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4th Monday of Each Month 6 PM - 7 PM. Just a bunch of people that like to get together and discuss our rail travel experiences in a relaxed atmosphere over some food and drinks at the Santa Fe Express Cafe, right on the platform of the Fullerton Amtrak / Metrolink Station. Meet your fellow rail travel enthusiasts... Read More>> |
This and future Meetups will be held on the 4th MONDAY of every month (which is not always the last Monday of the month as some months have 5 Mondays). Several Amtrak, Metrolink and freight trains can be viewed during our Meetup right from our tables at the cafe. The new Meetup time is from 6 PM to 7 PM. We hope this new time will make it easier for those of you that have a regular 9 to 5 work schedule to attend. It is OK to come late if you can't arrive by 6 PM, but some people start leaving by 7 PM while others may hang around later.
If you wish to watch the arrival and departure of the transcontinental Amtrak Southwest Chief passenger train, then arrive a little early by 5:50 PM, a couple of minutes before the scheduled Amtrak Southwest Chief arrival time. It is scheduled to depart from Fullerton at 5:57 PM. Then head over to join our Meetup gathering at The Santa Fe Express Cafe.
Sometimes there will be an optional Meetup Group Rail Outing. These are usually Amtrak or Metrolink trips that will start in the morning and end in the afternoon or early evening of the same day. Information about any upcoming rail trips can be found at the Rail Travel Meetup Group website at Meetup.com/rtmeetup.
CLICK HERE for more information or to RSVP for the next Meetup or Rail Outing.
The Rail Travel Meetup Group is not a passenger rail advocacy group nor a nuts & bolts railfan group. We are just a bunch of people that like to get together and discuss our rail travel experiences in a relaxed atmosphere over some food and drinks! If you like to travel by rail, or are interested in getting started in rail travel, then you should come to our Meetup! If you have questions about travel on Amtrak, VIA Rail Canada, or on most other excursion and tourist railways, bring your questions to the Meetup. Someone will probably have answers to your questions!
There are no application forms and no dues. This is a "no pressure" Meetup without speakers or any set agenda. We'll just be talking about wherever the conversations take us, though we will try our best to keep the topic on rail travel! Just show up on the 4th Tuesday of each month at 5 PM whenever it fits your schedule. Some of us are there at almost every Meetup!
Fullerton has extensive rail and bus service. You can get to Downtown Fullerton from many parts of Orange, Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura Counties by either Amtrak or Metrolink trains, or in combination with other public transit rail and bus systems. Numerous OCTA bus routes also serve Downtown Fullerton. For exact schedules and routes, visit Amtrak.com, MetrolinkTrains.com, and www.OCTA.net
If you would like to find out more about the Rail Travel Meetup Group and some of its members, click here to go to the Rail Travel Meetup Group website. Although not required in order to attend the Meetups, you can "officially" join the "Rail Travel Meetup Group" at the above link and will then be able to let the rest of the group know more about yourself and will be kept informed about group activities and members.
Photos are still being posted of our Meetups and Rail Outings, but now those photos are being posted directly to the Rail Travel Meetup Group Photo Albums. Click here to view those albums.
Photos by Cathy & Mary Stanfill: 12/22/08 Christmas Party / 11/24/08 Meetup
Photos & Stores From More Prior Meetups and Rail Outings:
After the October 24, 2005, Meetup, we all went to the Fullerton Santa Fe Depot to greet Amtrak President David Gunn as he arrived in the Amtrak corporate car on the tail of the eastbound Amtrak Southwest Chief. People at the event included: Ken Ruben, Chris Parker, Harold Penensen, Dan Dalke, William Puhl, Mary Pearl Puhl, Stephen Grande, Ray Burns, Margaret Monroe, Daniel Monroe, Pat Moran, L.R. Smithline, Chris Guenzler, Winston W. Walker, Art Tomlin, and Ross Moore, Jr.
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1949 - 2009: Richard Hamilton. Richard was founder of the Let's Talk Trains internet radio show in 2002 and founder of The San Diegan Club in the 1990's, the precursor group to this Rail Travel Meetup Group. Richard had a wonderful passion for the railroading hobby which he shared with others as a volunteer at the Poway-Midland Railroad and as a member of both the San Diego Electric Railway Association and the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum. Read More>> |
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Oct 7, 1942 - Jul 22, 2014: Ray Burns. Ray was one of the three original founders of TrainWeb in 1996 and of TrainParty.com. Ray was an avid rail traveler with many of his photos and reports posted at TrainWeb, including Amtrak, the American Orient Express, the Rocky Mountaineer, the entire Canada Via Rail system, and even on the AAPRCO train. Ray Burns served multiple tours of duty as a Marine in Viet Nam in the 1960's... Read More>> |
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1943 - Mar 12, 2015: Ken Ruben. Ken was a long time railfan and a member of many rail and transit organizations. He was very involved promoting rail and other transit at civic meetings. Ken was one of the earliest members of our Rail Travel Meetup Group and attended just about every monthly gathering and rail outing religiously... Read More>> |
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Mar 26, 2015: Winston Walker. Read More>> |
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2020: Arnold James (AJ). Read More>> |
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Oct 15, 1956 - Jun 26, 2021: Chris Parker. Larry Boerio: "Chris was a man with a heart as big as the ocean. He never hesitated to help anyone in need even when he was in need. Nothing speaks higher of a man and his values than..." Read More>> Slide Show>> |
