Locations

Railroad Locations

Western Rail Archive documents the stations, junctions, passes, yards and corridors that shaped railroading across the American West. Each location guide is an evergreen reference page that combines history, current operations, photography notes, safety guidance and links to related railroads, routes, galleries and videos.

Pages are listed alphabetically below. Many are Foundational Articles that will grow as photographs, research and archival material are added.

Featured Locations

  • Bakersfield – The southern gateway to the Central Valley passenger network and a historic Santa Fe–Southern Pacific junction below Tehachapi Pass.
  • Fullerton – An active junction where historic depots, modern passenger service and busy freight operations meet.
  • Glendale – A passenger-rail gateway to Los Angeles centered on a well-preserved 1923 Southern Pacific depot.
  • Los Angeles Union Station – The historic heart of passenger railroading in Southern California.
  • Oceanside – A coastal junction where intercity, commuter and freight railroads converge.
  • Oxnard & Ventura – Passenger trains, short-line industry, port traffic and agricultural history along the historic Coast Route.
  • Perris – From the California Southern Railroad to modern Metrolink service.
  • Pomona – Two historic railroad corridors, two modern stations, and a gateway to the Inland Empire.
  • Riverside – A crossroads where Santa Fe, Union Pacific, Pacific Electric, Amtrak and multiple Metrolink routes converge.
  • San Bernardino – A historic Santa Fe division point and passenger hub at the foot of Cajon Pass.
  • San Diego – The southern terminus of the Pacific Surfliner and a historic Santa Fe union station.
  • San Francisco – Southern Pacific’s headquarters city, with the Peninsula commute and Caltrain, Bay Bridge electric trains, BART, Muni Metro, and operating cable cars.
  • San Luis Obispo – The northern terminus of the Pacific Surfliner, a historic Southern Pacific operating point, and the gateway to the Coast Route and Cuesta Grade.
  • Santa Barbara – Historic Southern Pacific architecture, active Amtrak service, and coastal railroading at the foot of State Street.
  • Simi Valley – Passenger rail, preserved Southern Pacific history and mountain railroading at the western approach to Santa Susana Pass.
  • Temecula / Murrieta – The former railroad gateway to San Diego and the legacy of a lost corridor.

Coming Soon

Additional location pages, photography, historical resources, and video content will be added as the archive grows.