California Railroads

Location

Vintage MUNI PCC no. 1058, in the colors of the Chicago Transit Authority, motors down Beach Ave.

A new Breda LRV works MUNI's L-Taraval line on a Sunday evening.

A number of historic locomotives and cars are on display at the California State Railroad Museum. Shown here are a Western Pacific F7 and Union Pacific executive car.

Also preserved at the museum is this Southern Pacific two-car articulated dining unit built by Budd.

A classic image: a Santa Fe warbonnet F7A-B set.

Approaching San Jose on Caltrain, I passed a yard of Union Pacific equipment. This SW-1500 was inherited from the Southern Pacific and hastily renumbered.

Looks like the circus was in town! For what seemed like a mile I was seeing various passenger cars, flat cars, and stock cars.

The UP is very behind with its repainting - shown here are an ex-Denver & Rio Grande Western GP40 as well as an ex-Missouri Pacific unit.

Altamont Commuter Express cab car #3305 brings up the rear of one of this evening's outbound trainsets. Just visible behind it is a second consist.

A pair of ACE F40PH-3Cs, built by Boise Locomotive, head up today's trainsets. They are nearly identical to engines used by Caltrain, Coaster, MBTA, and other agencies.

Caltrain Geep no. 3842 sits with a caboose and a sister unit at San Jose's Diridon station. Nearby is the train I arrived on, which will shortly depart for the last stop, Tamien.

On the left, a spare trainset sits in the yard while my train continues on to Tamien.

Just arriving with another train is Caltrain no. 909.

The 909 is an F40PH-2CAT, a rebuilt version of the F40PH that is becoming popular with commuter railroads. It features a second diesel engine to provide power to the cars.

A close-up of the air tank detail on the 909. The only part of the F40PH that has changed is the rear end, where the body cowl has been extended to house the extra Caterpillar diesel engine.

The next ACE trainset, scheduled for a 4:00 departure, waits in the small yard just past the station.

F40PH-2C no. 922 arrives with a southbound train. Built by Boise Locomotive Co., it is nearly identical to ACE's F40PH-3Cs as well as other F40PH-2Cs and F40PHM-2Cs.

Having dropped off most of its passengers, the 922 departs for the final stop at Tamien.

Here is a close-up of the rear end on the 905, another F40PH-2CAT, showing the extended body and additional grilles and louvers. Also note the extra fan on the roof.

A close-up of the air tank details on the right side of F40PH-2C no. 922.

Here is an unusual sight - two standard F40PHs lead a five-car train from San Francisco on to Tamien.

A cab car in the new paint scheme - note the red stripe - rolls past one in the old scheme.

An Amtrak California bus pulls away from the station, transporting passengers to other destinations not serviced by trains.

A right-side view of an Altamont Commuter Express F40PH-3C, an extended F40PH with an extra engine for supplying head-end-power to the passenger cars.

The ACE cars, built by Bombardier, are identical to those used by Coaster, Metrolink, Sounder, and other commuter agencies.

The bi-level cars feature inside-bearing trucks with disc brakes on the inboard axles.

The left side of the Boise Locomotive Co. F40PH-3C.

The 4:00 Capitol has just arrived with an F59PHI leading the set of California Cars.

Car no. 8031 - Mattole River - is a California Fleet coach, built by Amerail. Similar cars are used in Surfliner service in southern California.

Cab car no. 8302, named Mount Shasta, sits in Diridon Station as the ACE train prepares to depart.

Suddenly a Union Pacific freight train appeared, led by a GP40 and GP38-2 no. 2352. Note the odd fuel tank shape on 2352.

Also helping with the train were an ex-SP GP38-2 and UP GP40 no. 2561.

A UP hopper car rolls by the ACE trainset, which is just about finished boarding.

The departing ACE train is just barely visible behind the Amtrak Capitol.

The extra height and streamlining of the F59PHI look good with a train of California Fleet bi-levels.

Shortly after stepping off my train back to Redwood City, I was again greeted by the 922 with another San Jose-bound train.

My parting shot at railfanning in California, as 922's train heads south toward San Jose and Tamien.