2010 Santa Barbara Vino Train

Did You Know? - Los Angeles Union Station (or LAUS) is a major passenger rail terminal and transit station in Los Angeles, California. Located in the northeast corner of Downtown Los Angeles, Union Station is a hub for national Amtrak and Amtrak California passenger trains, Metrolink commuter trains, the Metro Red, Purple and Gold Lines, and several bus services.

Opened in May 1939, Union Station is known as the "Last of the Great Railway Stations" built in the United States, but even with its massive and ornate waiting room and adjacent ticket concourse, it is considered by some small in comparison to other union stations.  It was formerly designated the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal (LAUPT), but its then-owner, Catellus Development, officially changed the name to Los Angeles Union Station (LAUS). Catellus was merged with and into ProLogis (NYSE: PLD) in 2005; Prologis still owns the station today. ~Wikipedia

Did You Know? - Middle English edifice from Old French edifice, reborrowed from Latin aedificium (“‘building’”), derived from aedificāre (“‘to build, establish’”) (whence also edify).

Did You Know? - Warp drive is a faster-than-light (FTL) propulsion system in the setting of many science fiction works, most notably Star Trek. A spacecraft equipped with a warp drive may travel at velocities greater than that of light by many orders of magnitude, while circumventing the relativistic problem of time dilation

Did You Know? - A smile is a facial expression formed by flexing the muscles near both ends of the mouth. The smile can also be found around the eyes (See 'Duchenne smile' below). Among humans, it is customarily an expression denoting pleasure, happiness, or amusement, but can also be an involuntary expression of anxiety, in which case it is known as a grimace.

Did You Know? - Coffee is a brewed drink prepared from roasted seeds, commonly called coffee beans, of the coffee plant. They are seeds of coffee cherries that grow on trees in over 70 countries. Green unroasted coffee is one of the most traded agricultural commodities in the world. Due to its caffeine content, coffee can have a stimulating effect in humans. Today, coffee is one of the most popular beverages worldwide.

Did You Know? - All Aboard is a 1917 short comedy film starring Harold Lloyd

We selected to ride the Silver Spendor up to Santa Barbara so we could have the lounge car coming back!

Built by the Budd Co. in 1956 as Chicago, Burlington & Quincy No. 4735, this stainless steel Vista-Dome coach raced between Chicago and Denver on a daily basis until 1980. the latter 9 years under Amtrak ownership. Originally named SILVER BUCKLE, she was part of the last 2 complete conventional train sets to be ordered new in the pre-Amtrak era and traveled over 4.5 million miles.

With standard coach seating for 50 and 24 seats up in the dome, the SILVER BUCKLE provided fast and comfortable service for budget-minded patrons till Amtrak s bi-level Superliners arrived. Officially retired in 1981, the car spent time in storage at Oakland, California and Beech Grove, Indiana before being auctioned off to a railcar shop owner in 1993.

In 1997 the current owners, Heidi and John Caestecker, purchased the car in the Midwest and moved it out to Fullerton, California with the intent of restoring it to operating condition as a luxurious Dome-Diner-Lounge. Dining capacity will be 24 at tables upstairs and another 24 in the long end of the lower level. A cocktail lounge seating 10-12 will be featured in the short end, with kitchen and restrooms under the dome.

With the luxury appointments now installed for the car's rebirth, SILVER SPLENDOR is now in active Amtrak service and is available for private charter or public excursion.

Did You Know? - A Mimosa is a cocktail-like drink composed of three parts champagne or other sparkling wine and two parts thoroughly chilled orange juice. It is traditionally served in a tall champagne flute with a morning brunch or to guests at weddings. We stttled for plastic because of the nature of the trip!

Did You Know? - In 1660, King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland married princess Catherine of Braganza of Portugal. This union resulted in the import of tea to Britain from India, and by 1750 the British had fallen in love with it.

As it had to be imported across a great distance, tea was at first very expensive, drunk only by the upper classes. However, the increasingly powerful and influential East India Company was soon flooding the country with the stuff, and by the 1750s it was already a recognized national drink. Interestingly, a significant upswing in health followed as people boiled their water before drinking it.

Did You Know? - A lanyard is a rope or cord often worn around the neck or wrist to carry something. Usually it is used where there is a risk of losing the object or to ensure it is visible at all times.

In the military, lanyards originally were used to connect a pistol, sword or whistle (for signalling) to a uniform on a semi-permanent basis. Lanyards were used in situations where there was a good chance of losing the object - commonly by cavalry and naval officers at sea. A well made pistol lanyard can be easily removed and reattached by the user, but otherwise will stay connected to the pistol whether it is drawn or in a holster. Lanyards later became a more decorative item.

Did You Know? - A dome car is a type of railway passenger car that has a glass dome on the top of the car where passengers can ride and see in all directions around the train. It also can include features of a coach, lounge car, dining car or observation. Dome cars were primarily used in the United States and Canada, though a small number were constructed in Europe for Trans Europ Express service.

In North America, dome cars were manufactured by the Budd Company, Pullman Standard and American Car & Foundry. Southern Pacific Railroad built its own dome cars in their Sacramento, California, shops. In the 1990s Colorado Railcar began producing dome cars. Generally, seats in the dome were considered "non-revenue" like lounge car seats. When dome cars operate today in excursion trains, the dome seats often command a premium fare.