Western Railroad Discussion > Still Time to Catch UP's Mission Bay in Daylight

Union Pacific's Mission Bay Turn goes on duty in Warm Springs, CA in the late afternoon on
weekdays(and occasional Sundays) headed to South San Francisco.  Its arrival time into San Jose
where it then heads north on Caltrain can vary but this time of the year a daylight run is the
norm.  The switch to standard time in early November will be your deadline to catch this train
in sunlight.

This evenings' Mission Bay with the UP9923-9914 and 30 cars is seen in two views racing north
on the great four track (soon to be) electrified mainline approaching Lawrence in Santa Clara.
The crew will usually call the Caltrain dispatcher on 161.550 20-30 minutes before they expect
to hit the north leg of the wye off the UP Warm Springs Sub in San Jose.

The final view is a quickie grab shot at my local station--Hillsdale--of tonight's train as the
shadows start to creep in.  The dispatcher had put the train into the east siding at Redwood
Jct. to allow two limited stop Caltrains to scoot by.  Typically running 30-40 cars and making
good time the Caltrain dispatchers don't hesitate to send it out onto their railroad even in
the middle of the evening rush.

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What is the track in the foreground on shots 1 and 2?  are there still any industry sidings directly off the main between SJC and SFO?

There had been either a building supply or landscaping company located SW of the Lawrence Station that used to get loads of materials. It's been quite a while since I commuted to Lawrence, mid 2000s to mid 2010s, but it looks like there are apartments or condos being built at that location now. So, it's a switch track to nowhere.

I don't think there is much left between SJC and South City save for the Port of Redwood City. There used to be a customer on the north side of the tracks on Kifer between Lawrence and Bowers that received tank cars, but I believe that ended a while ago too.

Sean

pdt Wrote:
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> What is the track in the foreground on shots 1 and
> 2?  are there still any industry sidings directly
> off the main between SJC and SFO?

That's the old Calstone spur which, as brokenlink said, is now just a 200' stub to nowhere.
Calstone closed that facility in 2019 and they are just now starting the redevelopement of the
site into a 400 unit apartment complex.

A mile to the north Pine Cone Lumber still receives centerbeam loads on a spur with the same
configuration as at Calstone.  Switched by the Mission Bay on its southbound run.

Just north of the Lawrence station off main track four was Pine Cone Lumber that used to take cars not sure 
if they are still in buisness.  The switch in the picture was the Cal Stone Spur which closed down around 2010.

Thanks for posting your absolutely excellent photo series.
ALLEN

Nice pics!!