Vista Depot - Vista, California
N 33° 12.230 W 117° 14.594
11S E 477329 N 3673910
Built by the Santa Fe in 1913, today the Vista depot is the home of the Vista Chamber of Commerce.
Waymark Code: WMHZWN
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 09/02/2013
Views: 2
Built by the Santa Fe Railway in 1913 this building originally was located near the intersection of North Santa Fe Avenue and Washington Street along the Escondido Branch line between Oceanside and Escondido. It was used for passenger service until sometime in the early 1940s. It remained in continuous use for more than 80 years until it was closed in December 1969 due to the reduction of local freight business along that line. It sat empty until 1981 when it was moved to its present location on a hilltop several blocks east, restored, and dedicated for use housing the Vista Chamber of Commerce. Source:
O'Side Native on Blogger.com.
The Escondido Branch line, built in 1888, went on to become the SPRINTER light rail line utilizing diesel multiple units. This service was instituted on March 9, 2008. Freight service is managed by 'temporal separation' at night.
Santa Fe's Coast Lines tended to march to their own drummer when it came to depots. Very few of the Santa Fe standard depot designs common on the Eastern and Western Lines were built west of Isleta, NM. A notable exception was the depot at Vista, CA on the branch to Escondido, a nearly perfect example of a 1910-standard #3 for branch lines built in 1913. The depot was moved off-site in 1981 to become the Chamber of Commerce. The depot's trim and well preserved exterior speaks well of the community. - Source:
Evan Werkema on Railfan.net.