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Fullerton Transportation Center

Coordinates: 33°52′07″N 117°55′20″W / 33.868612°N 117.9223°W / 33.868612; -117.9223
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Fullerton, CA
Fullerton station trackside
General information
Other namesFullerton Transportation Center[1][2]
Location120 East Santa Fe Avenue
Fullerton, California
United States
Coordinates33°52′07″N 117°55′20″W / 33.868612°N 117.9223°W / 33.868612; -117.9223
Owned byBNSF Railway and City of Fullerton
Lines
Platforms2 side platforms, 1 bay platform
Tracks4
Bus stands6
Connections
Construction
Parking1,321 spaces, 40 accessible spaces[4]
Bicycle facilitiesRacks and lockers[4]
AccessibleYes
Other information
StatusStaffed, station building with waiting room
Station codeAmtrak: FUL
History
Opened1888 (AT&SF)
Rebuilt1930, 1993
Original companyAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
Passengers
FY 2024216,147[5] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Los Angeles
toward San Luis Obispo
 Pacific Surfliner Anaheim
toward San Diego
Los Angeles
Terminus
 Southwest Chief Riverside
toward Chicago
Preceding station Metrolink Following station
Buena Park
toward L.A. Union Station
 91/Perris Valley Line Corona–West
toward Perris–South
Orange County Line Anaheim
toward Oceanside
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Los Angeles
Terminus
 Desert Wind
1986-1997
 San Bernardino
toward Chicago
Preceding station Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Following station
Rivera
toward Los Angeles
 Main Line
Via Fullerton, Riverside
 Placentia
toward Chicago
Los Angeles
Terminus
 Surf Line Anaheim
toward San Diego
Preceding station Union Pacific Railroad Following station
La Habra
toward East Los Angeles
 East Los Angeles – Anaheim Anaheim
Terminus
Preceding station Pacific Electric Following station
Harvard Avenue
toward Pacific Electric Building
 Fullerton Terminus
Santa Fe Railway Passenger and Freight Depot (Fullerton, California)
Area1 acre (0.4 ha)
Built1930
ArchitectE. J. Herbert
Architectural styleMission/Spanish Colonial Revival
NRHP reference No.91002031[6]
Added to NRHPFebruary 5, 1992
Fullerton Union Pacific Depot
Area0.8 acres (0.3 ha)
Built1923
Built byUnion Pacific Railroad
ArchitectJohn and Donald Parkinson
Architectural styleMission Revival style/Spanish Colonial Revival
NRHP reference No.83003551[6]
Added to NRHPOctober 12, 1983
Location
Map

The Fullerton Transportation Center is a transit center located in Fullerton, California, United States. It is served by Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner and Southwest Chief trains, as well as Metrolink's 91/Perris Valley Line and Orange County Line trains. It is also a major bus depot for the OC Bus system, and is one of the major transportation hubs of Orange County.[2]

History

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The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway opened its first Fullerton station in 1888.[7]

The station has three historic depots on site: one built in 1923 by the Union Pacific Railroad,[8] another built in 1930 by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway,[7][9] and the third used by the Pacific Electric starting in 1918.[10][11] The two mainline depots are on the National Register of Historic Places.[8][9]

The 1930 Santa Fe depot serves as an Amtrak ticket office and passenger waiting area and has a cafe. It features Spanish Colonial Revival style architecture, as evidenced by the stuccoed walls, red tile roof, and decorative wrought ironwork.[12]

The Union Pacific Railroad was the third railway to lay tracks through Fullerton and to build a depot.[13] The 1923 Mission Revival style building was designed by John and Donald Parkinson.[14] Fullerton's redevelopment agency moved the station next to the Santa Fe depot in 1980 to preserve it.[8] Now it is occupied by an Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant.[13]

Pacific Electric constructed an interurban railway to Fullerton in 1917, terminating just north of the Santa Fe station and provided a transfer point to their system.[15] The Mission Revival style depot was built the following year.[10] Their passenger service lasted until January 1938.[11] Greyhound Bus service called at the depot between 1936 and 1976.[11]

In September 1983, the Orange County Transit District (now the Orange County Transportation Authority) opened the Fullerton Transportation Center bus depot which is located across the street from the station, and is served by OCTA routes 26, 43, 47, 123, 143, and 543.

