Something For Everyone. Making an unusual trip out of Los Angeles on the point of a train, AMTK 510 guides this morning's Amtrak 14, the northbound Coast Starlight, into Simi Valley as it passes an active movie set near Corriganville. Corriganville was a 1,500 acre piece of land in Simi Valley purchased by western film star Ray “Crash” Corrigan in 1937. The site was a working movie ranch for nearly three decades, and was used in the making of roughly 3,500 western films and television series such as Fort Apache, The Lone Ranger, and The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin. Actors like John Wayne, Gene Autry, Johnny Weissmuller, Tex Ritter, Joel McCrea, Dale Evans and so many others filmed movies here. In 1949, the ranch opened to the public as “Corriganville,” a western themed amusement park. The ranch was later purchased by Bob Hope in 1965, deeming the ranch its alternative name, Hopetown. The ranch burned down in the 1970s and all that is left are the cement slabs and exterior rock walls of the barn, which can be seen in this photo just above the still active studio set. The towering rock faces on the western slope of Santa Susana Pass here have continued to be used for TV series and movie shots, including a number of Star Trek episodes. Whether you're interested in studying cinematic, railroad or geology studies...this location certainly has something for everyone to enjoy.
Running daily between Seattle and Los Angeles, this train offers running alongside the Pacific Ocean and through the Cascade Mountains. It has been one of Amtrak's long-distance success stories.
