Chasing BNSF 250 and the Office Car Special Across the Surfline! Sept 1 and 2, 2026.

After chasing BNSF Semiquincentennial heritage unit #250 and the Office Car Special from Laguna Niguel to San Diego on Wednesday, August 26, I initially thought that that would be the only Surfline run it would do. Boy was I wrong! And gladly so! Just a few days after that initial chase I got word that 250 and the OCS would make several more Surfline runs on Tuesday Sept 1 and Wednesday Sept 2. Since I wasn't working on Tuesday, and the Wednesday run would be early enough before I had to work, I decided to once again give chase! On Sept 1 the OCS ran from Fullerton to San Diego, where it spent the night. I began my chase at the Irvine train station. After Metrolink 609 and Amtrak Surfliner 770 did their regular station stops the OCS showed up hot on the heels of 770. Unlike the August 26 run, this time the train had two engines, with BNSF 7557 leading and the 250 trailing. After Irvine I also caught the train at the San Clemente Metrolink station and I even (unintentionally) managed to pace it through Camp Pendleton and along Interstate 5, where it was hauling ass! I ended the day with a great clip of the train screaming up Miramar Hill. I began my Sept 2 chase at Angell Ave, which overlooks the Southern side of Rose Canyon. This yielded an excellent shot of the OCS, this time with 250 leading, as it began its climb up Miramar Hill! I then got another scenic shot of it at Cardiff as it came around the curves crossing the San Elijo Lagoon with the Pacific Ocean in the background. After this the train once again hauled ass and I was unable to catch up to it until San Onofre where it slowed down; an opportunity which I used to catch it one more time at San Clemente with the Pier serving as a backdrop. I then took a break from following the train, which continued on to its end point at Irvine. After filming a few Surfliners just South of the San Juan Capistrano station I caught the OCS on its return trip, followed by shots at the legendary Del Mar trestle, and another shot at Rose Canyon, this time at ground level from the north side. The OCS left San Diego later that evening, which I was unable to catch due to work. However, I can't really complain as I managed to film this train way more than I originally intended!