Vincent Hill Station's Wonderful Caboose Collection - Acton, California


 Photos & Story by Ken Hulsey

It’s fitting that a restaurant housed in an old train station would boast the finest collection of vintage railroad cabooses in Southern California. Located just off the Sierra Highway (California Highway 14) in Acton, Vincent Hill Station is a fine dining establishment that features live music and dancing. Interestingly, my main reason for stopping off the desert highway was not the food, but rather the impressive collection of cabooses visible from the road.


The restaurant displays cabooses from various regional railroads, including Southern Pacific bay window models, as well as examples from both the Santa Fe and Union Pacific. These railroads once ran throughout the Antelope Valley. The Southern Pacific's route between San Francisco and Los Angeles had to divert away from the coast to navigate around the mountains. Similarly, both the Santa Fe and Union Pacific traversed this area to reach California's central farmlands. It’s a region rich in railroad history.

To confess a secret, I did notice Vincent Hill Station on the property, but I initially stopped just to see the cabooses. After looking up the restaurant online, I now wish I had taken my wife there for dinner, as it appears to be a wonderful place to eat.

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