San Bernardino Santa Fe Depot facts for kids

Quick facts for kids San Bernardino Santa Fe Depot San Bernardino, CA
Streetside of San Bernardino Santa Fe Depot in 2006
Location	1170 West Third Street San Bernardino, California United States
Coordinates	34°06′15″N 117°18′35″W / 34.10417°N 117.30972°W / 34.10417; -117.30972
Owned by	San Bernardino Associated Governments
Line(s)	BNSF Railway Cajon / San Bernardino Subdivisions
Platforms	1 side platform (Amtrak) 3 island platforms (Metrolink)
Tracks	1 (Amtrak) 6 (Metrolink)
Connections	Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach; 19A (to Hemet) and 19B (to Indio)
Other information
Station code	SNB (Amtrak)
History
Opened	July 15, 1918 (1918-07-15)
Rebuilt	2004
Traffic
Passengers (2017)	12,035  3.94% (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Riverside toward Los Angeles Southwest Chief Victorville toward Chicago Preceding station Metrolink Following station Riverside–Downtown toward Oceanside Inland Empire–Orange County Line San Bernardino–Downtown Terminus Rialto toward Los Angeles Union Station San Bernardino Line
Former services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Fullerton toward Los Angeles Desert Wind Discontinued in 1997 Victorville toward Chicago Pomona toward Los Angeles Las Vegas Limited Discontinued in 1976 Barstow toward Las Vegas Preceding station Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Following station Rialto toward Los Angeles Main Line Via Pasadena, Pomona Devore toward Chicago Colton Crossing toward Los Angeles Main Line Via Fullerton, Riverside Terminus Redlands Loop Arrowhead toward Redlands Colton Crossing toward San Jacinto San Jacinto Branch Terminus
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Passenger and Freight Depot
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	San Bernardino, California
Built	1918
Architect	W.A. Mohr; Cresmer Manufacturing Co.
Architectural style	Mission Revival/Moorish Revival/Spanish Colonial Revival
NRHP reference No.	01000025
Added to NRHP	2 February 2001

The San Bernardino Santa Fe Depot is a historic train station in San Bernardino, California. It was built in the beautiful Mission Revival Style. This station has been a main hub for train travel in the city for many years.

Today, it serves Amtrak trains. In the past, it was used by the Santa Fe and Union Pacific Railroads. The depot is so important that it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It's known as the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Passenger and Freight Depot.

A Look Back in Time

The first train station here was a wooden building from 1886. It replaced a simple boxcar that was used as a temporary station. Sadly, this 1886 building was mostly destroyed by a fire in 1916.

Before Amtrak, this station was very busy. It served trains from both the Santa Fe Railway and the Union Pacific Railroad. These trains traveled to many different cities across the western and central United States.

In 1960, some famous trains stopped here, including:

• The Chief and Super Chief (Santa Fe trains)
• The El Capitan (another Santa Fe train)
• The City of Los Angeles (a Union Pacific train)

Amazing Architecture

Trackside of the San Bernardino Santa Fe Depot

After the fire, local leaders asked for a much bigger and better station. Architect W.A. Mohr designed the new building. It cost about $800,000 to build, which was a huge amount of money in 1918!

The station officially opened on July 15, 1918. At that time, it was the largest train station west of the Mississippi River. The local newspaper even called it "the finest in the west." Later, a special section was added. It included a Harvey House, which was a restaurant, and rooms for people to stay.

The depot's design mixes Mission Revival Style with Moorish Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival features. It was built to be very strong and fire-resistant. It used hollow clay blocks, a red tile roof, and a stucco outside.

Inside, you'll find four domed towers around a large main lobby. The walls and floor are made of shiny tiles. The ceiling has beautiful handcrafted wooden beams. There are also decorative column tops.

Decline and Renovation

The station was used a lot throughout the 1900s. However, as more people started using cars, buses, and airplanes, fewer people rode trains. The Harvey House restaurant closed in the 1950s.

In 1971, the Santa Fe Railway stopped its passenger service. Amtrak took over train travel. From 1979 to 1997, Amtrak's Desert Wind train used to stop here. Metrolink trains began serving the station in 1993.

Trackside of the original San Bernardino Santa Fe Depot, 1915

In 1992, San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) bought the old depot. Amtrak and Metrolink started using a smaller, newer building nearby. But SANBAG worked hard to restore the historic depot. They got over $15 million to fix it up.

The big restoration project started in 2002. By 2004, SANBAG and Metrolink moved some of their offices into the renovated building. The historic waiting area and a new snack shop reopened for passengers in 2008. More improvements, like a new elevator and platforms, were added in 2017. These changes helped extend Metrolink service to the San Bernardino Transit Center.

Current Train Services

Metrolink

All San Bernardino Line trains stop at this station. Also, trains on the Inland Empire-Orange County Line stop here.

Amtrak

Amtrak's Southwest Chief train stops at this station. This train travels between Los Angeles and Chicago, Illinois. It stops here three times a week in each direction.

Platforms and Tracks

• Amtrak – Stations – San Bernardino, CA
• San Bernardino at the Metrolink website