Amtrak Pacific Surfliner review : A wonderful journey along the Pacific Ocean

Hello folks,
Welcome to this trip report bound to Los Angeles Union Station onboard the famous Amtrak Pacific Surfliner service. 3 hours of an awesome ride along the Pacific Ocean 🌊🏄🏻‍♂️🌴🌅
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- TRIP INFORMATION -
Railway company: Amtrak ( Pacific Surfliner service)
Train type : Surliner/Superliner coaches + Siemens SC-44 Charger
From : San Diego Santa Fe Depot to Los Angeles Union Station
N° of train: 593
Duration : 2h48min
Price : 55$
LINK TO THE NEW PATREON PAGE : / simply_railway
- INSTAGRAM - / simply_railway
- TWITTER - simply_railway?la...
- SIMPLY RAILWAY PRODUCTS : teespring.com/stores/simply-r...
- EQUIPEMENT - iPhone XS + Dji Osmo 2
Credit for the thumbnail : John Higginson : www.flickr.com/photos/higgins...

[@SimplyRailway]

My bad, I misspell the name of Mike Armstrong's channel, it's CoasterFan2105 and not 2805, my b, my b... :)

[@omchantal69]

Also i think you meant caltrain not caltrans btw

[@jacksonskyline]

Olek Minecraft I think it is Caltrans, Caltrain operates in San Francisco and uses Gallery Cars, Caltrans uses Superliner, California and Surfliner cars.

[@omchantal69]

@@jacksonskyline my wrong

[@rahmanmuhammad9791]

Simple rail you should ride the Acela Express or the Northeast regional

[@counterfit5]

Rahman Muhammad you mean the northwest regional 😁

[@ericjamieson]

One of my favorite trains. The little thing you thought was an electric pickup shoe is actually an ATS (Automatic Train Stop) transponder. It's an early type of positive train control that the Santa Fe installed on some of its network and is still in use on this line. Because of that maximum line speed is 90 mph (though it rarely goes that fast) instead of 79 mph like it is in most of North America. Also the little handle at the base of the seat allows train staff to turn the seats around to face the opposite direction.

[@ronclark9724]

For someone who claims to know a lot about the railroads, Simply Railway doesn't...

[@Cal90208]

@@ronclark9724 He is used to European trains...

[@Likers-jz6ss]

@@ronclark9724 he is used to european trains so give him a break

[@VistanTN]

@@ronclark9724 Given that the vast majority of ATS (on major railroads as opposed to urban light rail) was removed in 1971 before Simply Railway was born and given that the show does look quite similar to a 3rd rail pickup show you could have been less critical. He has way more experience with railroads outside the US than most railfans ... and bluntly, sir, none of us (myself included) know everything -- though you seem to think differently.

[@Jan-fg2if]

@@ronclark9724 When did he ever claim to know everything? Many of us are just in it for the experience.

[@trashrabbit69]

That snack box is legitimately adorable. I want one.

[@jamesross8266]

Same

[@lamrof]

lol, those are chips. The package is nice, when I saw the content I laughed out loud.

[@oceanlover3530]

@@lamrof Why’s that?

[@johanfalk2875]

@@oceanlover3530 Because he’s a snobby nerd when it comes to short, $50 rides.

[@oceanlover3530]

@@johanfalk2875 LOL. Apparently so. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@emilkarpo]

The pickup shoe you saw attached to the lead truck of the Charger is the ATS pick shoe. Automatic Train Stop was a system used by the Santa Fe to automatically apply a trains brakes if it passed a stop or restricted speed signal. It allows passenger trains on sections of track protected by ATS to exceed 79mph. The Surfliner route south of LA and some portions of the Southwest Chief route in Arizona, New Mexico, Kansas, and maybe Missouri and Illinois still have some ATS sections that allow the Chief and Surfliners to run at 90mph.

[@ottovonbismarck7715]

I really enjoy these type of video. There is no excess talking and the subtitle are there for long enough but not too short

[@stevenmontoya9950]

Another great way, albeit with a bit less comfort to get to San Diego from LA by commuter trains is with Metrolink and Coaster! On the weekends, a Metrolink Day Pass is just $10 and a Coaster Regional Day Pass (which you can also use to ride the Surfliner) is $15. A great way to make day trip!

