Trains Ready to Roll at 3rd Rail Festival

It’s safe to say that El Nino has meant more to David Wilkinson than to most Ventura County residents.

But come Saturday, he will be able to say “it’s going to take more than that to take away my steam.”

As owner of the Fillmore & Western Railway, which runs scenic tours through the verdant orchards between Santa Paula and Fillmore on turn-of-the-century trains, he has watched rain-swollen barrancas and a raging Santa Clara River bring his business to a halt, costing him $60,000 to $70,000 in lost revenues.

Severe damage to the track from a string of powerful El Nino-driven storms has kept the trains idle while crews worked to clear debris and mend damaged track.

With the work done, Wilkinson said he will be able to run his excursions beginning Saturday, in time for the third annual Spring Rail Festival.

“The business has taken a pretty big hit because of all this,” he said. “But we’re ready now and pretty soon we’ll be right back to normal.”

Rail lines across the county have been hard hit by a seemingly endless string of Pacific storms that barreled across the state with the force of a runaway train.

But few lines have suffered as much as the 32-mile-long Santa Paula branch line, which runs parallel to the Santa Clara River and has been closed since late January.

Flooding from the river and the barrancas that empty into it have caused $200,000 to $350,000 of damage, according to the Ventura County Transportation Commission.

While the 11-mile stretch of track used by Wilkinson’s antique engines and Pullman cars has been cleared and temporarily mended, the rest of the track is in grave condition.

Some sections appear to run straight into the earth--buried under several feet of mud.

The rock and gravel foundations under the railroad ties have, in some places, been washed away and bridge footings have been undermined, making it impossible for a train to traverse them.

Several switches have frozen shut, and twisted piles of dead trees and debris rest on many sections of track.

“The damage out there is impressive,” said Mary Travis, director of rail operations for the county commission. “This is something that we are taking seriously.”

Crews from the Fillmore & Western Railway have been working feverishly for the past six weeks to open the line in time for the rail festival, which is being organized by the Santa Clara River Railroad Historical Society and is expected to draw hundreds of people from across the county and state.

Additionally, the Federal Emergency Management Agency decided earlier this month to fund 75% of the repairs needed to reopen the line. Most of the other 25% will come from the state’s Office of Emergency Services, with the rest coming from the county and municipal sources.

Wilkinson said he plans to run several excursions during the two-day event, which he said will go a long way toward recouping his losses.

While Fillmore has weathered El Nino’s wrath better than many other communities, closure of the rail line did concern many city leaders, particularly with this weekend’s festival.

“In January, the weather was a real concern for us because we didn’t know when it was going to stop,” Fillmore City Manager Roy Payne said. “But all in all, we’ve come through this pretty well.”

Since the 1994 Northridge earthquake, this small hamlet sandwiched between the Topatopa and Santa Susana mountains has undertaken an ambitious make-over that city leaders hope will transform the town from a dusty pit stop to a regional attraction.

And trains, specifically Wilkinson’s, are the cornerstones of that plan.

But the recent closure has been viewed by both Wilkinson and the city as a minor crimp that hasn’t come close to derailing Fillmore’s rebirth.

“Basically, this is nothing that a few days of sunshine won’t cure,” Wilkinson said. “It won’t be long until this is just a distant memory.”

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FYI

Fillmore’s annual Spring Rail Festival will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Central Park, between Central and Santa Clara avenues. Rides on vintage trains and other entertainment will be offered. For information, call 524-2546.