Ojai
Branch - Southern Pacific
The right photo shows the location of Ventura Jct., with the Ventura Amtrak
platform (left foreground) and MP 394 marker to the right. A southbound
Amtrak Pacific Surfliner has just crossed the Ventura River truss bridge on
its approach to this stop. The Ojai line branched off to the right, past the
end of the highway retaining wall (US 101 is parallel to the track, behind the
trees). The following photo shows the trail built on the r-o-w about 1 mile north
of Ventura Jct, next to Ca. Route 33. The pavement marker is "1.0 km"
because the trail starts a few blocks north of Ventura Jct. Both photos from
Mike Palmer, April 2003.
This
branch line was originally constructed in the 1890s as the Ventura & Ojai
Valley RR, and it was purchased by SP within a few years. [Ojai is pronounced
OH-hi].
This
line branched off the SP Coast Line at Ventura Jct., which is just west of the
existing Amtrak platform at Ventura. The line extended north along the
Ventura River, through Chrisman, Wedstrom, Ortonville and Nitroshell to Mira
Monte. At Mira Monte the line turned east to the end of the line at Ojai.
Most customers were citrus growers and other agricultural businesses.
The
northern portion of the branch was abandoned by 1975; the southern part might
have lasted a few years longer. The right-of-way is easily traced today, as
much of it has been converted to a bicycle trail, called the "Ojai Valley
Trail" and the "Ventura River Trail".
This
is a remnant of the SP Ojai Branch where it crossed the on and off ramps to
California Route 33, which heads north from Ventura through Ojai. This
location is less than 1/2 mile from Ventura Jct., and the Ventura River Trail
starts where the chain-link fence blocks the track remnant. April 2003.