[@imagesinla8575]

I did not know about this. Thanks for the info.

[@robgraham5697]

I really like the map you provide when touring the train.

[@Trainmaster909]

I live a 2 minute walk from the Santa Barbara station. I love railfanning the surfliners from my crows nest.

[@Nemo-un5rr]

Nice!

[@ltdowney]

The SC-44 locomotive Surfliner livery actually looks like a wave breaking at the front. I realized that after you started pointing out all the wave patterns in the fabric. 😁

[@jamesparson]

I rode these every day for years, and I never even noticed that.

[@jaanfo3874]

12:12 - The explanation for the different seat design is that this car is owned by CalTrans, while the others are owned by Amtrak. Amtrak owns most of the Surfliner coach fleet, but CalTrans owns a few cars and the Siemens locomotives. Amtrak has maintained their equipment in stock condition and done very little in the way of upgrades, while CalTrans regularly modifies and updates their equipment. You’ll find that those different seats are pretty much standard on the Northern California corridors, where CalTrans owns most of the equipment. They have advantages such as more padding and dining trays which don’t bounce up, and disadvantages such as no reclining and less leg room. When the Sufliner equipment was ordered 25 years ago or so Amtrak and CalTrans ordered enough equipment for eight 5-car trainsets and spares. Right now they’re running nine 6-car trainsets (and one set of older single-level cars), hence the need for the Superliners. About 10 years ago CalTrans ordered 27 bilevel cars from Nippon Sharyo to augment and expand the current Surfliner fleet, however Nippon Sharyo was not able to engineer the cars to the required standard and their American arm ended up going bankrupt and shutting down two years ago without filling the order. Subsequently CalTrans ordered single-level cars from Siemens (because they were off-the-shelf, and could be delivered before the funding expired) which are now being tested and will be used on the San Joaquin corridor in NorCal, while some of the cars used on that service will eventually be transferred to the Surfliners to replace the Superliner cars.

[@jgroenveld1268]

I love the location indicator on the top - reminds me of those capacity screens you see on some trains.

[@Ac6OOO]

That shoe at 3:22 is actually an ATS, or Automatic Train Stop shoe. It's required to allow the train to travel up to 90 MPH otherwise, the Pacific Surfliner services would be limited to 79 MPH. Those actually date all the way back to the Santa Fe to prevent any accidents caused by overrun red signals.

[@Steve_McMillen]

I love the blue livery, wish more Amtrak trains added a dash of color to their trains, not just silver.

[@CrazyDash9]

I think their locos are fine in terms of color but I do agree Amtrak should implement more blue and maybe red to their coaches. At least the avelia liberty has all blue and red coaches

[@KCSRailstudios]

I’m pretty sure that’s one of their goals right now along with replacing and upgrading everything.the Capitol Corridor has a completely different paint scheme than the rest of the Amtrak fleet. Dark blue, light blue, yellow, red, silver, and black. The new Avelia Liberty is Bright red white and blue, the Surfliner as you see here is Bright blue and gray. The Chargers look amazing with their Dark blue fronts fading to gray, and, Amtrak just got the delivery of the new Venture coaches that will replace the Amfleets and they are stunning. Here’s what they look like: instagram.com/p/CDVDlZ_HQjV/?igshid=139yjt2c51nyf

[@CrazyDash9]

Mid-Florida Railfan Productions yeah. The capitol corridor probably has the most unique Amtrak livery

[@JoshDoesTravel]

Amtrak recently unveiled their phase VI livery, and it has more blue and red than the current design. Personally I’m not a fan of it, since it looks like the livery on some cheap children’s toy more than anything else

[@ronclark9724]

That silver is mostly stainless steel... Paint colors tend to fade in the hot sun in America, something Europeans never ever endure... 40-50 degree Celsius heat... Even in this video when the Amtrak Texas Eagle Superliner passed by, the locomotive paint has faded, the Superliner stainless steel cars are shiny, looking brand new when, in fact, they are probably twice as old...

