Trains either grab you or they don't. Trains and the rails they ride upon take us to a destination. It is the broad expanse of the land outside of the train, cityscapes or countryside, that fill our imagination and set our thoughts free taking us to a different place inside ourselves. Trains do for wanderlust what nothing else can do.

Walking by the old Del Mar train station the other day, we got to thinking about the places that once were. Those special places that should never go away.

From the late 1800s-early 1900s, the original old Del Mar train station was located along Camino Del Mar at 9th Street in Del Mar, California. It was later moved to its current location on Coast Blvd. between 15th and 17th Streets across from the Powerhouse at the beach. The small brick building which sits on 2.8 acres served the town of Del Mar from 1910-1995 including the glitzy days when the Hollywood elite would come to Del Mar and then on to Tijuana for gambling and crazy times. In 1995, Amtrak put the brakes on service to Del Mar. The Del Mar station is such a great location. Too bad that Amtrak couldn't keep it chugging along. Who knows what the real story is. After all, the property on which it sits is worth more than a sack of potatoes.

Ironically, the Del Mar station still sits next to the tracks with trains whizzing by it everyday leaving the empty old Del Mar train station in their dust. The future of the station is unclear. Currently, the train station property is owned by Catellus Development Corp. of Newport Beach.

Next station is Encinitas. The Encinitas train station had a better fate. Built in 1887, the redwood Victorian-style train station also still stands. The Encinitas station has maintained the mustard yellow signature colors of the old Southern Railroad Company. Eventually, the automobile seduced the rail passengers and the love affair with the trains came to a screeching stop in the 1950s. After World War II, the station served freight trains. The end of the line came in 1969 when the station closed.

Many train stations have a proviso upon the sale of the property that they be moved from trackside locations. In the early 1970s, the Encinitas station was moved to the other side of the tracks to its current site along Highway 101 at 510 North Coast Highway. Old-timers remember the station as part of the Santa Fe Railway. Locals know it now as the Pannikin Coffee and Tea building.

The Encinitas station was picked up for $1 from the Santa Fe Railway in the 1970s to become a center for arts and crafts shops. It wasn't until 1980 that the building took on a new and vibrant life. Bob Sinclair, the founder and owner of the Pannikin Coffee and Tea in San Diego, took over the spot, converted it and restored it to its original beauty. Though Sinclair sold his Pannikin Coffee and Tea businesses, the building still houses the Pannikin and it as charming as ever.

Next station is Carlsbad. It still exists in its original location at State and Elm Streets, but now serves as the Visitors Information Center and Chamber of Commerce office for Carlsbad. It is one of the train stations that remains trackside in close proximity to the newer station Carlsbad Village Station.

The end of line is downtown San Diego and the historic Sante Fe Train Depot. The depot was originally built in 1887 and replaced in 1915 in the Spanish Revival style of architecture. Like many buildings in San Diego, it was rebuilt to prepare for the Panama Pacific Exposition. It, too, was in a precarious situation in 1971 when the depot was faced with the ugly prospect of demolition. Preservationists, citizens and anyone with a one-track mind to save the old depot, delivered the message that any idea of destroying the building was an idea careening down the wrong track. Attempts to destroy this San Diego treasure were thwarted and the building rolled right into the National Historic Register in 1972. Touchdown for those who worked hard to save it. Sante Fe is at Kettner and Broadway in downtown San Diego.

If you want to engineer a fun day trip, hop on Amtrak or even the Coaster train and ride the rails up to Carlsbad or Oceanside from the historic Santa Fe Depot in downtown San Diego. You won't be able to see Encinitas from the train, but you'll see Santa Fe, Del Mar, and Carlsbad stations.

Trains and train stations conjure up all sorts of nostalgic and romantic images. Train stations have been places to both welcome home loved ones or to say goodbye. Train stations dot the landscape of towns and cities that we often never venture out to explore, but somehow, passing through them, we get a sense that we've been somewhere. Trains take us to more than train stations. Visit one of the train stations and consider taking a train ride. We can't afford to lose the magic of train travel. All aboard!