This is one of my dad’s last train pictures before we lost him. It’s an Amtrak San Diegan that he was about to ride back to LA with my mom (they were visiting me).
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=240621
What fascinates me about this shot is how incredibly different this scene has become today. Thanks for looking, and corrections are welcome.
Charles Freericks
Let’s see, the SDG&E structure to the left behind the station is now surrounding a high-rise condo which may still be under contstruction (I guess I should have paid attention when I went by there a couple of days ago). The trolley double tracking of course is now between the station tracks and the station. There are also additional shades and railings to steer people to the Amtrak and Coaster tracks. You can’t see the old police station from that vantage point now, that’s for sure.
Yeah, it’s changed a lot in 22 years.
Wow !!! It sure has changed.
That brings back lot of memories, actually over 55 yrs worth, first time I was in that station was december 1951., on the way to Naval Training Center., remember the Santa Fe Sign., and me being a homesick puppy…Rode up to la many times after boot camp…, think maybe the fare was less than $5.[wow]Nice Picture
It would have had to be less than $5, because I remember flying on PSA between San Diego and LA (LAX or Burbank) for $6 in the sixties (on a real jet, which you can’t do now). Heck, in 1964, I think the ATSF round trip coach car fair between San Diego and Chicago was only about $100.
BTW, I just checked the American Eagle short-notice fare, one-way SAN-LAX today, and got the following number: 705.50 USD. No wonder the Surfliners are so popular.
5.40 a mile [%-)], I’d rather hitch-hike [:-^].
A friend of ours is flying to Ireland next month. The outrageous fare from SAN to LAX caused her to hire a limo to take her from San Diego to LAX because it was cheaper than flying to make her trans-Atlantic flight from LAX.
That’s just nuts.