El Camino (train)
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Status | Discontinued |
| First service | February 14, 1978 |
| Last service | August 12, 1978 |
| Successor | San Diegan |
| Former operator(s) | Amtrak |
| Route | |
| Line used | Surf Line |
| Technical | |
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| Track owner(s) | ATSF |
The El Camino was a set of lightweight streamlined railcars owned by Los Angeles County in the 1970s and 1980s. The county acquired the cars to bootstrap a proposed commuter rail service between Los Angeles and Orange County. This effort, spearheaded by County Supervisor Baxter Ward, was unsuccessful. The equipment saw limited use on Amtrak's San Diegan in 1978 and was sold off in 1985.
The 1970s saw a renewed interest in the United States in commuter rail as rising gas prices, pollution, and traffic congestion made driving less attractive. Local service in Los Angeles had ended on April 8, 1961 when the Pacific Electric discontinued operations.Baxter Ward had been elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in 1972 and used his position to push the development of transit in Los Angeles.
Ward proposed running a commuter train between Union Station in Los Angeles and Orange County over the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway's Surf Line. Amtrak already operated multiple trains over this route to San Diego (the San Diegan), but the timings were not convenient for commuters. Further, at the time Amtrak was prohibited by statute from operating commuter services. At Ward's urging the Board of Supervisors voted 3–2 to acquire 1940s railcars from the Oregon, Pacific and Eastern Railway at a cost of $230,000. The county spent an additional $1.8 million to refurbish the equipment.
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