A historic Santa Fe division point and modern passenger-rail hub connecting Amtrak, Metrolink, Arrow, freight operations, Cajon Pass, and the former Kite-Shaped Track.
Overview
San Bernardino is a principal inland Southern California railroad city. Its monumental Santa Fe depot, surviving passenger platforms, freight corridors, and connections toward Cajon Pass preserve the city’s long role as an operating and transportation center.
The historic depot once stood beside an extensive Santa Fe shop complex that performed heavy locomotive and car repair work. Although most of the shop buildings were demolished in 1996, their scale and economic importance remain essential to understanding San Bernardino railroad history.
Today, the historic depot is served by Amtrak’s Southwest Chief and Metrolink, while the nearby San Bernardino-Downtown Transit Center is served by Metrolink’s San Bernardino Line and is the western terminus of Arrow service to Redlands.
Quick Facts
| Historic Facility | San Bernardino Santa Fe Depot |
| Depot Opened | July 15, 1918 |
| Historic Railroad | Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway |
| Amtrak Service | Amtrak Southwest Chief |
| Metrolink Services | Metrolink San Bernardino Line; Inland Empire-Orange County Line |
| Regional Service | Arrow to Redlands |
| Freight Railroad | BNSF Railway |
| Former Major Facility | Santa Fe locomotive and car shops, razed in 1996 |
| Historic Route Feature | Kite-Shaped Track through Redlands, Mentone, Highland, and San Bernardino |
| Nearby Major Feature | Cajon Pass |
| Historic Designation | National Register of Historic Places (February 2, 2001; No. 01000025) |
Historical Background
Santa Fe and San Bernardino
San Bernardino became a major Santa Fe operating center at the junction of routes toward Los Angeles, San Diego, the desert Southwest, and Cajon Pass. Passenger, freight, yard, maintenance, and administrative functions made railroading central to the city’s identity.
The 1918 Depot
The present depot opened on July 15, 1918, and combines Mission Revival, Moorish Revival, and Spanish Colonial Revival influences. Its scale reflects San Bernardino’s former importance within the Santa Fe system. The depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 2, 2001 (No. 01000025).
Passenger Trains
Historic Santa Fe and later Amtrak services connected San Bernardino with Los Angeles, Chicago, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, and other western destinations. The Southwest Chief continues to serve the depot today.
Santa Fe Shops
The Santa Fe shop complex adjacent to the depot was one of the defining features of railroad San Bernardino. Santa Fe established locomotive shops in the city in the late 1880s, and the complex changed repeatedly as railroad technology and operating needs evolved.
A major reconstruction and expansion, begun in 1922 and completed in 1926, occupied the site of the earlier shops. Contemporary documentation described a 43-stall engine house, large locomotive and boiler shops, freight- and passenger-car repair capacity, transfer tables, capacity for 315 freight cars and 30 passenger cars, a blacksmith shop, power plant, fire station, hospital, offices, apprentice school, storehouse facilities, and specialized reclamation and storage buildings.
Closure and Demolition
By March 1994, the shops had closed but had not yet been demolished, while former yard areas were being removed for development of an intermodal facility. Published historical material states that the shop complex was razed in 1996 after heavy repair work had been transferred to facilities farther east, primarily to Topeka, Kansas.
Future WRA coverage should document the precise boundaries of the shop complex, any surviving features, the transition to the intermodal facility, and the effect of the shops on generations of local railroad workers.
Documentation Opportunities
- Aerial photographs and track plans
- Roundhouse, engine house, and transfer tables
- Locomotive, boiler, and car shops
- Apprentice school, hospital, offices, and fire station
- Shop employees and rebuilding work
- 1994 closure-era photographs
- 1996 demolition and intermodal redevelopment
- Surviving artifacts and landscape traces
The Kite-Shaped Track
The Kite-Shaped Track was a Santa Fe loop through the San Bernardino Valley. A line extended east from San Bernardino through Redlands to Mentone, then returned to San Bernardino by way of Highland, forming the eastern loop associated with the larger kite-shaped excursion route.
The loop was completed in January 1892. The broader promoted trip formed a 158-mile route from Los Angeles east to Mentone and back, carrying both passengers and freight while supporting citrus development, tourism, and settlement in the valley.
