Sierra Northern Holiday Toy Train on the Santa Paula Branch 2024

Today the Sierra Northern Railway ran a Christmas train on its Southern California, Ventura Division, as a part of a partnership with Toys for Tots, to collect and distribute new toys to children in need.

This train ran in two segments along the length of the SERA operated Santa Paula Branch (owned by VCTC), with the first segment running from the beginning of their trackage rights in Ventura, to Santa Paula, where the second segment picked up in Fillmore, and ran to Piru, the first time a train has ventured into the town of Piru in over 2 years. The reason for the discontinuity is the trestle over Sespe Creek being washed out and currently removed. The first train had SERA 2666 as the power, and the second had SERA 2627 as power, both ex UPY RP20BDs. The first train had SERA 2666, an open air flatcar, and old coach FWRY 409 as the train.

The first train started in Ventura, close to the limits separating the Santa Paula Branch, with the small SCRRA Montalvo Subdivision. Here the train started off after collecting toys at its first stop of Ventura. We chased it to the small town of Saticoy next, next to an old Southern Pacific Railroad Depot that has fallen into disrepair after years of neglect.

We then got ahead of them and caught them in between Saticoy and Santa Paula, before catching it twice within the city limits of Santa Paula proper. They made their third stop here, before we caught them on an exceptionally low bridge deadheading to a spur east of the city.

In Fillmore the second train took over, consisting of SERA 2627, two baggage cars painted in SP's Lark scheme, and an ex ATSF cupola caboose. Catching them in a rare moment of good noselit lighting on a curve in Fillmore for the first shot, I caught them on a bridge over Hopper Canyon Creek, before seeing them pulling up to Piru.

Once arriving at the Depot in Piru, this marked the first time a train has been over the bridge seen earlier, and places east thereafter, in over 6 years. Seeing a train on seldom used rails is a remarkable sight, especially after such a long time of inactivity. Here I caught the train shoving out past the SP Depot and Christmas decorations for the event. The train was heading back to Santa Paula for the night, where we chased it back west at the two spots previously seen, at different angles. Thanks for watching!

0:00 Petit Ave
2:04 Saticoy Railroad Depot
4:27 Todd Rd
5:34 Telegraph Rd
7:06 4th St
8:17 Ferris Dr
8:57 Trestle Way
10:51 Hopper Canyon Bridge
12:43 Main St
16:14 Piru Railroad Depot
18:00 Hopper Canyon Bridge
19:15 Trestle Way