For the second weekend of no trains on the Pacific Surfliner route, Robin Bowers and I decided to ride Tom's Farm train in Temescal Valley, followed by the Goat Hill Railway of the Orange County Model Engineers train on the Saturday. That evening, I had a ticket to see "Jethro Tull The Rock Opera performed by Ian Anderson" at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood with Chris Parker. Robin arrived at my house after 9:00 AM and I drove us to Tom's Farm and we found the railroad and bought our first of three sets of train tickets for the morning.
Tom's Farm Brief HistoryHis parents said that Tom wanted to be a farmer from the day he was born in Kansas City, Missouri. When he turned five, they let him work at his father's produce stand. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Tom moved west in the early 1970's and leased some land in Lake Elsinore to house his first produce stand. He did so well that the owner of the land decided to covet it for himself and sent Tom packing. Driving home to Anaheim, slightly brokenhearted, but with his boundless energy, strong work ethic and unwavering integrity still intact, he found an idyllic spot in Temescal Canyon, right below the Cleveland National Forest. He named his place Tom's Farms. The produce was fresh and the people were friendly. People came from miles away and Tom's Farms became a favorite destination stop for travelers.
Tom eventually bought the land and the place grew and grew. In 1974, Tom opened a 3,500 square foot produce stand. In 1977, a hamburger restaurant was added and the opening of Interstate 15 in 1978 provided easy access for visiting tourists. Today, the property has grown to include a variety of shops, restaurants, and attractions for family entertainment.
Staying true to Tom's original core values, the produce is still fresh, the people are still genuine, and visitors are always welcome. Tom wouldn't like it any other way.
Our Visit and Ride
The crew opened the storage shed, which was a covered bridge, and inside was the train.
Once the crew checked the gauge of the track, a safety run was performed.
Returning from the south loop.
Passing our photo location. We then boarded the train.
Almost ready to leave.
We started our first ride.
Proceeding to the covered bridge over Temescal Creek.
On the left were some carriages. We emerged into sunlight and for an unknown reason, my camera stopped working. Once we detrained, I removed the memory card, took the lens off the body and removed the battery, all of which solved the problem so we bought another set of tickets for our second run.
The south loop track as we made our way to the covered bridge.
A moose on the hill.
A bison to the right.
Proceeding into the south loop curve.
A white rhinoceros to the right.
Looking back from where we came.
Rounding the south loop curve.
The rhinoceros.
Horses at the hay bales.
Rounding the curve to switch from the south loop and through the covered bridge to the north loop. We returned to the station then bought our last tickets of the day for a third ride.
The train at the station. Robin and I were the only passengers this time.
Exiting the covered bridge.
Making our way to the south loop curve.
A gorilla.
Coming off the south loop curve.
Northbound on the south loop.
Approaching the covered bridge.
At the north loop about to enter the station area, after which we thanked our crew.
Koi fish and turtles in the pond. We said goodbye to Tom's Farm and drove to Costa Mesa.
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