RIDING ALTAMONT COMMUTER EXPRESS
By Jack M. Turner
Following a pleasant overnight in San Jose and a midday visit with my
uncle, aunt, and cousin in Menlo Park, I boarded Altamont Commuter
Express train # 4 in San Jose. This had long been high on my list
of rail lines I wanted to ride and finally the opportunity arrived on
Monday, September 21, 2015.
Altamont Commuter Express service began on October 19, 1998 with two
morning westbound trains between Stockton and San Jose and two
eastbound afternoon runs. A third round trip was added on March
5, 2001 with a fourth roundtrip started on August 28, 2006. The
82 mile trip takes slightly more than two hours while making eight
intermediate stops and offers a scenic run through Niles Canyon and
over Altamont Pass. The line used by ACE belongs to Union Pacific
Railroad and the route traces its lineage back to the Western Pacific
Railroad Company. During its WP days, the famed California Zephyr
domeliner traversed the Altamont Pass line between Stockton and Fremont
before turning north to Oakland.
Cab control car 3308 was on the head end of ACE train # 4 with five
coaches following and F40PH # 3102 trailing. Accessing the
station platform via a tunnel brought back memories of such an
arrangement at Jacksonville Terminal in Florida in the 1960s and early
70s.
My train departed from Track 2 at 3:35pm and the San Jose station was
busy with Caltrain equipment bound for San Francisco and Amtrak Capitol
Corridor trains to and from Sacramento via Oakland on adjacent
tracks. Train # 4 was the afternoon’s first departure from San
Jose and later I would be relieved that I selected that departure to
ensure an easy connection at Stockton.
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F40 # 3102 is set to push Altamont Commuter Express train # 4 from San
Jose to Stockton on September 21, 2015
ACE # 4 is ready to receive passengers at San Jose
ACE coaches display an attractive paint scheme
A Caltrain Peninsula train seen at the San Jose station
Passing the Caltrain engine shops departing San Jose
Just 6 minutes after departing San Jose we made our first stop, Santa
Clara, where a hearty contingent of passengers boarded. A couple
minutes later the Caltrain line to San Francisco branched to the left
on its peninsula line through Palo Alto and Menlo Park. Ten
minutes later train # 4 stopped at the Great America stop adjacent to
the San Francisco 49ers football stadium and the Great America theme
park. The lower level of my bi-level coach filled with commuters;
I had chosen a seat on that level to keep an eye on my luggage since
there was not a dedicated luggage storage area aboard this train.
Salt marshes soon enveloped both sides of the railway and a southbound
UP freight train passed as I noted large salt piles off to the
left. Just beyond this point the ACE route branched off from the
line used by Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor trains. We paused at
Fremont at 4:10pm and ridership continued to be strong as several
passengers boarded at each stop. The Niles Canyon Railway, which
offers public excursions on a scheduled basis, soon paralleled on the
left as we entered scenic Niles Canyon and passed through a couple of
tunnels. That line once was part of Southern Pacific’s
transcontinental railroad before being abandoned in 1984 in favor of
the ex-WP line served by Altamont Commuter Express.
Estuaries and salt marshes are visible north of Santa Clara
Mountains appear near the railway east of Fremont
Approaching a rail junction east of Fremont
The ACE line passes through scenic Niles Canyon
Pleasanton was the next stop and a large number of detraining
passengers were offset by a sizeable boarding crowd. It was
apparent from conversations that many of this train’s commuters are
daily riders who have come to know one another and the train crew
well. The conductor was heard telling one of the regulars that
his morning train had carried over 900 passengers on the westbound
trip. Meanwhile, word circulated that train # 6 which was due to
depart San Jose momentarily at 4:35pm had been annulled due to engine
problems and its coaches would be combined with train # 8 an hour
later. I had made the right decision to take the earliest ACE
train as riding train # 8 would have fouled my Thruway bus connection
from Stockton to Sacramento.
Two more stops, Livermore and Vasco, followed in the next 15 minutes
then the rails made a sweeping curve to the right leading to Altamont
Pass. The pass featured golden colored mountains covered with
giant wind turbines. Below to the left the I-580 freeway was
choked with homeward bound commuters giving evidence to the necessity
for the ACE. Many of the regular commuters lined up near the exit
door 20 minutes before our next stop to ensure they got to their
automobiles quickly upon arrival. A passenger sitting beside me
explained that the parking lot at Tracy only has one exit onto the
street and that slow movers face a long delay getting onto the
road. Indeed as we arrived at Tracy at 5:19pm, many of these
detraining commuters broke into a sprint in effort to be first out of
the parking lot. It was a sight to behold.
Congested freeway scenes around Altamont Pass underscore the advantage
of riding ACE trains
Altamont Pass features dozens of massive wind turbines
Detraining passengers dash to their cars upon arrival in Tracy
A few minutes later ACE # 4 discharged more commuters at
Lathrop-Manteca then passed the junctions with rail lines traveling
south to Bakersfield, north to Sacramento, and westward to
Richmond. Our 5:52pm arrival at Stockton was five minutes late,
leaving two and a half hours until my Thruway bus to Sacramento.
