't know if you take suggestions, but I'd love to see a video like this on the San Diego & Arizona Eastern Railroad.
Yesss the sd&ae needs a video soooo bad
Nah, I know we refer to the Impossible Railroad as the SD&A, Spreckels's company, not Southern Pacific's SD&AE
@@whitemaniagaming6942 even if the southern pacific owned the SD&AE as a subsidiary before selling it to San Diego MTS?
After reading news, looking into history, and being a fan of the route after living in San Diego for a few years, (especially visiting the Balboa Park and Campo museums), I think there is potential for binational passenger and Intermodel traffic if the route could be renovated; in addition to ending the drug war to weaken the cartels. Separate yet poignantly related history.
Just yesterday, I got stuck at a grade cross in Tijuana. They train was moving at about 10MPH. The Mexican portion has had a difficult time.
@@rypatmackrock Yea I just dont care too much for SP's treatment of the line starting after Harrimans death. They could have easily put money into the line to upgrade the tracks and surrounding areas to increase the reliability of the railroad but they obvioualy did
not. I live in the area and have quite the fascination with the history and such so I am always up for talking about it
Amtrak should reboot the San Diegan
Caden the Cadbury Engine ...the Pacific Surfliner from LA to SD runs San Deagen route sooooooooo
Kmaster2007 oh
I’m pretty sure it is still alive
And plus there is the surfliner and my personal favorite the coaster
@@cadenthecadburyengine8198 It's now the Surfliner, as it was rebranded because of the new Surfliners and extensions all the way to SLO
The future of rail travel in California is looking bright!
I heard that the USA is planning to get the trains to scrap so not that good but if they cancel it it will be good future
Oh wait that was back in the mid 60's or early 70's
Meanwhile the Cali HSR is just... kinda flickering.
@marioyoshi4723 ill admit with how well supplied passenger trains are judging from the info on this video i don't know if hsr high speed rail that necessary especially given how cali as a whole ain't exactly long migth become a trump airline issue but who knows i guess it migth work
I used Metrolink during my 2019 trip around California’s Six Flags Magic Mountain and Knott’s Berry Farm. It’s nice to know how that venture started and how it has become the transportation method that it is.
Very nice and informative video! Have you ever thought about making a video on successful failures? Such as the triplex, SF 2-10-10-2, or the Alco PA.
You forgot the PRR T1, S1 and S2
Successful failures sounds like an oxy moron. 😶
@@pulloutxnxprey I forgot about those! Sorry about that. Also, what about the Q1 and Q2? Those were some interesting beasts!
@@HighIron Yes it does but fits for what happened. Just a thought.
@@pulloutxnxprey damn I was dumb
Santa Fe’s Surf Line: *Surfin’ USA ALL THE WAY!*
Gold Gamer EXACTLY
Thanks for making this, never realized I grew up on the second busiest corridor in the nation!
Great work as always Brian! 👍🏾
It’s nice to see a busy rail line in US, for a change. It feel weird to talk about 70-90 trains a day as really busy. But then I live in the uk and we really cram the timetables full.
This video is just as great as your Burlington Northern video. Keep up the good work in these unfortunate times!
I wish i could have ride the Santa fe back then before Amtrak services
I have a video ideas: The legacy of the European Orient Express. Railroads in New Mexico between Belen and Santa Fe. Railroads between Denver and Salt Lake City. Railroads in Chicago. Passenger and freight crossing into Canada. The rail route from New Orleans to Jacksonville, FL. Legacy of the American Orient Express. Wonderful history for the Surf Line, I want to ride on this route soon. This model and history could work between Fort Collins and Albuquerque north and south and Denver and Salt Lake City east and west.
Very good content! This is a great example of covering a history of one of the most important regions in American railroading! Bravo 100 times over!
Also, I noticed familiar footgae at 12:06. ;)
Too bad the pronunciation is horrible
What game was this filmed in?
Traniz sim 2020
I might add, that as early as the mid 1950's there were seven San Diegan's in each direction. In addition there was a Del Mar Express on race track day. In the 1950's there was included in the seven round trips one non stop San Diegan between LA and San Diego with a running time of 2 hours and 15 minutes. Even today there is no non-stop between LA and San Diego and the running time could not be beat even by today''s Amtrak. However by 1966, Santa Fe had gradually reduced the frequency to three round trip San Diegan's which remained until 1971 with the Amtrak takeover further reducing the frequency to two trains a day. The rest is pretty well documented by your video.
Nice overview of the history of the Surf Line, and great work incorporating train simulator footage. I also appreciate that it's clear you used others' film with permission.
Has ever been proposed an electrification of the line?
Not in their plans yet, but they probably should/will do since both California HSR will be using some of its track and Metrolink wants to electrify.
hsr.ca.gov/high_speed_rail/project_sections/los_angeles_anaheim.aspx
urbanize.city/la/post/metrolink-plans-increased-service-and-partial-electrification
Once again, another amazing video! I never knew the story of the "Surf Line", so it was cool to learn more about it!
Amazing work!
Santa Fe 3751 Productions not again
Great video!
P.S.: aren’t trolleys buses fed by overhead cables?
I'm glad you suggested I watch this video. Great footage and pictures, well put together. Really enjoyed the picture a 1:55, I'm assuming it was an advertising piece. Santa Fe All the Way.
Great video! I've been visiting San Diego ever since I was born in 02, and the fact that so many great changes have been done to expand the rail travel between SD and LA means that the Surf Line won't see a depletion of rail traffic anytime soon. I'm glad I grew up seeing these trains race across SD County and even thru Orange County, and the history is a fine example of rail travel persevering over road and air travel trying to leave it in the dust.
