Group Running Free Mini Train Rides In Costa Mesa Gets Boost After Finding Junction Vandalized
COSTA MESA (CBSLA) — A group that gives free mini train rides at Costa Mesa's Fairview Park is back on track after vandals wreaked havoc on their tiny train depot.
"We were so sad that people decided to vandalize our beloved trains," Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley, and a former mayor of Costa Mesa, said.
Foley presented the Orange County Model Engineers with a $15,000 check Thursday to help pay for repairs to the tiny Goat Hill Junction depot and a new security system, which the city of Costa Mesa said they will match. The group had arrived at the train depot Wednesday to find it vandalized.
"It's not a lot of money to most people, but anything that we have to shell out, we have to solicit, so it's a big deal for us," said Hank Castignetti of Orange County Model Engineers.
Castignetti said that the funding is a boon after losing revenue due to the pandemic.
Roof shingles had been ripped off the depot and scattered onto a parking lot, and a metal security window was smashed. The group was concerned the damage started with so many shingles could lead to even more problems in the event of a big storm.
The mini trains were locked up tight, so they weren't damaged by the vandals.
Orange County Model Engineers is a non-profit group of train lovers that run the mini railroad, offering free rides to the public on the third Saturday and following Sunday of each month from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. The group gives approximately 3,000 free rides a month.