113 Train Chasing in California

Trains may or may not turn you on, but they could, depending on where you were born and into what family you grew up in. For some they may be a means of livelihood, for others a means of travel and convenience, or for others a hobby by which to relax, but for some not just a hobby but also a passion that will take them across the country and maybe even around the world.

It was the weekend when the Santa Fe steam locomotive 3751, which had recently been restored by the San Bernardino Railroad Historical Society, was making its first run from Los Angeles through Barstow to Bakersfield and back again. This was a historic event for any train aficionado who could arrange passage.

I was fortunate or otherwise, to be invited to go along on the only train chase of my life. Four of us took off one Saturday afternoon from Highland CA on our way to Bakersfield where we planned to spend the night in preparation for an early departure the following day.

When we arrived at the terminal the next morning, Engine 3751 was already puffing steam and chomping at the bit.

My son in law’s father, Ted, and his friend, had bought expensive tickets as far as Barstow on old 3751’s return trip to Los Angeles, along with several hundred other lucky enthusiasts. In the meantime Teddy, my son in law and his foster brother Preston and I jumped into Preston’s Ford Bronco and took off after Engine 3751 hoping to keep it in sight for the next four or five hours.

Now talk about scary. It seemed that we were not the only ones with the wild passion to end our existence on the sometimes-twisted highway paralleling the train tracks. Many of the train fanatics bend on their own destruction were determined to take as many innocents along with them as possible. One guy passed us standing up and videoing through his sunroof while driving his car. That wouldn’t have been so bad but some were driving two abreast while videoing, and forcing the oncoming cars to hit the shoulder.

It appeared quite soon to me that the intent of the next few hours was to get a view of the train from as many vantage points as possible just to make sure we hadn’t missed something during the previous go around. We would roar down the road as fast as fate would permit, all the while searching for a pull out that gave us a new view of old 3751 as it chugged into view, in the hope of seeing something we had missed the previous time. I will say by the time the morning had worn away I could recognize old 3751 in my sleep. To keep with the spirit however I continued to frantically video until we finally pulled into Barstow later that afternoon just ahead of old 3751.

I must say it was an exciting experience and my last shoot, shows old 3751 huffing and puffing as it chugged into the station where Ted and his friend disembarked.

That was my first train chase and probably the last, but it did give me a bigger view into the world of the train enthusiast and even though I do not have their zeal or passion for the sport, I did find my time spent in their world a fascinating experience.