5 ms·

BTW the Caltrain corridor is SP's corridor (Standard and Pacific was Leland Stanford's gold mine) which SP maintains to run the occasional freight train and als

by gumby 3y ago

BTW the Caltrain corridor is SP's corridor (Standard and Pacific was Leland Stanford's gold mine) which SP maintains to run the occasional freight train and also gets paid to run caltrain on it. I haven't been following the whole electrification effort (except seeing it happen): will S&P still run diesel freight on those tracks?

Lammy 3y ago
UP absorbed SP in 1996: https://www.uprr.com/aboutup/history/decision.pdf https://www.uprr.com/aboutup/history/decision.pdf Here are some videos from when SP ran the “Peninsula Commute” <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peninsula_Commute https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peninsula_Commute> service before the formation of Caltrain: — Fairbanks-Morse Train Masters on the SP Peninsula Commute in 1972 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XElWHtywY6I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XElWHtywY6I — SP Peninsula Commute (February 26, 1985) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqORVlDs4lQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqORVlDs4lQ — 1970s Southern Pacific Commuter Parade https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_-BgistV-w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_-BgistV-w Before 1975 it ran to the old 3rd & Townsend depot instead of 4th & King like today: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_and_Townsend_Depot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_and_Townsend_Depot
ZanyProgrammer 3y ago
Yes they'll unfortunately continue to run freight trains on those tracks. Also the corridor down to Gilroy from Tamien won't be electrified.
- gumby 3y ago
  What’s unfortunate about them running those freight trains? It’s a greener way to transport freight than a bunch of trucks. (I used to live not far from a crossing in Palo Alto and they had to toot their horn as they went past at 2 am but I can hardly call it burdensome)
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
  - BobaFloutist 3y ago
    It would be nice if they had separate tracks.
    - gumby 3y ago
      Why? Though in the US I believe freight typically has RoW priority over passenger fleets, in practice on that route I've only seen (/heard) freight at night. I have seen rail deliveries during the day in Redwood city to the port but I don't think that spur connects to that line...? It is shocking that the rail runs right down residential streets with NO separation to keep kids from being run over.
      - inferiorhuman 3y ago
        I believe freight typically has RoW priority over passenger fleets That's a big part of it. The other part is that UP is making electrification difficult and more expensive. UP wants to run double stack cars but the overhead wire would eat into the vertical clearance. I believe there were issues raised with horizontal clearance too.

by gumby 3y ago

Lammy 3y ago

UP absorbed SP in 1996: https://www.uprr.com/aboutup/history/decision.pdf https://www.uprr.com/aboutup/history/decision.pdf Here are some videos from when SP ran the “Peninsula Commute” <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peninsula_Commute https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peninsula_Commute> service before the formation of Caltrain: — Fairbanks-Morse Train Masters on the SP Peninsula Commute in 1972 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XElWHtywY6I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XElWHtywY6I — SP Peninsula Commute (February 26, 1985) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqORVlDs4lQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqORVlDs4lQ — 1970s Southern Pacific Commuter Parade https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_-BgistV-w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_-BgistV-w Before 1975 it ran to the old 3rd & Townsend depot instead of 4th & King like today: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_and_Townsend_Depot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_and_Townsend_Depot

ZanyProgrammer 3y ago

Yes they'll unfortunately continue to run freight trains on those tracks. Also the corridor down to Gilroy from Tamien won't be electrified.

gumby 3y ago
What’s unfortunate about them running those freight trains? It’s a greener way to transport freight than a bunch of trucks. (I used to live not far from a crossing in Palo Alto and they had to toot their horn as they went past at 2 am but I can hardly call it burdensome)
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- BobaFloutist 3y ago
  It would be nice if they had separate tracks.
  - gumby 3y ago
    Why? Though in the US I believe freight typically has RoW priority over passenger fleets, in practice on that route I've only seen (/heard) freight at night. I have seen rail deliveries during the day in Redwood city to the port but I don't think that spur connects to that line...? It is shocking that the rail runs right down residential streets with NO separation to keep kids from being run over.
    - inferiorhuman 3y ago
      I believe freight typically has RoW priority over passenger fleets That's a big part of it. The other part is that UP is making electrification difficult and more expensive. UP wants to run double stack cars but the overhead wire would eat into the vertical clearance. I believe there were issues raised with horizontal clearance too.