Railfanning - Coast of California?

Trains Magazine Trackside Guides
1

I’m planning a trip along the coast of California from Oxnard, which is a few miles north of the greater Los Angeles area, all the way up to Santa Cruz, which is a few miles south of the greater San Francisco area. I will be taking Interstate 101 most of the time which follows the UP Coast Route.

  1. What is the best time of week in terms of action on this route (ie: trains)?

  2. What is the best time of week to see the Ventura County Railway, at the port of Oxnard/Hueneme, in action?

  3. What is the best time of week to see the Santa Maria railroad in action?

  4. Also, what is the best time of week to see the Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay railroad in action?

  5. Finally, are there any other operations/museums/rail attractions along the route that are worthy of seeing?

Thanks

2

The June 2013 issue of Trains had an article on the SMV. On page 46 they say that on Mon and Thurs, UP runs a train from Van Nuys with blocks of cars for Oxnard and Guadalupe, arriving about midnight. The next days about 2 PM, UP heads back to Van Nuys. The SMV works 7 days, but apparently less on weekends.

3

Thanks. I will post pictures when I finally go.

4

Just remembered, there are a couple of Yahoo groups that track the goings on with the Coast line. Looks like you have to log in and join the ‘headsupcoastfans’ group in order to browse the messages.