Today I took a little jaunt from Fullerton to the San Clemente pier and back via Metrolink. Yes, I know Metrolink doesn’t stop at the Amtrak station at the pier. You have to take a 10 minute bus ride from the Metrolink station to the Amtrak station. The reason is that Metrolink is a commuter line and there must be commuter parking at any of its stops. There is no parking available at the Amtrak station, and no room to create any, either. So Metrolink stops a couple of miles north of the pier and you take the bus from one station to the other.
I had a nice relaxing day walking the pier. I had a good lunch and some friendly conversation and scouted out a couple of places to stay overnight in the future (I’ve got an anniversary coming up) and headed back.
On the way back, when the train pulled into the Irvine station, it filled up almost completely, which was a surprise. Particularly when most of this crowd stayed on after Fullerton. Obviously a lot of LA County residents commute against the flow and work in Irvine or nearby.
But the real surprise came between Irvine and Tustin, the next stop. Two men came through collecting tickets wearing the uniform of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department! In central Orange County! Anyone have any idea why this happened?
When I got off in Fullerton I joined the regular Friday evening railfan gathering at the east end of the north platform, but I forgot to ask any of them about this incident before leaving about 8 PM.
Jack _S