Threat of Rail Strike Has Commuters Grumbling : Transit: Many on Orange County-to-L.A. line say they will use their cars if unions walk out.

With the threat looming of a national railroad strike that could shut down train service from San Diego to Los Angeles, commuters were ready to hit the road. And they weren’t happy about it.

“The traffic’s going to be a nightmare,” said Barbara Hager of Fountain Valley, who works as a tax accountant in downtown Los Angeles. “It’s scary.”

But Hager and other rail commuters won a reprieve late Tuesday when rail unions agreed to postpone the strike for at least 48 hours while bargaining continues, a union negotiator said.

About 1,500 of the 160,000 Orange County residents who commute to Los Angeles ride the eight daily trains, officials said. Although the Orange County Transportation Authority has planned to use replacement buses and was encouraging train riders to take buses, most of those boarding trains home from Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon said they would be driving to work in the event of a strike.

Dozens of commuters used the word inconvenient as they pondered the possibility of a strike. Many said they would not work so far from home if train service did not exist.

On the 5:40 p.m. train out of Union Station, some executives peered into propped-open briefcases while others snoozed. Newspapers spread over suited laps, and chatter among longtime commuting buddies filled the train.

“You kind of get spoiled when you take the train,” said health care specialist Irene Lord of Laguna Hills. “You don’t have to think about where you’re going, you don’t have to watch out for the next guy.”

Peter Wittenberg of Anaheim Hills, who started riding the train six days ago, said he would “definitely miss it” if a strike shuts down service.

For attorney Penny Nagler of Yorba Linda, a strike could mean less quality time with her son. Nine-month-old Robert rides on her lap every day to his day-care center at the U.S. Department of Justice in downtown Los Angeles, where Nagler works.

“He thinks it’s very inconvenient because he does not like sitting in traffic,” Nagler said of Robert as he slurped milk from a bottle. “Plus, he’s environmentally conscious, and all those cars on the road really bother him.”

Nagler said she loves the train because it gives her a chance to play with the baby even though she works full time. “He’s got a lot of pals,” she said as a seatmate tickled Robert’s leg. “He’s kind of the mascot.”

As the train lumbered along, people ate popcorn as they planned car pools. One pair of colleagues and commuting comrades sipped red wine, glad they will be out of town on business for the next few days.

Rare among Southland residents, these people said they enjoy traveling to work. Riders become friends--two commuters recently started dating--and each Friday afternoon there is wine, cheese and tequila shooters in the front car, known to the regulars as “the party car.”

“We’re train people,” said Bob Cordova of Laguna Beach, a regular in the party car for the last three years.

“We talk about everything, from business to social activities to what we had for lunch,” Cordova said. “We solve all the world’s problems.”

Although they are annoyed about the possibility of losing their comfortable commute, most train riders expressed support for the striking workers.

“I can’t say if they’re right or wrong, but they’re our friends,” Laguna Niguel resident Ken Jackson said of the conductors and other Amtrak employees he encounters every day. “They’re a great group of people.”