This station became one of the original nine stations on the Metrolink Orange County Line when it opened on March 28, 1994 and also one of the original 7 stations when the 91 Line (now the 91/Perris Valley Line) opened on May 6, 2002.

In the late 1990s, the Fullerton Railway Plaza Association (FRPA) began fundraising and lobbying for the creation of an interactive railroad attraction or museum at the site,[16] while continuing preservation efforts. Railroad Days was not held in 2009, and FRPA looked elsewhere, choosing to hold its 2010 event in neighboring Brea.[17] The organization subsequently changed its name to the Southern California Railway Plaza Association (SCRPA).[citation needed] However, Railroad Days for 2020 was cancelled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of 2024, Amtrak plans to reconstruct the platforms for accessibility by FY 2025.[18]

Service

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The station is served by the Metrolink 91/Perris Valley Line and Orange County Line commuter rail services, plus Amtrak intercity Pacific Surfliner and long-distance Southwest Chief services. However, eastbound and westbound Southwest Chief trains stop only to board and discharge passengers, respectively.

The BNSF Railway San Bernardino Subdivision has three tracks through the station. Westbound passenger trains use the north track and its side platform; eastbound trains use the south track and side platform. The center track is for freight use only. An additional siding track with a side platform south of the mainline tracks is used for short turn trains that run between Fullerton and Laguna Niguel or Oceanside.[19]

Fullerton Train Museum
Map
Established2001
LocationFullerton, California
Coordinates33°52′09″N 117°55′18″W / 33.869069137506536°N 117.92173663640419°W / 33.869069137506536; -117.92173663640419
TypeRailroad museum
Websitehttps://fullertontrainmuseum.org/

Fullerton Train Museum

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The Fullerton Train Museum is a railroad museum in Fullerton, California. The museum is operated by a non-profit organization and allows free entry.[20] The museum also provides free guided tours through seven restored railroad cars, dated from 1929 to 1967.[21] It also runs events to promote railroad safety for children and adults.[22] Since its inception, The Fullerton Train Museum has annually hosted Railroad Days.[23] The museum also holds spring, Halloween, and Christmas events.[24]

The museum's permanent collection consists of seven cars, most conserved to "in-service" condition:

  • Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 1604 Palm Leaf — a 10 roomette-6 double bedroom (10-6) lightweight sleeper built by American Car & Foundry in 1951 for the Super Chief. Later Amtrak 2753; private car registry PPCX 800237 before acquisition by SCRPA. The Palm Leaf is believed to be the last surviving car of Santa Fe's Palm-series sleepers.[25]
  • Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 999110 — Ce-1 class cupola caboose (waycar) built by American Car & Foundry in 1929.[26][27][28][29]
  • Southern Pacific 4049 — C-40-4 class bay-window caboose built by Pacific Car & Foundry in 1961.[30][31]
  • Union Pacific 3752 (ex-UP 25052) — CA-3 class tall-cupola caboose built by Mount Vernon Car Manufacturing Company in 1942; moved to Fullerton in November 2015 for display with the existing cabooses.[32]
  • Union Pacific 5001 Starlight Cafe — 85-ft lunch-counter diner-lounge rebuilt by Union Pacific from its 5000-series diner-lounge cars; owned by the Pacific Railroad Society (PRS) and on long-term loan to SCRPA at Fullerton.[33]
  • Union Pacific 6101 Cajon Pass — 85-ft dormitory-lounge built by ACF in 1949; owned by PRS and on long-term loan to SCRPA at Fullerton.[34]
  • Union Pacific 5492 — St. Louis Car "Chair" coach; sold to Amtrak in 1985(4. Amtrak 4552), then used in Glendale, California as part of the Carney's hot dog restaurant chain. Moved to the Fullerton Train Museum in October, 2024, it is being converted into a display and activity area.[35]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Fullerton, CA (FUL)". amtrak.com. Amtrak. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
  2. ^ a b "City of Fullerton: Transportation Center". City of Fullerton. Archived from the original on December 20, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  3. ^ SMA Rail Consulting (April 2016). "California Passenger Rail Network Schematics" (PDF). California Department of Transportation. p. 25.
  4. ^ a b "Fullerton Train Station". Metrolink. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  5. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal year 2024: State of California" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2025. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  6. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  7. ^ a b Richardson, Rob (2010). Railroads and Depots of Orange County. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 14, 64. ISBN 978-0-7385-8011-1.
  8. ^ a b c "Union Pacific Depot". www.fullertonheritage.org. Fullerton Heritage. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  9. ^ a b "Santa Fe Depot". www.fullertonheritage.org. Fullerton Heritage. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  10. ^ a b "Pacific Electric Depot, 1918 – Il Ghiotto Restaurant". City of Fullerton. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  11. ^ a b c "Fullerton Heritage Present: The Pacific Electric Railway Depot". Fullerton Observer. October 9, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  12. ^ "Great American Stations: Fullerton, CA (FUL)". greatamericanctations.com. Amtrak. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  13. ^ a b "Fullerton History". trainweb.org. TrainWeb LLC. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  14. ^ Utahrails.net: Union Pacific's Parkinson Depots
  15. ^ Yanity, Brian (May 16, 2019). "Fullerton, Rail Town: The Pacific Electric Railway". Fullerton Observer. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  16. ^ "Southern California Railway Plaza Association". www.scrpa.net. Southern California Railway Plaza Association, Inc. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  17. ^ ""Railroad Days" event". www.scrpa.net. Southern California Railway Plaza Association, Inc. Archived from the original on September 26, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  18. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet Fiscal Year 2023 State of California" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. p. 7.
  19. ^ SMA Rail Consulting (April 2016). "California Passenger Rail Network Schematics" (PDF). California Department of Transportation. p. 25.
  20. ^ "Fullerton Train Museum". Metrolink. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  21. ^ "Fullerton Train Museum tour". Fullerton Observer. January 9, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  22. ^ "The Daily Pilot Today: Rail Safety Week events". Los Angeles Times (Daily Pilot). September 22, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  23. ^ "Tunnel Visions". Los Angeles Times. April 29, 1999. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  24. ^ "Fullerton Train Museum for the holidays". Fullerton Observer. December 26, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  25. ^ "PPCX 800237 (ex-AMTK 2753; nee ATSF 1604 "Palm Leaf")". RRPictureArchives.NET. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  26. ^ "Pictures of ATSF 999110". RRPictureArchives.NET. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  27. ^ "ATSF 999110 — RailPictures". RailPictures.Net. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  28. ^ "ATSF Cabooses by Number Range (includes 999110 note "On display at Fullerton station")". RRPictureArchives.NET. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  29. ^ "Santa Fe Captive Cabooses (Ce-1 list, includes 999110)". atsf.railfan.net. April 25, 2006. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  30. ^ "Pictures of SP 4049". RRPictureArchives.NET. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  31. ^ Strack, Don. "Southern Pacific Cabooses (class overview)". UtahRails.net. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  32. ^ Strack, Don (September 25, 2024). "Union Pacific Cabooses, Steel Class CA-3 Roster (includes UP 25052 disposition to Fullerton)". UtahRails.net. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  33. ^ Strack, Don. "UP Steel Passenger Car Roster, Part 6 (5000-series)". UtahRails.net. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  34. ^ Strack, Don. "UP Steel Passenger Car Roster, Part 7 (6000-series)". UtahRails.net. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  35. ^ Strack, Don (November 3, 2024). "Union Pacific Numbered Passenger Cars, Part 6". UtahRails.net. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
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