Fillmore and Western Railway facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fillmore and Western Railway |
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Fillmore and Western Railway EMD F7 No. 101 and GP35 No. 3502.
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| Locale | Ventura County, California, USA |
| Coordinates | 34°23′57″N 118°54′39″W / 34.399031°N 118.910716°W |
| Commercial operations | |
| Built by | Southern Pacific Railroad |
| Original gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Preserved operations | |
| Owned by | Track owned by the Ventura County Transportation Commission
Rolling stock owned by Fillmore and Western Railway |
| Operated by | Fillmore and Western Railway |
| Reporting mark | FWRY |
| Preserved gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Commercial history | |
| Opened | 1887 |
| 1995 | Sold to VCTC |
| Preservation history | |
| 1991 | Short Line Enterprises begins using line |
| 2021 | Final scheduled excursion |
| Headquarters | Fillmore |
The Fillmore and Western Railway (reporting mark FWRY) was a special kind of train line. It was known as a heritage railway. This means it used old trains for fun trips and to show how railroads used to work.
The railway operated on tracks owned by the Ventura County Transportation Commission. If you visited Fillmore, you might see movies being filmed there. You could also see movie sets and equipment along the tracks. These tracks ran between Santa Paula and Piru. The Fillmore and Western Railway stopped running its trains in 2021.
Discovering the Railway's Past
The train tracks were first built in 1887. They were made by the Southern Pacific Railroad. These tracks went through the Santa Clara River Valley in Ventura County, California.
This line was once a main route for Southern Pacific trains. It connected San Francisco and Los Angeles. Later, a shorter path was built in 1904.
From Citrus to Cinema: How the Tracks Changed
In the 1950s, Southern Pacific used these tracks a lot. They moved citrus fruits from packing houses along the Santa Clara River. In 1995, the Ventura County Transportation Commission bought part of this line. This part connected to the Union Pacific railroad.
The eastern end of the line now stops in Piru. A storm in 1979 damaged the tracks further east. This stopped trains from going all the way to Saugus.
Trains for Movies and Fun Rides
A company called Short Line Enterprises came to Fillmore in 1991. They provided train cars for movie productions. Over time, they also started offering fun trips for tourists. They even had special dinner trains.
The Fillmore and Western Railway ran tourist trains all year. They also had many special events. These included the Railroad Days Festival and the Pumpkinliner. They also ran Christmas Tree Trains and the North Pole Express. Kids loved the Day Out with Thomas event.
Regular trips included weekend rides and dinner trains. They also had murder mystery trains and barbecue trains. You could even take shopping trips to nearby Santa Paula.
Hollywood on the Tracks
The Fillmore and Western Railway was very popular for filming. It was used in over 400 movies, TV shows, and commercials. Some movies filmed there include Throw Momma from the Train and Three Amigos. Other films were Seabiscuit and Race to Witch Mountain.
TV shows like CSI, NCIS: Los Angeles, and Criminal Minds also used the railway. It was a great place for location shooting.
The train yard is next to the city hall in downtown Fillmore. This area was rebuilt after the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The earthquake caused a lot of damage to buildings nearby.
Adding a Turntable for Trains
In 2007, a special piece of equipment was added. It was a vintage 1906 turntable bridge. This turntable was bought from the Canadian National Railway. It was installed in a new pit on February 7, 2007.
A turntable helps turn locomotives and train cars around. It also allows trains to reach different tracks in the narrow yard. This area is planned to become a railway heritage park. It might include a roundhouse and a Railroad Interpretive Center Museum.
The Railway's Final Journey
The Ventura County Transportation Commission and Fillmore and Western agreed on a plan. Trains would operate until 2021. The Fillmore and Western's lease ended on June 30, 2021. The very last scheduled trip was on June 26.
After this, the Sierra Northern Railway took over. They became the new operator of the line in December 2021.
Exploring the Train Collection (Rolling Stock)
"Rolling stock" is a term for all the vehicles that run on a railway. This includes locomotives, passenger cars, and freight cars. Most of the Fillmore and Western's rolling stock came from big movie studios. These included 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Warner Bros, and MGM.
The trains and tracks were often used for filming. They appeared in television series, movies, and commercials. They were also used for private and commercial photography.
Types of Trains in the Collection
The Fillmore and Western had several types of locomotives. These included two GP35s and two F7s. These were made by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division. They also had an S6 and an RS32 from Alco.
The railway also owned many coaches (passenger cars). They had freight cars, cabooses, and special excursion cars. One steam locomotive was an Ex-Duluth and Northeastern Baldwin #14. It was a 2-8-0 Consolidation type. In 2014, a small 0-4-0T Porter tank engine, named Sespe, was sold. It went to the city of Jacksonville, Oregon.
Movie Props and Their New Homes
The railway also owned two full-size steam locomotive props. These were built for The Lone Ranger movie in 2013. They were not real working steam locomotives. They were powered by diesel engines hidden in their tenders. The larger prop, called "Constitution" in the movie, was used in other productions. These included Westworld and The Good Place.
After the lease ended, Sierra Northern Railway acquired most of the trains. Some equipment was sold to other railways. Three pieces, including an S6 locomotive, went to the Virginia and Truckee Railroad in February 2022. Other props and a GP35 locomotive were sold to the Volo Auto Museum.
See also
- Heritage railway
- List of heritage railroads in the United States
- List of heritage railways
