Western Railroad Discussion > Pedal Powered Foam: Port of Redwood City, CA

I went out for a lunch ride yesterday, heading south along the Bay Trail to Redwood City before climbing through the Emerald Hills neighborhood and returning north through the foothills. When I made it to Seaport Boulevard, I decided to see if the LSF51 local was switching in the Port of Redwood City, which it typically does on Wednesdays. I made it down to the Cemex facility near the end of the port complex with no LSF51 in sight. Thinking I missed it, I continued around the office buildings at the tip of the peninsula that port is located on. On the return towards Redwood City via the bike trail on the east side of Seaport Blvd, I heard the unmistakable sound of locomotive prime movers approaching. I stopped, found a spot to cross the tree covered median dividing Seaport Blvd and the Frontage Rd, and I grabbed a few shots of the LSF51 with my phone as it was dropping tank cars to go switch cement hoppers from the Cemex facility.

I've found the Frontage Rd at the Port of Redwood City sketchy enough to shoot on foot with my car safely parked. You must maintain a constant awareness of the semis hauling industrial products, scrap metal, aggregates, and dry cement down the Frontage Rd, and stay out of their way. Visiting the port on a sub-16 pound road bike is probably asking to be flattened by a semi. Fortunately I stayed as far right as possible, tried to keep my speed as close to the posted 25 mph for trucks as possible, and the truck drivers were watchful.

Photo: UP 1004, a former SSW GP60, along with GP40M-2 1527, head towards Cemex after leaving their tank cars for Clean Harbors or Univar. (15.66mm camera / 120mm focal length equivalent)

Cheers,
Sean

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Very nice shots! A sub-16lb bike sounds very nice too - carbon obviously?

I assume the port's black-widow painted GE 45 ton is long gone.

These sorts of fortuitous catches are always fun. I caught the local coming out of the dirt yard in a similar fashion earlier this year. I hear what you're saying on that side road and the trucks.

Speaking of pedal-powered foaming, there was a local railfan who would follow the local on a kick scooter out there!

Yes, it's a carbon and epoxy frame, rims, etc. It was a trade show demo bike that I picked up "used" at a ridiculously good price from my LBS. I'm not really sure that it was ridden much before I bought it, but I've been getting my moneys worth out of it as I'm just shy of 20,000 miles on it now.

exhaustED Wrote:
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> Very nice shots! A sub-16lb bike sounds very nice
> too - carbon obviously?

I believe it's still tucked back in the port's tracks adjacent to Univar. Chris Campi and I discussed it when I met him there in the fall. You can see it on Google Maps / Earth at the end of Beeger Rd.

masterphots Wrote:
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> I assume the port's black-widow painted GE 45 ton
> is long gone.

broken_link Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I believe it's still tucked back in the port's
> tracks adjacent to Univar. Chris Campi and I
> discussed it when I met him there in the fall. You
> can see it on Google Maps / Earth at the end of
> Beeger Rd.
>
> masterphots Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I assume the port's black-widow painted GE 45
> ton
> > is long gone.

Still there as of this Monday.