Insider's Guide to Salinas, CA - contributed by James B. Toy

Station Facilities

The station is owned by the city of Salinas. I'm not sure of its age, but it appears to date from the 1930s. It has quaint Spanish architecture, though it is suffering somewhat from neglect. It is still very attractive, if somewhat tarnished. It still has its original wooden doors with brass accents. A frieze mural depicts the famous streamlined Southern Pacific Daylight train passing through Salinas Valley farmland. The ticket window has silver art-deco lettering that reads “Tickets” over the counter. Look closely at the cardboard Amtrak locomotive on the rear wall of the ticket office, and you'll see the engineer is a space alien! Opposite the ticket window are phone booths and rest rooms. The phone booths still have wood framed folding doors. An additional pay phone is located outside, to the left of the front doors. The rest rooms are in very poor condition, and not kept clean. Because of problems with vandalism, they are now kept locked. You must ask the ticket agent for the key. The platform is simple asphalt, and does not maintain a consistent level with the tracks. At the north end of the platform, the step up into the train borders on excessive. The platform could do with better lighting, which is provided mostly by two large light poles at each end, and on the station building itself.

Neighborhood  

The station sits alongside a Union Pacific freight yard. UP offices are located inside the station building. There are quite a few transients in the area, most of whom walk freely across the freight yard as a matter of routine, even though it is supposed to be off limits to the public. The transients seem to be generally harmless, but it is not a good neighborhood to be outside after dark.

Station History  

Immediately north of the station is an old Southern Pacific freight depot, which once facilitated the transport of agricultural products. It dates to the late 19th century. It is threatened by development proposals to turn the station property into a multi-modal transit center. However, the current sentiment of the planning agencies is that it should be preserved somehow, though it may need to be moved. Immediately south of the station is a display of a historic steam locomotive and caboose. These were donated to the city by a private collector. Next to the caboose, is the old Railway Express Agency building which now serves as a clubhouse for the Monterey and Salinas Valley Railroad, a model railroad club. Their layout, which depicts Salinas Valley railroads, is open to public viewing one weekend each month. See their website at www.msvrr.org for the schedule.