Escape to Santa Barbara on a vintage rail adventure.

Welcome to the Vino Train.

Join us for an adventure aboard vintage streamline railcars to beautiful Santa Barbara and experience the amazing California Coast with views only available from a train.

Click the Great Reasons to Go tabs below to see just how fun and exciting a trip on the Vino Train can be.

Privately owned rail cars make up our special Vino Train, which are attached to regular Amtrak trains. The Overland Trail and companion Pacific Trail are our primary cars and make most trips.

The Overland Trail was built in 1949 as a 1st class lounge for the Southern Pacific’s San Francisco Overland. The car features a stunning Streamline Moderne interior, a most gracious quarter-circle bar, a very comfortable ride, and expansive picture windows. You’ll arrive in Santa Barbara in style aboard this gem from the past!

The Pacific Trail is a 44 Seat long-distance coach built in 1950 by Pullman Standard for the Union Pacific Railroad that ran on premier streamline passenger trains of the 1950s.

Great Reasons to Go

Relax and leave the cares of the world behind

as you board the Vino Train in Los Angeles. The moment you step aboard you will become aware of the subdued elegance and refined Streamline Moderne appointments of an earlier, more gracious era.

On our way north to Santa Barbara you will enjoy a freshly prepared buffet breakfast with Belgium waffles, a delicious frittata, sliced sausages and more. Our waiters and porters, will attend to your every need. On our return trip to Los Angeles, a freshly prepared dinner will be served.

All Aboard!

The Vino Train brings back a little bit of the “good ole days”, when life was a bit slower… and much more gracious.

It’s some good old fashioned fun, operated by a “train family” that enjoys people, history and a wonderful time. The Vino Train is hosted by “Conductor Bill” Hatrick, railroad enthusiast extraordinaire. Bill’s wife Debbie takes care of reservations and administration. Their two daughters are key members of the on-board staff and serve as on-board chefs.

The Vino Train is your “ticket” for a fun adventure, delicious meals prepared fresh on-board, a staff who WANT to serve you, and, perhaps the perfect wine! We strive to provide our customers great service, great value, and a great time!

The Santa Barbara Vino Train

traverses the spectacular “Coast Line” of the former Southern Pacific Railroad (now Union Pacific). This was the route of the famed Coast Daylight, described by many as, “the most beautiful train in the world”.

Southern Pacific’s Coast Daylight was known as ‘the most beautiful train in the world.’

The Coast Daylight was inaugurated on March 21, 1937 and ran up until the advent of Amtrak in 1971. Our private cars will follow a portion of this route, coupled to Pacific Surfliners # 763 northbound, and # 796 southbound.

The Overland Trail was built in 1949 as a 1st class lounge for the Southern Pacific’s San Francisco Overland. The car features a stunning Streamline Moderne interior, a most gracious quarter-circle bar, a very comfortable ride, and expansive picture windows. You’ll arrive in Santa Barbara in style aboard this gem from the past!

The Pacific Trail is a 44 Seat long-distance coach built in 1950 by Pullman Standard for the Union Pacific Railroad and ran on premier streamline passenger trains of the 1950s.

Beautiful Santa Barbara

Upon our scheduled arrival in Santa Barbara at 11:41, our wine guides will lead you on a walking tour to several tasting rooms. Please wear comfortable shoes and dress in layers. You are free to join the tour, leave at any time, or explore Santa Barbara completely on your own. You have approximately 7 hours in Santa Barbara until our southbound departure, scheduled at 7:02.

Would you prefer to be on your own in Santa Barbara? Here are some recommendations:

There’s the Santa Barbara Mission, Stern’s Wharf and the beach, a 50 cent shuttle bus service up and down State Street (shopping district!) or Cabrillo Street (to the ZOO!) and much more.

Santa Barbara Trolley Tours offers a 90 minute city tour hitting all the highlights of Santa Barbara for only $22.00/day with free off and on privileges.

Bicycle rentals are available at Stern’s Wharf, only a few blocks from the train station. You could use these to reach some of the outlying tasting rooms.

Private or small group wine tours are available as an option, starting at around $150.00 per person (in additional to rail fare). These include transportation, gourmet box lunch, tasting fees and driver tip. Please inquire for more info.

Santa Barbara History

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE WINE GROWING REGION

Santa Barbara County has a history of wine making and wine grape growing stretching back more than 200 years to before California was a state. From the Mission Era of early California through the Ranchero and Pueblo Era, struggling through Prohibition to the beginning of the modern era of viniculture that started in the 60’s, Santa Barbara County continues to combine traditional, hand-made techniques, with the latest cutting-edge innovations in grape-growing and wine making.

