The El Camino was a set of lightweight streamlined railcars owned by Los Angeles County in the 1970s and 1980s.
The 1970s saw a renewed interest in the United States in commuter rail as rising gas prices, pollution, and traffic congestion made driving less attractive.
[2] Ward proposed running a commuter train between Union Station in Los Angeles and Orange County over the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway's Surf Line.
At Ward's urging the Board of Supervisors voted 3–2 to acquire 1940s railcars from the Oregon, Pacific and Eastern Railway at a cost of $230,000.
The failure of the El Camino played a major role in the campaign with his opponents using derisive sobriquets such as "Baxter Ward's Choo-Choo."
The county put the equipment up for sale and refused to release it for use on the short-lived CalTrain commuter service to Oxnard.