The original entry of the Southern Pacific's Coast Line into the Los Angeles area, this line was supplanted by the line through the Simi and San Fernando Valleys in 1901, and became a backwater useful mainly for diversions and agricultural traffic, eventually being sold off to a short line that makes most of its money from Hollywood film makers. Only the wye with the Coast Line at Montalvo sees daily use by passenger trains, since it forms the westerly terminus of the Metrolink Oxnard and Moorpark line, forming a convenient storage point off the Coast Line.
From the connections with the UP Santa Barbara subdivision at North Montalvo (MP 402.9), west leg of the wye, and South Montalvo (MP 403.1), east leg of the wye, the north leg passes the Metrolink passenger station (platform and depot on the north side of the line) at Montalvo (MP 403.3) and the legs join at CP Wye (MP 403.5), all Centralized Traffic Control, speed limit 15 mph for passenger trains and 10 mph for freight trains.
The single track Saugus line heads northeast from CP Wye, now Yard Limits, past the Metrolink storage yard, as far as Kimball (MP 404.5), and Track Warrant Control thereafter, past the grade crossing at Bristol Road, to Bristol (MP 404.7), where Metrolink ownership ends and Fillmore & Western Railway ownership starts. Here, the line again becomes Yard Limits, with speed limit 10 mph, continuing northeast along the northwest side of the Santa Clara River valley, past Bristol Road running alongside to the south, a grade crossing at Montgomery Avenue, North Bank alongside to the south, a grade crossing at Petit Avenue, housing on both sides, a grade crossing at Saticoy Avenue, a grade crossing with Wells Road, a grade crossing with Los Angeles Avenue, and a grade crossing with Alelia Avenue.
The old SP depot at Saticoy (MP 407.6) lies on the north side of the line, east of the last grade crossing, and the line then proceeds past a bridge over drainage, out into open irrigated fields, and past MP 409, a bridge over a stream, a grade crossing, old farm buildings on the east side of the road south of the line, a citrus orchard to the southeast, a dirt road alongside to the northwest, a grade crossing at a driveway, citrus orchards on both sides, a bridge over drainage, a dirt road grade crossing, a bridge over a stream, a grade crossing, extra track to the southeast at an industry, an angled road bridge carrying SR 126 overhead, from the northwest of the line to the southeast of the line, a bridge over a culvert, and the site of an erstwhile spur trailing in from the northwest at Limco (MP 411.0), where the line starts to curve gently.
There is a bridge over drainage, orchards on both sides, greenhouses to the southeast, Haines (MP 411.3), a bridge over drainage, citrus orchards on both sides, MP 412, open fields, two dirt track grade crossings, SR 126 to the southeast as the line enters Santa Paula, a grade crossing at Todd Road, a turn north-northeast, a grade crossing of Telegraph Road followed immediately by a grade crossing of Peck Road, which intersects Telegraph Road immediately southeast of the track, West Main Street alongside to the southeast, MP 413, Briggs (MP 413.3), a grade crossing at a driveway, a pedestrian crossing, two grade crossings at driveways, a grade crossing at Cameron Street, and a grade crossing at Steckel Drive.
The line turns east-northeast, with Main Street now alongside to the south, past a grade crossing at Dean Drive, a grade crossing at Palm Avenue, a grade crossing at Olive Street, and a pedestrian crossing at 4th Street, as the line edges away from Main Street past a grade crossing at 7th Street, an angled grade crossing at Santa Barbara Street, a grade crossing at 8th Street (MP 414.4), a grade crossing at 9th Street (MP 414.5), a grade crossing at Mill Street, the passenger station, with platform, gazebo, and depot on the south side, with freight house and old packing house to the north, at Santa Paula (MP 414.7), a grade crossing at 10th Street, east of the station, a siding and west-facing extra track on the north side, a bridge over a culvert, a grade crossing at 12th Street, a bridge over a culvert, MP 415, and a bridge over a culvert.
Leaving the town behind, there is a through truss bridge over Santa Paula Creek, a bridge over a dirt road, a bridge over drainage, a dirt road grade crossing at a driveway, two bridges over culverts, Kevet (MP 415.9), a grade crossing at Loop Lane, a bridge over a culvert, a grade crossing at SR 126 (MP 416.05), and then passing some curves but keeping generally east-northeast past a bridge over drainage, a west-facing spur to the south, a dirt road grade crossing, SR 126 alongside to the north, a dirt track grade crossing, an orchard to the south, a grade crossing with Willard Road, MP 417, a bridge over a stream, a dirt track grade crossing, citrus orchards on both sides, a dirt track grade crossing, a grade crossing, a bridge over drainage, a bridge over a culvert, four dirt track grade crossings, and a bridge over a stream.
The line turns north-northeast, past a grade crossing with SR 126, a deck girder bridge over a stream, a grade crossing, a dirt track grade crossing, MP 421, Keith (MP 421.2), a dirt road grade crossing, a grade crossing, Sespe (MP 421.8), MP 422, a bridge over a culvert, a dirt track grade crossing, a bridge over a culvert, and Old Telegraph Road coming alongside to the east, turning sharply southeast, still generally following the course of the Santa Clara River, past a bridge over a culvert (on the curve), a grade crossing at Cliff Avenue, a grade crossing at Grande Avenue, MP 423, a through truss bridge over an arm of Sespe Creek, a deck girder bridge over another arm of Sespe Creek, and a concrete cutting, entering the town of Fillmore, with Old Telegraph Road still alongside to the south, pasta grade crossing with Goodenough Road.
There is a grade crossing with B Street (MP 423.8), an angled grade crossing with Sespe Place, MP 424, and a grade crossing with A Street (MP 424.1), a turn just north of due east past extra track to the north at closed packing sheds, a pedestrian crossing, a grade crossing at Central Avenue (MP 424.5), extra track on the south side at the 'station', a pedestrian crossing, the old wooden depot to the north at Fillmore (MP 424.5), a second extra track to the south and an extra track to the north, a grade crossing at Mountain View Street, the yard (four tracks) on the south side, a bridge over Pole Creek, a grade crossing, a fake tunnel, and a dirt track grade crossing, a turn just south of due east, an angled grade crossing with SR 1126,MP 426, a grade crossing (Hetchy), and orchards on both sides.
The line curves gently around to the east-northeast again, past a dirt track grade crossing, Linda, a dirt track grade crossing, a wooden building with short platform labeled "North Pole", a dirt track grade crossing, MP 428, a grade crossing with Cavin Road, Cavin (MP 428.2), orchards on both sides, a dirt track grade crossing, MP 429, a dirt track grade crossing, an angled grade crossing with SR 1126, a bridge over a stream, a dirt track grade crossing, 'Sherm', a dirt track grade crossing, Buckhorn (MP 429.9), MP 430, a dirt track grade crossing, the "Buckhorn" sign, a dirt track grade crossing at Bennett's Honey, a bridge over drainage, a bridge over drainage adjacent to a grade crossing, a dirt track grade crossing, MP 431, a bridge over a culvert, three spurs on the south side, to packing houses, extra track on the south side, a grade crossing at Main Street, and extra track on the south side, to the End of Branch (MP 432.0) in the housing development at Piru, whence the line once continued curvily east, still following the north side of the river valley, to a junction with the Soledad Canyon line between today's CP Saugus and CP Canyon.
The Santa Clara River Valley is a still-extant (in November, 2009) example of the way all of the interior valleys in southern California used to look (even as recently as forty years ago), with a broad floodplain between bordering mountains, with citrus and avocado groves along the river, interspersed with the occasional gravel quarry.