Passenger Trains > Sixty years apart at San Francisco

The top photo by Robert Hanft from the Western Railway Museum Archives shows Southern Pacific's evening commute rush getting underway out of the depot at 3rd and Townsend in San Francisco, CA around 1954.

The lower photo shows Caltrain's evening commute rush getting underway out of the depot at 4th and Townsend in San Francisco, CA on October 28, 2014.

In 1954, steam was near its end. Sixty years later, diesel may be nearing its end on this line as it sounds like they are finally(?) getting serious about electrification.

Say what you will about the changes over the decades; I'm just glad we can still witness an evening commute rush out of San Francisco in 2014. I wonder if the same will be true in 2074.

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Very nice.

Posted from iPhone

Indeed, very nice. Now in 10+ years, have to get all of the electrics in a similar comparison.

Mike ONeill
Parker, CO

Two excellent photographs by two excellent cameramen. The contast is amazing. Let's hope a third picture is taken in 60 years.

Marty Bernard

So if a Steam Powered Train was being used, could it make it down to San Jose before needing Fuel and Water ?

Evan_Werkema Wrote:
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> Say what you will about the changes over the
> decades; I'm just glad we can still witness an
> evening commute rush out of San Francisco in 2014.

I completely agree. Wasn't it around 40 years ago that SP seriously proposed replacing the commute trains with vanpools for Peninsula commuters?

Ten years ago, CalTrain began the Baby Bullet service. The ridership increase has been phenomenal.

"In the 10 years since the Baby Bullet trains were added to Caltrain's schedule, average weekday ridership on the system has climbed from 23,947 passengers to more than 61,000 passengers, a staggering 150 percent increase."

from:

http://www.rtands.com/index.php/passenger/commuter-regional/caltrain-celebrates-a-decade-of-baby-bullet-service-coalition-to-coordinate-funds-for-modernization.html



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/30/14 19:49 by RuleG.

I think all commute power made it easily to San Jose. I'm pretty sure there were no water plugs on the Peninsula.

Ed

In that 2nd photo, you're looking at what I believe is the last active cantilever signal bridge still in use in the Bay Area. There used to be one on the ex-WP near Elmhurst, but I think the signal is removed from it, or it's completely gone.

And what's even better is that compared to earlier photos, CALTRAIN keeps putting MORE signals and searchlights on that cantilever, not less! A miracle in this day and age of hooded signals everywhere!!

I saw this "then and now" and thought: There are two GS Northerns still in existence (one usually operable), and at least three SP Pacifics in various states of preservation, but none of the Fairbanks-Morse TrainMaster H24-66 diesels survived, and none of the SDP-45s that replaced them are around anymore either. (don't have any pix of SDP-45s in Commute service--here's a pair on the Starlight in San Luis Obispo.)

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coach Wrote:

> In that 2nd photo, you're looking at what I
> believe is the last active cantilever signal
> bridge still in use in the Bay Area. There used
> to be one on the ex-WP near Elmhurst, but I think
> the signal is removed from it, or it's completely
> gone.

The WP cantilever near Melrose is intact and in use with a searchlight signal head, but the only train that uses the line is the Longstreet job.

> And what's even better is that compared to earlier
> photos, CALTRAIN keeps putting MORE signals and
> searchlights on that cantilever, not less! A
> miracle in this day and age of hooded signals
> everywhere!!

Got a funny feeling it won't survive electrification.

Photo #1 is one of the most beautiful RR shots I have ever seen. I left 3rd and Townsend in July 1956 for Navy bootcamp. I grew up about 1 mile from the depot.

I believe those EMDs in photo #3 were The Lark's power.

Ok, no one's asked yet, so I will. What's the raised track in the foreground of #2? It couldn't be a scale track, or could it?

Orient Wrote:
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> What's the
> raised track in the foreground of #2?

Looking at the Google satellite picture it looks like a pit track so maintenance and inspection of the underside of the locomotives can be accomplished. Actually, it looks like there are two pit tracks.

Marty Bernard

Photo #2. Powerful lens. AT&T park looks like it is across the street from the depot rather than the long city block away it actually is.

Nice shots.

SPB

DNRY122 Wrote:

> I saw this "then and now" and thought: There are two GS Northerns still in existence (one usually operable),
> and at least three SP Pacifics in various states of preservation, but none of the Fairbanks-Morse TrainMaster
> H24-66 diesels survived, and none of the SDP-45s that replaced them are around anymore either.

I couldn't find an equivalent TM shot in the WRM Archives, though several are in the TO static photography library:

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,1367090
http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,1983260
http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,925454

Splitting the 60-year spread nearly in half, the Tony Perles photo below shows SDP45's and GP9's at 4th and Townsend along with the Caltrain F40PH's about to replace them in mid-1985.

Orient wrote:

> Ok, no one's asked yet, so I will. What's the raised track in the foreground of #2? It couldn't be a scale track, or could it?

The rails are raised over shallow inspection pits.

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