Decline and Surviving Legacy
Passenger service over the Kite-Shaped Track ended on March 2, 1938. Freight service ended in the early 1970s, and the remaining track was removed in 1981. Remnants of depots and the former loop survive in Highland and Redlands, while trails follow portions of the old alignment.
This history is directly relevant to San Bernardino because the city served as the operating center and western anchor of the eastern loop. A future dedicated route page should map the line through San Bernardino, Redlands, Mentone, and Highland and connect it with Arrow, historic citrus transportation, surviving depots, and reused rights-of-way.
The Historic Depot and Museum
The restored depot contains historic public spaces and houses the San Bernardino History & Railroad Museum, which preserves photographs, artifacts, documents, and interpretation connected with the city’s railroad past.
Documentation Subjects
- Depot exterior and towers
- Historic waiting room
- Museum exhibits and Santa Fe artifacts
- Passenger platforms
- Restoration history
- Santa Fe shop material
- Kite-Shaped Track exhibits and maps
- Then-and-now comparisons
Passenger Rail Operations Today
Amtrak Southwest Chief
The Southwest Chief connects San Bernardino with Los Angeles, Fullerton, Riverside, Victorville, Barstow, the Southwest, the Great Plains, and Chicago.
Metrolink San Bernardino Line
The San Bernardino Line links the city with Rialto, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Pomona, Covina, El Monte, and Los Angeles Union Station.
Inland Empire-Orange County Line
The Inland Empire-Orange County Line connects San Bernardino with Riverside, Corona, Orange County, and Oceanside.
Arrow
Arrow connects San Bernardino-Downtown with Redlands over a former Santa Fe corridor using Stadler FLIRT diesel multiple-unit equipment. The modern service provides a useful contemporary connection to the broader history of Santa Fe lines east of San Bernardino, although it does not recreate the full Kite-Shaped Track loop.
Freight and Cajon Pass
BNSF freight operations remain fundamental to San Bernardino’s railroad landscape. The city is a gateway to Cajon Pass, where transcontinental freight routes cross the mountains toward the High Desert and national rail network.
Two Passenger Centers
- San Bernardino Depot: historic Santa Fe station, Southwest Chief, and Metrolink
- San Bernardino-Downtown Transit Center: modern regional hub, Metrolink San Bernardino Line, and Arrow terminus
Railfan and Photography Information
- Historic depot architecture
- Former shop-site documentation
- Southwest Chief and Metrolink
- Arrow DMUs
- BNSF freight trains
- Cajon Pass-bound trains
- Kite-Shaped Track remnants and maps
- Museum exhibits
- Night photography
Safety and Courtesy
- Remain in public areas
- Stay behind platform markings
- Use designated crossings
- Never enter yards or tracks
- Respect museum, railroad, and transit personnel
- Treat former industrial and railroad sites as private unless clearly open to the public
Why San Bernardino Matters
San Bernardino combines a monumental Santa Fe depot, the history of one of the railroad’s major heavy-repair complexes, the Kite-Shaped Track, long-distance passenger service, Metrolink, Arrow, BNSF freight activity, a railroad museum, and direct ties to Cajon Pass.
Related Railroads
Related Locations
- Barstow
- Cajon Pass
- Colton
- Highland
- Los Angeles Union Station
- Mentone
- Perris
- Pomona
- Redlands
- Riverside
Related Routes
- Arrow corridor
- Kite-Shaped Track
- Redlands Loop
- Santa Fe main line through Cajon Pass
Related Museums
Gallery
Photo gallery coming soon.
- Historic Santa Fe depot
- Santa Fe shops and roundhouse
- Transfer tables and repair buildings
- 1994 closure-era views
- 1996 demolition and redevelopment
- Southwest Chief and Metrolink
- Arrow
- BNSF freight operations
- Kite-Shaped Track maps and remnants
- Cajon Pass-bound trains
- Night photography
- Then-and-now comparisons
Western Rail Archive Notes
San Bernardino should become one of WRA’s principal Inland Empire pages and a gateway to dedicated articles about the Santa Fe shops, the Kite-Shaped Track, and Cajon Pass.
Archive Status
| Page Status | Category | Region | Gallery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foundational Article | Locations | Inland Empire | In Development |