Western Railroad Discussion > UP Charging Downgrade Under Caltrain's Catenary

Union Pacific's LSF-51 job is seen making track speed(50 mph for freight on the Peninsula)
as it drifts northbound down into Hayward Park this afternoon with a 30 car train for South
San Francisco.  This local heads down to Redwood Jct. thrice weekly(M/W/F)from SSF dodging
Caltrain commutes along the way.

Another shot at the same location but with an elevated view from the CA92 pedestrian bridge.
UP's Mission Bay Hauler is seen earlier this month with its usual pair of SD59MX's headed to
SSF from Warm Springs.  It has just topped the "summit" at 25th Ave. of the Hillsdale grade
separation project and is coasting into Hayward Park on the blocks of a Caltrain local.  This
may be old hat to rail photographers in the NEC but trying to frame photos amid all those
pesky electrification poles is getting to be a challenge to this left coaster.

Speaking of elevated vantage points the Grand Ave. overpass in South San Francisco provides
an expansive view looking north.  The LSF-51 goes about its switching in the UP yard there.

---

---

---

Great series, freight under wire is always interesting to see...

JG

UP looks great under catenary.  Thanks for posting your super photo series.
ALLEN

Nice series of shots with an excellent job of framing with all of the overheads....

James Nelson
Thornton, CO
www.flickr.com/mojaveflyer

Are they running electrified commuter trains nowadays, or is the catenary system still under construction?

Looks like the only way for Freight RR's to go Green is electrification.
At least in California.

TAH

Posted from Android

I used to be able to run a train in my sleep over these rails and now I don't reconize anything.

I'm probably in the minority, but the Catenary looks like S _ _ T !!

Kent in CArmel Valley

> Are they running electrified commuter trains nowadays

Don't recall whether they're hoping to start in 2024.

Modern electrification uses a lot more steel and fiberglass support structures. A lot of the old east coast catenary relies more on wire structures and although it interferes with photgraphy it isn't as obtrusive as all that "solid" overhead stuff.
Gonut

Great shots MP20! That's a nice curve and incline there reminds me of the one at San Bruno. Are you shooting through or over a fence there? Tough fencing situation at San Bruno. Good lord those catenary poles are really something.

 

A long time ago there was a saltworks--at least I think that's what it was--at Hayward Park. Here's an aerial photo of it and then same perspective modern day. When did they get rid of the little Hayward Park station shelter seen in the left of the old aerial? 

---

---

Great group of photos in San Mateo.

Rich

phthithu Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That's a nice curve and incline
> there reminds me of the one at San Bruno. Are you
> shooting through or over a fence there? Tough
> fencing situation at San Bruno. Good lord those
> catenary poles are really something.

Photo at Hayward Park taken from the southbound platform
without any fencing issues.  That s/b Caltrain was an
unscheduled baseball extra that surprised me and cleared
just in time.  The curve and grade at the north end of San
Bruno may be the most severe on Caltrain's route.
  

---

milepost20 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Photo at Hayward Park taken from the southbound
> platform
> without any fencing issues. 

Nice! Yeah that's the spot at San Bruno for southbounds. Northbounds a different story from the bottom of the incline. Before the catenary went in, and depending on occupancy of a pampas bush outside the fence, there was a great angle at about the north end of the southbound retaining wall for the ramp. Then a pampas grass grew inside the fence. Later it disappeared as if by magic but by then the catenary was in. That was shooting through a fence. 

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/30/23 16:25 by phthithu.

---

---

I like Pics 2 and 3!!

DynamicBrake Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm probably in the minority, but the Catenary
> looks like S _ _ T !!

I'm with you. We finally got rid of most of the code lines and now this. Fugly.

Gonut1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Modern electrification uses a lot more steel and
> fiberglass support structures. A lot of the old
> east coast catenary relies more on wire structures
> and although it interferes with photgraphy it
> isn't as obtrusive as all that "solid" overhead
> stuff.
> Gonut

The Caltrain electrification looks like it uses essentially the same catenary supports as Amtrak's NEC east end which was installed in the late 1990s, which is based on a British Rail system used on the East and West Coast mainlines.  The former NH west of New Haven largely uses steel structures that span the tracks....definitely more obtrusive. 

Dave