FILLMORE : City Signs Lease for Dinner Train Route

After three years of negotiations, the city of Fillmore and the Southern Pacific Transportation Co. signed a lease Wednesday that will allow a local movie and dinner train to operate on a stretch of track between Piru and Santa Paula.

But the city’s plan to attract train-loving tourists with vintage cars owned by Short Line Enterprises could be on hold for another four months. That’s how long officials said it could take before the Interstate Commerce Commission approves Southern Pacific’s petition to discontinue freight service on the 16-mile route.

“If there is favorable comment and no major objections, we’re hoping to expedite it,” said Fillmore City Manager Roy Payne.

Under the agreement approved Wednesday, the city of Fillmore will lease from Southern Pacific the section of track between Santa Paula and Piru for $1,500 a month or 15% of the revenue generated by its use. The city will pass the costs on to Short Line, and charge the company an additional $500 a month for administrative costs.

Short Line owners Jim Clark and Stan Greene said they have film work pending, and they hope to have the dinner train operating within a year. The new agreement with Southern Pacific allows the track to be used for movie and television sequences.

In 1989, the city loaned Short Line $50,000 to move its trains from Newhall to Fillmore in hopes that they would play a key role in attracting tourism and development to the downtown area.