[@edvaira6891]

Thank you for the kind things you say about my Hometown of San Diego...I’m glad you enjoyed your trip and hope you liked our city!

[@brendalogan6281]

gee...who doesn't love San Diego...perfect weather almost all year round...and beautiful area!

[@jtkm]

In 1971 the Santa Fe railroad actually wished to keep operating the Super Chief, El Capitan, Texas Chief, San Fransisco Chief, and the San Diegan (which is now the Pacific Surfliner), but couldn't since railroads had to either hand over ALL services in 1971 or keep operating all until 1976. If such limitations didn't exist in 1971 and had Santa Fe been allowed to pick and choose their trains, this trip report would've been way different.

[@ronclark9724]

Well, when the northeast corridor railroad went bankrupt after the USPS terminated that railroad's mail contracts, Congress created Amtrak. No longer are there several to a dozen mail cars on every passenger train's consists...

[@TheMrPeteChannel]

@@ronclark9724 Amtrak last carried mail in 2004. The last railroad post office (a post office on a moving train ) closed in 1977.

[@VistanTN]

It is nice to find reviews that actually compliments Amtrak on some things they do well and is also forthright on where they fall short.

[@TohaBgood2]

American rail fans are all anti-Amtrak for some reason. The freight railways really hate Amtrak with a passion and I think that that translates to a lot of the rail fans adopting that same attitude. I actually really like Amtrak, especially Amtrak California which is in fact "Amtrak premium" for all intents and purposes. Everything is a few notches better. Cleaner trains, better maintained equipment, beautiful routes, good prices, etc.

[@Tiredoldchannel]

that station is absolutely stunning

[@flopunkt3665]

"We are approaching the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area" --> "Toilets Time" Totally love it 😂

[@christophernoble6810]

Travelled this route both ways in 2011 on way to and from Mexico. Also way back in 1992 just from LA to San Diego. Wonderful trip along coast for much of the way. Not crowded and with perfect a/c. Much better than driving down I5! Highly recommended. Enjoyed your video; brought back nice memories.

[@realman6ft6]

This has to be my favourite video. I’ve done this journey and the San Diego trolley to the border.

[@gladfan1989]

I was on this line in October 2019, from L.A. to Oceanside. The trains I was on were fully packed, but a good thing I chose business class for the comfort. Going down to O'side, got the snack box, but also had a white wine (yes, it was a free drink choice). Coming back was in the morning and there were pastries, juice, water, coffee and tea. Fully enjoyed the ride and would do it again.

[@danieldeaviacion1078]

Minute 8:40, that handle is to rotate the seats and put it face to the direction of the train. Is the same that in spanish trains.

[@lmlmd2714]

Just saw this after the Acela NYC - Boston video, and it's a world apart. Santa Fe absolutely wipes the floor with Penn, and the surfliner looks fresh and well cared for.

[@CrazyDash9]

I love this train with a passion. Although I’ve never ridden in business class, coach still brings a very nice and comfortable experience. The views are completely stunning and brings a good mix of scenery to the bustling cities of Los Angeles, to the gorgeous mountains, to the beautiful coast lines. It’s truly a train you would never see anywhere else. Trains don’t need to be fast to be good. It just gives more time to see the gorgeous views. Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo is also a gorgeous route, giving a fairly similar experience to this route. Although the trains can be delayed at times and can be a bit pricy when riding with multiple people, I don’t really care. Overall it’s just an amazing train on an amazing route. Definitely recommend

[@alextheodorou2761]

I use this route for my daily commute to work from San Clemente to Los Angeles, and it is wonderful! I normally choose business class, but I use coach when I’m taking my daughters with me.

[@brianwatkins241]

That’s why this train is calling the Pacific Surfliner, it surfs along the Pacific Ocean

[@PhilLin]

Thanks for making all these trip reports and bringing me these wonderful experiences during this time 😀 Keep up the good work!