Very descriptive and detailed video, so descriptive a non railfan could learn a lot from this video. Very interesting to learn about the history before I was born! Nice job! (I put the 950th like) also, have a wonderful Christmas everyone!
I only wish they kept the f units and its paint scheme
Good job for making this video it's I'll sponsor you in every single video that you're make I won't forget about you ever again you're the best
Are there any chiefs in museums?
Fun fact: Santa Fe 347C was at times operated by the father of camous radio host "Shotgun Tom" Kelly
I see you used the G-Trax lightweight coaches from Railworks America
Fun fact, in the PDX (portland or.'s airport), you WILL get weird looks if you buy a ticket to Seattle. Legit, they'll be like, why don't you take the train!?
Love my Surfliner....... not exactly quick (even vs traffic on the 405), but still a great view....
My dad and I would hang out at the Santa Fe Depot on the weekends. We were there so often they would let us ride with them when they turned the train at the Washington Street Wye. They let me blow the whistle when backing back into the station. Once, we got to ride in one of the Private observation cars as they set it out on the siding next to the depot. Back in those days, it was quite common to see older E-8s pulling the San Diegan. The SDP40-F became the usual power and during that time, they would come in with High-Level cars too. When they brought in the Amfleet cars, we thought they were Metroliners but they weren't. They just had a similar design for the body. The trucks were different as they had no frame on the outside. They looked like airplanes inside. I was no longer allowed to ride through the wye. It might have been due to the diaphragm design that didn't have the baby gate thing. My dad had a 1971 Plymouth Roadrunner and we would watch trains leave San Diego then, hop in the car and race to the Del Mar station. The engineers would laugh when they saw us waving at them because we waved at them when they left San Diego.
Great video, i love SD and the surf line! However, i disagree on some of the information you provided... there are 2 rail lines in the Chicago area that run more trains (busier) than the surf line... Bnsf Chicago-Aurora line and UP's geneva sub between Chicago-Elburn
Both host as many as 60+ metra trains daily, as well as 40+ freights on a slow day!
What train simulator is this
I love the looks and aesthetics of both the Surfliner and Metrolink trains, however the absolute mishandling of switching rolling stock and ending up with frankenstein trains with a mix of the Hyundai toasters and the Bombardier Bi-Levels irks me to no end.
The passenger trains before Amtrak's takeover. The private companies managed the trains
300 thousand passengers per year is really low for a rail system, it's less than a thousand per day. That's less than some alpine cable cars in France can do in an hour. Wathcing the trains, it's apparent that they are single line tracks, not double lines so it's not surprising that capacity is so low. That said, the video is good as long as it explains existing history and capacities, but gets rather poor when it dives into speculations about future developments. Then it stops being documentary and enters the realm of fortune-telling.
California represent, thank you for sharing 🖤
Great Documentary!
Nice video Brian!!
Tha I you for explaining the wonderful history of my local rail line. I had no idea it was that busy compared to America
I would like to see the Northbound line for TS2020 to San Luis Obispo.
I used to ride this route between San Diego and Fullerton, where I went to college, in the early seventies. I never got tired of the beachfront scenery. 😊
As someone who lives near the Surf Line, I get a kick out of this video.
Super, super Story
Any plans to electrify the route like they're doing with Caltrain?
I have the route in trainz android the amtrak surfliner large map it's from trainzland
A commuter railway without electrification seems beyond daft.
Really cool video thanks for sharing
So you know what the way that is what the way to the house to get the money to get it done for you and your mom to go to the bank to see
You misspelled Anah*EI*m in your map.
WARBONNETS RULE!!!!
More please 😌
Awesome vid
Santa Fe - 1936
Southern Pacific - 1940s
Amtrak - 1979
Pacific Surfliner - 2000s
Pacific Surfline history
This line begs to be electrified with tilting type trains.
What trainz map is that? Is it the full surfline?
I have only ridden on the Coaster, which is a great value from San Diego to Oceanside for a mere $6.50. I would only use the Surfliner if I needed to go further north, which I have not yet needed.
That last shot was super sick. See these rolling by everyday. Can't wait till the del mar fair station gets up and running
Really good vdieo! Well done!
The last scene was nostalgia biting me
We shall all miss the F59PHIs on the surfline. Hopefully Metra doesn't scrap them all just yet. Otherwise, we'll never see the wonderful colors of Amtrak's EMD Pacific surfliners.
This video inspires me to make a scene of the Surf Line in Trainz. (Not exact being on mobile.)
try rolling line for your videos
ATSF got it so wrong bankrupt in 3 to 4 years more than likely would have been the richest US railroad
Hey I’ve been on the metro link before!
Ah those good days. Nice video! I also love your other creations!
What's the name of the music from 0:02 to 0:57? It sounds nice
Agreed, does anyone know that tune?
The views of the ocean and beaches are spectacular.
I wish you would have shown more.
Especially if you had views from the inside looking out
Imagine a world where Santa Fe held out on passenger service just a few more years, like Rio Grande, and actually saw the success that came to the line just a few years later.
Used to live near this line. Today if Amtrak didn’t have the Surfliner Amtrak wouldn’t survive.
I wanna find that intro music!
I love San Diego I have lived here my whole life, San Diego has a rich history with trains. There were trains everywhere up until the 70’s or 60’s and now we just have the trolley along with this.
what is the intro music
Currently nerding out at finding out why the Surfliner ends at SB. Very cool seeing history around you still
Imagine disliking such a great video... to whoever disliked this vid already
an elegant form of transportation from a more civilized age