The old Santa Fe passenger station in Orange, California, replaced a wooden structure, and was dedicated on May 1, 1938. This depot remained in service until Santa Fe discontinued passenger trains on April 30, 1971. The next day Amtrak took over the Santa Fe’s San Diegans but the new carrier eliminated several of the stations between Los Angeles and San Diego, including this one. After sitting empty for several years, it reopened as a Cask 'n' Cleaver steakhouse. Commuter trains began stopping at this station again in December 1993 (first the Orange County Commuter's trains and, not long after that, successor Metrolink's Orange Line took over this service. By 2009, Cask 'n' Cleaver had closed its doors, but a new lease was taken out by Orange County-based Ruby's Diner (a 1940s themed restaurant chain) and after considerable remodeling, the station’s new tenant opened for business in 2011. This Ruby's had more room than usual, and so the company included the Streamliner Lounge in half of the old depot. The décor in the restaurant is decidedly "Santa Fe" in nature, with many touches copied from Los Angeles' Union Station, and a number of reproductions of old Santa Fe travel posters and old Lionel Trains advertising adorning the walls. On February 20, 2020, Metrolink train 689 (Irvine to Los Angeles) departs the station with F125 921 shoving on the rear.
