I just got back from a 5 day vacation in Oregon. I wanted to take the Coast Starlight but could never figure out a good way to drive to Martinez or Davis, late at night, and park my car in a safe and secure place.
So, I flew Horizon from Santa Rosa to Portland, then rented a car and headed for Ashland, Oregon. The first vacation, in a long time, which didn't include a train ride. My sister and brother-in-law were there attending a play; thus I drove to Medford, turned in my rental car, & took a shuttle to Ashland. I returned to Calif., with them, the next day in their car.
I picked the wrong week (or month(s) to drive through Oregon. They are having their worst fire season in history. The air, south of Portland, was smoky and hazy...all the way down to Ashland. They are saying that it may be Oct. before the fires are out.
I'm not a "play person", so I spent much of my day, in Ashland, just walking around town. I came upon a little railroad museum which was about 3 blocks from the center of town. While there, I asked the museum curator about some talk, on the internet, regarding the possibility of having an Amtrak Cascade route from Eugene down to Ashland. The guy simply told me "no chance". I have to agree as restoring that old route would, I think, be hugely expensive. I'm not sure which train was the last to run to Ashland. It may have been Southern Pacific's "Rogue River", which was still in operation in 1955. The Shasta Daylight, in the 1950's, went the Natron route from Eugene to Klamath Falls although the "Shasta Limited", I believe. went the Siskiyou route along pressent I-5. In the old days, SP's "Shasta Route" did go via Siskiyou.
I have to think, however, if there was a Cascade train from Eugene to Ashland, it would be very popular. The Oregon Shakespeare Fesitval runs 8-9 months, per year, and draws in people from all over the country, especially the Northwest. The ability to take a Cascade to Ashland would be a great way to see Ashland and a play.
By the way, if you are ever in Medford, Oregon, I came across a real find. Medford's historic 1910 SP train depot has been converted to a restaurant. It's called "Porters". The food there is excellent. Their specialty is prime rib, which I had and it was delicious. They have a large mural, on the way, showing a SP train coming into the old Medford depot. They also have a couple of tables enclosed in what looks like an old Pullman Berth, with draw curtains. Porters is near the center of town in Medford.
Richard
Posted by Vincent206 (Member # 15447) on :
Thanks for the tips about Medford. A trip to southern Oregon with stops in Crater Lake, Ashland, Medford and Klamath Falls is high on my list of future destinations. The Starlight's arrival/departure times in K-Falls aren't real convenient for an Amtrak passenger from Seattle so I've been thinking about taking the train to Eugene and renting a care there.
Posted by yukon11 (Member # 2997) on :
Another possibility, Vincent, would be flight from Portland to Medford if that would be more to your favor. I think there are 4 flights/day, on Alaska Airlines, from Portland to Medford.
Richard
Posted by George Harris (Member # 2077) on :
quote:Originally posted by yukon11: I just got back from a 5 day vacation in Oregon. I wanted to take the Coast Starlight but could never figure out a good way to drive to Martinez or Davis, late at night, and park my car in a safe and secure place.
So, I flew Horizon from Santa Rosa to Portland, then rented a car . . .
I know Golden Gate Transit runs buses between Santa Rosa and San Francisco, but I do not know the schedule. Did you check them out? You maybe could have gotten to Amtrak at their Ferry Building bus stop or one of their other in town bus stops if there are such for the CS. (I do not know what stops are for the long distance trains and what stops just have buses to the state supported trains.)
Posted by DonNadeau (Member # 61606) on :
The Shasta in 1965 had a schedule similar to the following, but without the ferry from San Francisco: http://www.streamlinerschedules.com/concourse/track7/shastadaylt195008.html My mother once told me about using finger bowls in the old days and on the Shasta was the first and believe that last time I ever saw one. For some reason, SP's automat cars had not appeared on this train. Golden Gate Transit link: http://goldengatetransit.org It also runs non-profit ferries to Marin County from the end of Market Street, which are great.
Posted by TwinStarRocket (Member # 2142) on :
As a kid, I collected timetables (and maps), and my favorite was the Shasta Daylight. It was single sheet of paper about 4-6 inches wide and very long vertically with an accordion fold. The schedule (and points of interest or route guide) and a beautifully illustrated map ran parallel top to bottom. The map was very detailed and you could see how the train was winding through the mountains and canyons. I wish I still had it.
Posted by DonNadeau (Member # 61606) on :
Should clarify re. 1965 schedule mentioned above that I boarded Shasta Daylight at Martinez via a connection from San Joaquin Daylight. Not sure if Shasta passengers from San Francisco were still ferried to Oakland Pier or not.
Posted by yukon11 (Member # 2997) on :
I really wish I had a chance to take the Shasta Daylight. Must have been a really scenic train ride.
There is a bus that connects Santa Rosa with the Amtrak station in Martinez. However, it makes quite a few stops and takes nearly 3 hrs to get to Martinez. Then, it would be another 2 hour wait before the Coast Starlight gets in. You can drive from Santa Rosa to Martinez in about 1 hour. The Horizon flight from Santa Rosa to Portland takes only 1.5 hrs.
There is another possiblity. Next time, I could fly to Portland to start a vacation. On the way back, I could board the Starlight in either Seattle or Portland. The train gets into Martinez at around 7:30 AM, which is also when the local Enterprise car rental place opens. I could then rent a car and drive to Santa Rosa. At least it would allow a ride on the CS in one direction.
Richard
Posted by Gilbert B Norman (Member # 1541) on :
San Francisco ferries operated by the Southern Pacific ceased operations during 1958. Their last vessel was the 'San Leandro'.
quote:Another possibility, Vincent, would be flight from Portland to Medford if that would be more to your favor. I think there are 4 flights/day, on Alaska Airlines, from Portland to Medford.
There are flights from Seattle to Medford, but it's usually cheaper to fly to the Bay Area or SMF than Medford. The northbound Starlight also arrives in K-Falls early in the morning instead late at night. I may try to add the southern Oregon trip to a future Bay Area trip by catching the Starlight in OKJ or EMY and then renting a car in K-Falls or Eugene.