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NRHS 1992 San Jose Convention

I got a great picture in excellent light of what some would say is the "World's Most Beautiful Train."

7/27/92 I woke early to drive to San Jose for the NRHS Convention. I went over Altamont pass and set up to shot the Union Pacific 3985 with the Altamont Pass Limited from below the Interstate 580 in the narrow canyon. The Union Pacific 3985 put on quite a show of smoke climbing the eastward grade on a very cold and windy morning. I hiked back to the car before I drove back over the pass to Midway to set up for one last shot of the Union Pacific 3985 drifting down grade. I then drove to the Motel 6 in San Jose and relaxed the rest of the day drinking along with watching television.

I was up early and drove to the Tamien Light Rail Station where I boarded a trolley for the Convention Center stop. I walked to the Fairmont Hotel where I received my registration materials and waited for the bus to take me back to the ex WP San Jose Yard. Here I boarded a coach for the trip to Oakland. We left right on time being pulled by the same GP-35 that had pulled us here. We ran slowly back up the line to the yard at Milpitas where the GP-35 left our train and the Union Pacific 3985 was added to the point. Once on the move, we crossed Coyote Creek and traveled back north through Warm Springs and Newark. When we had reached Niles Jct we turned to the west and once past the SP crossing I was on new rail mileage. We went through the small yard at Fremont before we crossed Niles Creek and ran along BART. We traveled through Union City by the steel plant there. We trekked through Hayward and San Leandro before we made our way into Oakland. We traveled right down the middle of 3rd Street through Oakland's produce district.

We stopped short of Broadway where I detrained for a picture of the Union Pacific 3985 and train sitting in the middle of 3rd Street.

I walked the two blocks to the Ferry Depot. Here I boarded the Emperor Hornblower for the trip across the San Francisco Bay to Oakland. We left the dock with me up on the upper level having a drink as the ship made its way out into Inner Harbor with the Alameda Naval Base to the south and the ex WP yard to the north. We made our way out into San Francisco Bay and under the Bay Bridge with us closing in on downtown San Francisco standing before us. We arrived at the Ferry Building and I walked straight out front to the BART Station. I then took BART under the Bay in the Trans Bay Tube to Richmond making my first round trip on the Bay Area Rapid Transit system. Returning to the City, I took a Cable Car up California Street and had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe which had one of Martin Barre's guitars of Jethro Tull fame on display. I took the Cable Car to Fisherman's Wharf then had to go up the hill two blocks to be able to board the Cable Car back to Market Street due to the mob of people at the Wharf. I took the 30 bus to the Caltrain's Station at 4th and Townsend Streets. I walked to the south end of the station and took in the Caltrain commuter action before the SP 2472, a 4-6-2 steam engine backed its train into the depot.

This trip will complete my circling the Bay and would be new mileage to Santa Clara. This train was the Daylight consist with a few private cars added behind the steam engine. I opted for riding in the rounded end observation car so I could enjoy the rear facing view. We left on time and headed under the maze of freeway bridges out of San Francisco. We made our way through the tunnels and down the Caltrain line to the former location of the SP Bayshore yard where the 2472 performed a photo runby. Once we done, we headed south down the Peninsular Line through Milbrae, Burlingame and past the Redwood City depot. We made our way through Palo Alto, Mountain View and Sunnyvale. At Santa Clara we joined the line the Coast Starlight used and ran on it the rest of the way to San Jose. I returned to the Fairmont Hotel and took the light rail back to my car where I drove to the Motel 6 and some drinks ending an exciting day of train riding.

7/24/1992 I relocated myself traveling via Franklin Canyon to the Motel 6 in Pinole to put myself in position for tomorrow's photography.

7/25/1992 I woke up late and went down to the bay to wait for The Senator pulled by the 4449. After getting a wonderful picture with the bay in the background, I returned to the Motel 6 in San Jose for one last night.

7/26/1992 I went back near the Tamien Station to wait for the Coast Daylight pulled by a heading of the 2472 and the 4449 which made a beautiful sight as it steamed past. I then drove over Altamont Pass and took Highway 99 south down the San Joaquin Valley as far as Tulure where I checked into a Motel 6 and an evening of drinking. I woke up early the next morning and drove home.