Father Junipero Serra brought grape vine cuttings from Mexico in 1782 to be planted in the fertile bottoms of Sycamore Creek (in what is now known as the Milpas district of Santa Barbara). The largest mission vineyard, about 25 acres, was located in the San Jose Creek area, and an adobe winery, built nearby in 1804, is now Goleta’s oldest landmark. In 1884, Justinian Caire imported grape slips from France and planted a 150-acre vineyard on Santa Cruz Island. His prize-winning wines were shipped to San Francisco for bottling. A grapevine planted in 1842 on a farm in Carpinteria grew to monstrous proportions. In fifty years, it had a trunk measuring nine feet around, an arbor covering two acres and an annual yield of ten tons of grapes!

The wine industry has enjoyed a renaissance in Santa Barbara County in the last 25 years. Early studies by researchers from U.C. Davis found that Santa Barbara County was cooler than most wine regions of Northern California and that it had an excellent balance of geology, climate, soil and water, giving it great potential as a viticultural area. The first modern vineyards were planted in the Tepusquet area of the Santa Maria Valley in the early 1960s. Shortly thereafter, vineyards were planted in several parts of the Santa Ynez Valley.

There are now almost 100 wineries in Santa Barbara County, located primarily in the Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Maria Valley and Sta Rita Hills appellations. Most of the wineries are small businesses, run by individuals or families. The wine industry in Santa Barbara County grew from virtually nothing in 1970 to a $360 million business 32 years later. More than a million cases of wine are produced annually.

The wines of this region have earned great respect among knowledgeable wine drinkers and have won an impressive array of medals in regional, national and international competitions. The wines frequently receive overall sweepstakes, double golds and platinums, and best-of-class awards, as well as excellent reviews. Santa Barbara County is well-known for fine Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah, as well as Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling and other varietals. Above information courtesy of the SBCVA.

The Vino Train Onboard Experience

Santa Barbara Vino Train

A word from your Vino Train host, Conductor Bill Hatrick.

View from the Vino Train

A view from the vestibule of the Santa Barbara Daylight Vino Train from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara.

Don’t miss this great trip. Book now!

Call 877-4-LA-Rail

(877-452-7245) for reservations and information.

Online booking is not available at this time. Please call to make a reservation..

Price—$189

Includes first class train service by vintage private railway car from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara and return, breakfast buffet aboard northbound train, and an evening meal on the return train.

Vino Train Schedule

$189.00 per person, unreserved seating in Overland Trail and/or companion car. The Vino Train theme includes a walking tour of the “Urban Wine Trail” which is free, but wine tasting fees are not included and are settled on an individual basis. Fares include vintage private railway car train service from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara and return, breakfast buffet aboard northbound train, and an evening meal on the southbound train. Each sailing has limited seating, book early to avoid disappointment… especially with small groups.
Not included but encouraged: Wine purchases! Lets support the local Santa Barbara tasting rooms!
If paying by check, please make out to: LARail.com, Inc. and mail to: 27525 Puerta Real Ste 100-315 Mission Viejo, CA 92691
Our cancellation policy:
A full refund is given if canceled for any reason 96 hours prior to your ride. If you have to cancel within 96 hours before departure, you may transfer your ticket to someone else without penalty or re-book to another trip with a $25.00 per ticket reschedule fee. Cancellations outside this policy and no-shows are not refunded. Train runs rain or shine.

Important train Itinerary and Info

Train-Northbound:
Board the vintage private railcars for a 9:11 am departure from Union Station Los Angeles, 800 N. Alameda Street. Plenty of parking, $14 for all day. When in the station, ask for Amtrak Train # 763, our special cars will be attached to it.

In Santa Barbara:
Upon arrival Santa Barbara at 11:41, our wine guides will lead you on a walking tour to several tasting rooms. Please wear comfortable shoes and dress in layers. You are, of course, free to join or decline the tour, or leave the tour at any time. If you want to explore Santa Barbara completely on your own, you have approximately 7 hours to do so! After your visit, please return to the Santa Barbara train station and await our special carriage, which departs at 7:02 pm.

Train-Southbound:
At 7:02 pm, we depart Santa Barbara for our evening run back to LA. We’ll enjoy the sunset, a light buffet dinner and dessert in our “exclusive club on rails” as we make our way back home—scheduled arrival time at Union Station is 9:48pm. (other stops available—call for more information)