The steam-whistle blowing in the distance. The autumn ride through the orchards to the pumpkin patch. The thrill of the mystery dinner train. All that may be a distant memory soon. A judge evicted Fillmore & Western Railway from the Santa Paula Branch line last week, perhaps the final blow in the dispute between Railway owner Dave Wilkinson and the Ventura County Transportation Commission.

The Commission filed a lawsuit in March against the Railway when they ignored the agency’s demand to stop running the train operation. The Railway countersued, claiming the Commission terminated its 20-year lease wrongly. What does it mean for Fillmore financially? Only time will tell.

Below is a message from Mayor Manuel Minjares to the community of Fillmore:

The eviction of Fillmore & Western from the Santa Paula Branch Line has been a truly frustrating and unfortunate event. As a commissioner with VCTC, I had the opportunity to be exposed to the details of this process but not allowed to share those details with the public, which would have given a better understanding of both sides of this issue. All I can say is that I truly believe there were opportunities for a middle ground to be reached but it did not happen.

The absence of Fillmore & Western will undoubtedly exert a financial impact on the City of Fillmore. The tourist train, Thomas the Train, Holiday Train, fundraising events and annual Railfest gave the City of Fillmore an identity unique to the County of Ventura and exposed families near and far to our wonderful, unique town. Our identity and cultural roots are critical to the long term economic sustainability of our community. I am committed to working diligently with our staff, members of our City Council, the Ventura County Transportation Commission, Fillmore Chamber of Commerce, Heritage Valley Tourism Bureau, the Santa Clara River Valley Railroad Historic Society, and other economic development groups to do our part to bring a viable railroad operator to the Heritage Valley.

This is an endeavor that must be embarked upon with haste but is also an endeavor that will likely not be resolved over night. It will take the commitment of all those dedicated to the reestablishment of a railroad operator on the Santa Paula Branch Line. We must take what we learned from our time working with Fillmore & Western and build upon that to ensure the long term success of our next venture.

To quote Henry Ford, “If everyone is moving together, then success takes care of itself”. I know we all won’t agree whether or not VCTC should have evicted Fillmore and Western, but one thing we can and must agree on is the fact that Fillmore needs a railroad tourist attraction for our community’s financial health and identity. Please be a part of the process to move forward and move forward successfully.

Sincerely,
Manuel Minjares
Mayor,
City of Fillmore