Wasco station

Wasco is an Amtrak station on the San Joaquin located in Wasco, California, United States. Free parking is available at the station, which has one platform on the west side of a single track.

Wasco, CA
Wasco station in December 2019
Location700 G Street, Wasco, California
Coordinates35.5941°N 119.3319°W / 35.5941; -119.3319
Owned byCity of Wasco
Line(s)BNSF Bakersfield Subdivision[1]
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks2
Connections Kern Regional Transit: 110, 115
Construction
Parkingfree
Disabled accessYes
Other information
Station codeWAC
History
OpenedSeptember 21, 2006 (2006-09-21)
Original companySan Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad
Traffic
Passengers (2018)36,566[2][3]  12.6% (Amtrak)
Rank45th in California[2]
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Corcoran
toward Oakland – Jack London Square or Sacramento
 San Joaquins Bakersfield
Terminus
Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park
(Limited service for group tours only)
toward Oakland – Jack London Square or Sacramento
Former services
Preceding station Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Following station
Elmo
toward Oakland
 Oakland – Barstow Shafter
toward Barstow
Location

History
The former station in 1974

Construction of the San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad (SF&SJ) had reached the location, which would become Wasco. The SF&SJ constructed a small, open-air, two story station. It cost $4,500 and followed their standard No. 2 design. There was also a large window, facing the tracks, for the station master to observe activity down the tracks. The town, named Dewey, would develop around the station. It would later be renamed Wasco.[4]

In 1899, the SF&SJ would be purchased by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe. They would continue to use the station for passenger and freight service. In 1907, the station was extended, to serve a growing demand for freight. In the 1950s, the waiting room was enclosed. The second floor was also reorganized as sleeping quarters.[4]

The station closed in 1971, when Amtrak was formed. None of the routes in the San Joaquin Valley would continue to run. In 1974, the San Joaquin route would begin operating through the valley. Initially, the train would not stop in Wasco. The next year, it would become a flag stop. Despite having train service, in 1978, the train station was demolished. It was replaced with a couple of benches and a parking lot. Part of the train station would be used in the restoration of the Shafter Santa Fe Station.[4]

At some point, Wasco became a regular stop for the San Joaquin route, and a shelter was built. In 2006, an entirely new station was constructed. It was designed as an open-air station, built in the Spanish Revival style. It would also house the Wasco Chamber of Commerce.[4]

References
  1. SMA Rail Consulting (April 2016). "California Passenger Rail Network Schematics" (PDF). California Department of Transportation. p. 11.
  2. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2018, State of California" (PDF). Amtrak Government Affairs. June 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  3. "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2017, State of California" (PDF). Amtrak Government Affairs. November 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  4. "Wasco, CA (WAC)". Amtrak. Retrieved 13 Sep 2013.
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