[@oceanlover3530]

Thanks for the great post! As a San Diego native, it gives me a whole new appreciation for the city. It’s easy to take for granted what surrounds you when you see it every day. I take the train from San Diego to Santa Barbara frequently and always choose business class. In the AM they will give you coffee, juice or water, or all three if you like, along with some pastries from a bakery in San Luis Obispo. Afternoon and early evenings it’s the snack box you showed in your video and a beverage. They also serve a complimentary small bottle of red or white wine, but I noticed on my last trip they didn’t offer it, I needed to ask for it. Thanks for the post! Stay safe! ✌🏻🙂✌🏻

[@magicskyway]

I used to commute from Irvine to DTLA; couldn't afford Surfliner so I took Metrolink. I was SOOO jelly of the Surfliner commuters!!!

[@ConfusedNyan]

Those light rail vehicles and the SC-44 Chargers you see were built right here in Sacramento County, about a half-hour-ish drive down Watt Avenue and Florin Road from where I live, which is near what used to be McClellan AFB.

[@Nemo-un5rr]

Yeah the Santa Fe Depot in San Diego is very beautiful.

[@alexahiatzi18]

I love your videos!! They’re very informative and they’ve taught me so many new things

[@babeudoo]

You have such attention to detail that I've been oblivious about. You made me appreciate my Amtrak station now thanks 🙂

[@allanritz5323]

The last time I took the train from San Diego to LA, I booked my ticket online and got to the station only to be put on a bus which took us up to Anaheim to be transferred to a train for the remainder of the trip. I missed the most spectacular part of the trip along the ocean. Apparently they do track work on the weekends. I would check beforehand if this is so.

[@adventureswithphil2560]

Great job! I can't wait to get back on the trains!

[@RailfanTurner]

Terrific catches! Amazing Trip you had on Amtrak!

[@JohnnyMacaw]

I am so blessed to be a Californian native born and raised. I surf at san Clemente and I see the Surfline always passing by

[@teenambition]

ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS VIDEO!

[@StevenSandhoff]

I used to commute on the Capitol Corridor trains regularly; which use similar trainsets. If I remember correctly the foot pedal "handle" you note at 8:40 is used by attendants to make both seats upright at once quickly. They are used, if a passenger leaves them reclined upon alighting. That way they can quickly move through the train and get them ready for the next departure. Happy to be corrected by someone else if I'm wrong. But from memory, that's what they are used for.

[@mawilliaha]

I think that, as well as making the seats upright quickly, that pedal also allows the attendant to swivel the seating block to face the other way. I experienced this on the Texas Eagle when we joined with another section of train in San Antonio. We went into the station with all seats facing forward, but left a few hours later facing backwards. But soon enough the attendant came through and used that pedal to swivel the seats around and we were all facing forwards again 😊

[@larryloveless2967]

I have ridden all the AMTRAK routes west of St. Louis to see the West. My favorites rides were The Zephyr, Coast Starlight, and The Canadian on VIA Rail between Vancouver and Jasper as all parts of 5 weekend to weekend trips out of St. louis. I also mention the Surfliner train as a favorite of mine between San Diego and L.A..In 2004, I took it to San Diego for a one night stay doing a trolley tour and two harbor tours, and then the following day went back to L.A. on the Surfliner to continue my trip. Besides the route, I also liked the look and makeup of the train used for the Surfliner. Thanks for placing this ride on KZbin.

[@TravelFilming]

My favorite stop along the way is San Juan Capistrano.

[@tehangrybird345]

I wish I could ride trains like you do, awesome review!

[@anastasiasheniloff2512]

Trés bonne video. Belle train! Merci beacoup! J'aime Amtrak trains!

[@vvmaz9543]

I love your videos I feel like I am on the trip and enjoying the experience myself, Thank You SR!

[@gratefultube]

Love the high-quality video!

[@johndornoff]

Great video as always. Having grown up in Pasadena, CA I rode the trains frequently between LA and San Diego (back then called the San Diegans) including a trip to San Diego on our graduation night from High School.

[@normbroel4633]

Nice Video!!!! I rode this train from San Diego to Los Angeles three weeks ago. Great Scenery.

