It all started @ the Santa Fe Depot

The Escondido branch of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF), aka Santa Fe or AT&SF, was built between 1887 and 1888 with rail service beginning in 1888. It was built simultaneously as the Surf Line railway, which connected San Diego County with Orange County alongside the beautiful southern California coastline.

Consequently, the centenarian Escondido Santa Fe Depot is one of San Diego County’s most significant train buildings. This train depot faithfully served Escondido travelers from 1888 until 1945. Freight operations were active through 1981 until Santa Fe notified the city that they would raze the building. Upon hearing this startling news, city preservationists rallied support to purchase and move the Escondido Santa Fe Depot to Grape Day Park in 1984.

The North County Transit District (NCTD) purchased the Oceanside-Escondido railway from Santa Fe in 1992 to revive passenger service along the heavily traveled 78 highway corridor. Passenger service began operating on March 9, 2008. The current Sprinter terminus at the Escondido Transit Center is less than .1 miles from the former site of the Escondido Santa Fe Depot.

The Escondido Santa Fe Depot stands today as the main museum for the Escondido History Center. This history museum offers displays of Native American heritage, breathtaking images and information about Escondido’s agricultural past, and overall displays of Escondido’s start as a 19th century town.

The museum also offers railroad car #92, built by the Pullman Company in the 1920s and was actually used on the route between Oceanside and Escondido. However, after the train car was decommissioned it was left to the elements in a Los Angeles rail yard. Through a complex series of events, the train car was moved to Escondido and placed next to the main museum building as part of Escondido's centennial celebration. Today Pullman car #92 offers a model railway replica of the 1930s 22 mile route between Escondido-Oceanside, a mailroom, and more!

The Escondido History Center (formerly Escondido Historical Society) is the current custodian of this historic train station and Pullman car. If you would like to tour the Escondido Santa Fe Depot it is open to the public every Saturday 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM or you can call the Escondido History Center at (760) 743-8207 to schedule a private tour.

Escondido History Center Address:

321 N. Broadway Escondido, CA 92025

If you would like to help the Escondido History Center preserve this historic train station and Pullman car you can contribute a tax deductible donation today.

Blog post written by: Efrain R. Pedroza

Contact Efrain at efrain@escondidohistory.org or follow Efrain on Instagram.