The ACE station is a pleasant brick structure with comfortable seating,
a covered platform, and well maintained parking lot. Amtrak San
Joaquin trains linking Sacramento and Bakersfield also use this station
which the Amtrak timetable refers to as “Downtown Station, Aurora and
Weber Streets” though the index in the front of the timetable lists it
as “Downtown ACE Station”. The ACE web site indicates that this
was originally a Southern Pacific station and the address is shown to
be 949 E. Channel Street. The fact that the Amtrak timetable and
the ACE web site provide different street locations for the station
confused me prior to my trip but my travels confirmed that they are one
and the same.
The majority of San Joaquins, which connect Oakland and Bakersfield,
stop at the Stockton San Joaquin Street Station located a mile or two
away. My Thruway bus to Sacramento would stop at that station thus I
had to decide where to spend my layover. Though the ACE station
is labeled “downtown”, it is not in the center of a typical downtown
area and the neighborhood is not conducive to walking. I was
accurately told that neither station has eating establishments within a
safe walking distance so I opted to spend the majority of my layover at
the ACE station. The friendly ACE agents advised me of a local
pizza place that offered free delivery and my delicious pizza arrived
within a reasonable time. While waiting, I watched a northbound
BNSF freight train pass and observed Amtrak San Joaquin # 704 from
Sacramento to Bakersfield make its station stop. Interestingly,
southbound Amtrak trains on this line are even numbered, the opposite
of most routes.
ACE train # 4 after arrival in Stockton
Train # 4 stands by the Stockton platform while a BNSF freight
approaches
A northbound BNSF freight passes the ACE station in Stockton
Amtrak # 704, a southbound San Joaquin from Sacramento pushes into
Stockton on the outer track
Inside the ACE Stockton station off Channel Stree
Thus far my two main concerns had been addressed: Which station truly
was served by the Thruway bus and what to do about dinner. My
third concern was how to transfer from one station to the other.
Once again the ACE agents were a valuable resource as they advised me
that a shuttle bus to the other railway station would soon
arrive. When the bus pulled up to its designated loading spot
adjacent to the station parking lot I was the only person
boarding. The friendly driver seemed puzzled as he expected a
number of passengers off ACE train # 6. I explained that it had
been annulled and he pulled up to the station building where the ACE
agents verified this oddity. This resulted in my having a private
motorcoach to take me to the San Joaquin Street station. The
driver went on to tell me that his bus would then continue to San Jose
as part of his regular Amtrak Thruway bus route. As we drove up
to the Amtrak San Joaquin Street Station, I realized that I had made
the correct choice for my layover as the neighborhood adjacent to this
station was less than ideal. The former Santa Fe station was busy
and had Amtrak ticket agents but it would not be a great place for a
long wait. The fact that one had to see the ticket agent for a
free token to open the restroom doors should explain this rationale.
The 45 minute wait for my bus departure was entertaining, though, as
southbound Amtrak San Joaquin # 718 and northbound # 717 stopped for
passengers followed by a southbound BNSF coal train. Three
Thruway buses boarded passengers for various destinations and mine
departed a few minutes late (due to late train # 717) at 8:29pm.
The trip up I-5 was smooth and we arrived at the Amtrak station in
Sacramento at 9:11. I would spend the night at the Vagabond Inn
located directly across the street from the station. Originally I
planned to walk to the hotel, however, I read on a TrainWeb message
board that the hotel offers free shuttle service which is advisable for
those with luggage. This proved to be good advice as access to
the hotel requires one to enter from the opposite side of the property
which would have necessitated a three block walk pulling heavy
luggage. The shuttle arrived quickly and within minutes I was
relaxing in my clean, comfortable, and reasonably priced room. In
the morning the Vagabond Inn offers complimentary breakfast and the
outdoor swimming pool looked inviting on a hot autumn day. The
California State Railroad Museum is within easy walking distance and is
well worth a visit.
Stockton’s San Joaquin Street Station serves San Joaquin trains between
Oakland and Bakersfield. Note the lighted Santa Fe sign on the
street side of the building.
A BNSF coal train pulls up and stops beside the Stockton platform
The cab control car on southbound San Joaquin # 718
Amtrak # 718 prepares to depart San Joaquin Street Station
Thruway busses are ready for boarding at Stockton’s San Joaquin
Street Station
Northbound San Joaquin # 717 uses Horizon fleet equipment
including this café car
Vagabond Inn, Sacramento Old Town is convenient to the Amtrak
station
The swimming pool area at Vagabond Inn is inviting on a hot day
One can travel directly from San Jose to Sacramento aboard an Amtrak
Capitol Corridor train without the Stockton shuffle, however, the
scenic ACE route is worth the extra effort. However, one must
take into account the station transfer and lack of dining options in
Stockton before attempting this routing. There also is a late
night San Joaquin offering Stockton to Sacramento train service without
changing stations, however, this would add two more hours to the
layover in Stockton.
