On the last Saturday of each month, the San Diegan Club meets, usually at one of the stations south of Los Angeles on the route of the Amtrak San Diegans. The meetings are held close to noon time and we go to eat at a restaurant near the station. The meeting starts immediately after the arrival of both the northbound and southbound San Diegans that are most closely scheduled to arrive into the station around noon. If either train is running late, members that have arrived by the earlier train or by automobile wait at the station until the late train arrives. The meetings usually last a couple of hours and end at the departure of the next northbound and southbound San Diegans out of the station.

Everyone is welcome to these meetings! There are no dues, there are no club officers, and you won't be drafted to provide any services or funds for the club! This is not a rail advocacy group. Between RailPAC, TRAC, and the regional NARP, there are plenty of those in southern California. This is just an informal group where we share our opinions, ideas, travel experiences, rail photos, and any rail information we may have learned since the prior meeting. The emphasis is on passener rail, particularly southern California, but all rail related topics are welcome!

There will be a meeting tomorrow, Saturday, August 29, 1998, at the Oceanside Station. Northbound Amtrak San Diegan #577 leaves San Diego at 10:25 AM and arrives into Oceanside at 11:17 AM. Southbound Amtrak San Diegan #774 leaves Los Angeles at 10:15 AM and arrives into Oceanside at 12:14 PM. Members will wait at the Oceanside Station until southbound Amtrak San Diegan #774 arrives. If you are coming from north of Oceanside and want to arrive closer to the time of the arriving Northbound Amtrak San Diegan, Amtrak has put on an additional train just for summer weekends that leaves Los Angeles at 9:20 AM and arrives into Oceanside at 11:19 AM. I don't have the number of that train. There is also the San Diego Coaster Train #625 that leaves San Diego at 10:45 AM and arrives into Oceanside at 11:42 AM.

If you want to check the specific time that a train heading for Oceanside will pick up passengers from the station closest to you, check the web page at http://www.trainweb.com/amtrak/wc_sd_ss.html for the Amtrak San Diegans Schedule and for the Coaster: http://www.trainweb.com/sandiegorail/coaster.

We will probably go to the Ruby's Restaurant at the end of the Oceanside pier, but that is not a definite yet.

So, if you live in Southern California or are visiting this area, please drop by and shoot the breeze with us! If you can't make it this month but might be able to attend in the future, check the info line at 619-736-0338 or the web page at: http://trainweb.com/sandiegorail/sdclub.

For the return trip, there are both northbound (#781) and southbound (#578) Amtrak San Diegans that leave Oceanside at 3:52 PM. For those that need to leave earlier heading south, there is also southbound trains from Oceanside: San Diegan #776 that leaves at 2:08 PM and Coaster Train #638 that leaves at 3:10 PM.

Hope all of you that live in Southern California or are visiting can drop in, and if you can't make it this month, you will try to come to a future meeting! Just keep in mind it is the last Saturday of every month around noon.