[@matcampbell5]

This is my favourite Amtrak route.

[@vlv723]

Thanks for uploading this. I took the train from Fullerton to SD last year since I didn't feel like driving. Thank you again for showing the class differences (took Coach but will definitely take Business the next time I go to San Diego). However, I'll wait until everything is back to normal-ish.

[@kanchanananayakkara8959]

Great video! Informative and interesting! Love the look of Siemens loco!!

[@michaelglass4701]

I have a HO Scale Amtrak Midwest Charger it's beautiful

[@werwobel]

I am watching from Austria/Europe. And i realy like your videos. You are making them informational and with respect of the privacy of other people! Well done bro! ;-)

[@theonlylionesse]

In 1991 I traveled across country from NY to LA to visit family by train. I am usually a flier but this was when their were tensions between the US and Iraq and I thought it would be safer to travel by train. It was a wonderful trip would love to do again. And San Diego train station is absolutely beautiful.

[@TheNails3]

Aww the wave pattern on the seats is so cute, a very nice touch Edit: and the curtains and the carpet 😃

[@MrBnsftrain]

3:23 The only major 3rd rail electrification in America is in the New York City area which is still using GE P32AC-DM locos. So far, there have not been any dual-mode SC44s

[@ronclark9724]

In America there is NO shortage of diesel. So the railroads use diesel. Diesel is cheaper than the gas turbines the New York Central tested a long time ago. While some cities use electricity for commuter rail and light rail, only the former Pennsylvania Railroads/New Haven Railroads northeast corridor of Amtrak have regional and long distance overhead electricity. None of the private railroads have any intentions whatsoever of installing overhead electricity. Not one. Nor does the US government or for that matter any state government. While Texas Central intends to do so with its HSR line between Dallas and Houston, and California does eventually between San Francisco and Los Angeles, the new line being built in the valley won't have overhead electricity until the entire line is built, maybe within the next 50 years...

[@noah_aze]

J'adore vraiment les Amtrak

[@sebailgiocatore]

Great video, and great service that you choose to ride! 😃

[@theobrattinga500]

Great video !!

[@nbigham1232]

So cool. I’ve never used Amtrak before. Just moved to CA for college and I look forward to trying this out.

[@vvmaz9543]

You have traveled to Los Angeles many times, feature how grand LA Union Station is on arrivals/departures. Thanks for all you do, we all love it.

[@pacificostudios]

A critical difference between Superliner and Surfliner cars is that doors on the old Superliner are NOT opened during your journey, so you MUST move to a Surfliner car to leave the train. That can be a hassle if your destination is other than Los Angeles or a terminal station, because Surfliner stops are SHORT! Don't miss your stop!

[@EdWhizAviationTrains]

Beautiful footageI have to do this again after all this Covid stuff, Enjoyed & Subscribed 👍😎

[@trainsandtrams2020]

I think these modern Siemens Charger diesel locos are perfect for the US market and really also look so dynamic, especially in that Californian color scheme that Amtrak has applied for the Surfliner. The silver and dark blue pattern is elegant and timeless. Thanks for bringing the inside of the train into view and closer to us. Those big, fat padded American seats are quite a contrast to many of the super thin, underpaded European seats on modern trains.

[@emilkarpo]

It will be interesting to see how smallish high RPM high HP engines hold up in day to day run it till it drops US operating practice. Past experience weren’t encouraging.

[@NGaugeVideo]

Excellent Video. Lovely views.

[@rwk6791]

That sun is gonna boogie woogie!!!

[@msjtravelvlogs-tributetosd5240]

Information is really handy in this video. In April, I am planning to travel from LA to San Diego.

[@rmtv6907]

Jolie video ! J'etais en vacances à San Clemente en 2016 et j'ai vu passer ce train ! Merci

[@nickonthego6657]

I used to ride that train when in high school. Boarded it at the Fullerton station to San Clemente. We’d put our surfboard in the baggage car. Had to make sure you were on the last train of the evening or you were stuck there til the next day. The train back north was a party train and remembered the aisle was sandy. I also remember it was like $5 round trip. Cheaper than paying the parking meters at the pier in those days.

[@RobertKrebill]

I LOVE THE SURFLINER SO MUCH!

[@richardgivens9845]

I love San Diego's old Santa Fe Depot, my favorite to visit.

[@bwolper]

Great shots of the train exterior. I would have kept the box from the snack box too.

[@xxxbbb1973]

amazing 👏👏👏. i love the train station

[@georgesmith8113]

Very nice! 👍👍😎 Thanks!

[@BH-uw1hv]

Did you checkout the Metropolitan Lounge at LAUS? Business Class passengers get access to it before departure and after arrival.

[@happymom2781]

Great review for someone who loves Amtrak and BNSF. That $55 that you put into this ride was totally worth it. I am definitely going to ride the Surfliner.

[@carminesabinopalermo505]

Thank's, your video are super!!!

[@yensirojaquiala1154]

Excelente vídeo y muy buena calidad de imagen. Qué bueno que cuenten con un ferrocarril de calidad y eficiencia. Gracias por compartir su viaje 👏🏽👏🏽

[@rajdixit3165]

Lovely journey ❤️

[@brianmcmanus4286]

I'll be riding this one eventually.

[@andrewdias478]

I can't wait for some time next year when the lockdowns start to end.

[@robertmansfield2856]

A well made and enjoyable video.

[@conceyullena]

Great video! Greetings from Asturias 🚂👍🙋‍♂️

[@Trainspotter3033]

Seems like a very enjoyable ride, I’m hoping to do this as soon as possible!

[@TheBestTrainsAreReal]

Wow amazing video! I want to ride this line one day!

[@jamesparson]

If you are looking to save money, Metrolink commuter trains go from Los Angeles to Oceanside. There is no cafe car, and the seats a slightly less comfy, otherwise it is the same. Coaster also runs commuter trains from Oceanside to San Diego. Same story on the cafe car and seats.

[@chief1b]

I have taken this trip and it’s fantastic. No traffic jams going to LA

[@bwolper]

You couldn't have timed it more perfectly for the sunset. Very nice!

[@Solstice2820]

5:39 there was a local store of mine that sold cases of these snacks in the boxes. We tried it and OMG its so good!!!

[@retroflashbackdude]

Rode the surfliner from to LA a couple times in business class when I headed up the coast to visit relatives there.

[@mikefischer8576]

Traveled this line 6 to 8 times going from oceanside to la its quite the trip

[@XB75015]

This is the train I take when I go from Oceanside to Los Angeles!

[@ModernWorldz]

Miss this beautiful city

[@DETRENES]

Nice vídeo !! bonito vídeo !! Saludos/ Greetings desde/from España/ Spain

[@djcb4190]

Yeah it is so wonderful for you.

[@glsapp23]

awesome!

[@bingbang3318]

Used to ride this route in the 80s a lot lived in San Diego 6 years

[@mkn3817]

Locomotive looked so good with the blue colour👌👌german engineering

[@darrenroom]

Water cups and drinking water are also popular on Australian trains too. These are really welcome on the XPT and Velocity trains in particular on hot days. Longer distance trains have a free drink service, coffee and more, as well.

[@tgvdu45]

What an amazing video! Trains are so different in the US from what our (Alstom...😇) trains are here in France! Thank you!

[@helloworldstein]

The cars are made by Alstom funnily enough

[@ronclark9724]

@@helloworldstein Most of the Surfliners have newer generation of Superliner rolling stock than Amtrak uses nationwide...

[@ELMENDORFX]

I asked yesterday if you had ridden the Surfliner. Later that night I came across this. Hopefully soon we’ll plan a trip to Santa Barbara from Los Angles on the Surfliner. Thanks and thanks for the tips

[@Rachael121]

I did an LA to San Diego trip on this train. It was a Saturday so was quite busy however we got a great seat facing the window in the carriage with a panoramic view. Could not believe how close the sea was at one point. Wonderful trip, would like to do it again. Thanks for the upload 😊