Nostalgia & History > Some CalTrain Around San Jose in 1991

All three photos were taken on July 28, 1991.

Enjoy,
Marty Bernard

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1991 was the last full year that SP ran the show - in July 1992 the Joint Powers Board (representing two reluctant counties: SF and Santa Clara, and one enthusiastic county, San Mateo) took over and quickly altered the scene.

A new engine servicing facility was built along the Freight Lead (the left-hand track in the bottom photo), the freight semi-official main track (Depot Track #5 was the "real" main), and Caltrain locomotived ceased using the Lenzen SP facility. SP, what there was left of it in San Jose by then, continued using Lenzen in ever-decreasing amounts over the next few years, and by the late 1990's was parking its power next to the Newhall Yard office. After that, the Lenzen tracks continued to be used occasionally for Caltrain ballast car storage. Today, the main tracks have been shifted to run through the site of the Lenzen turntable, and the sand tower in the top photo. Crew/w/official/dispatching buildings occupies the balance of the old roundhouse area, connected by a tunnel under the tracks to CMOF (Caltrain's maintenance facility), which occupies the old roundhouse ready track/main track area.

And all of those depot "field" (storage) tracks in the bottom area have been replaced with much-needed additional arrival/departure tracks.

When I hired out, Cahill Depot was a lazy place in mid-day. I thought that the commutes trains were about done, but the freight trains would continue-on as before. Boy, did I get that backwards!

Thanks, Marty! It seems that not many guys photographed Caltrain in the years immediately after the old SP equipment went away.

EO

I was never around SJC until late '91, so forgive me: when did the Subs and the P-S galleries go away? Both together, or Subs first?
SR

ALL of the SP equipment was replaced in mid June of 1985.
This was an OVERNIGHT replacement of ALL SP passenger cars (subs and gallery cars) for the
silver Caltrain push--pull gallery cars.
THe Caltrain F40PH units arrived about 2 months EARLY so you did 
have CDTX F40PH pulling SP Harriman subs and CDTX F40PH + Gallery cars for a few months.

THe CDTX reporting mark was changed to JPBX sometime in the 1990s (I think) for the SF Peninsula commutes former SP commutes. 
Due to some major issue with braking the SP commute locos were quickly returned to commute service for about 2 months or so (1985 June to August ???).
In 1985 from June to August you had the classic SP commute power added as the point loco ON TOP of the silver Caltrain commute equipment + F40 diesel consist.
I forgot exacly how long that brief resurrection of SP power lasted because it has now been 3 decades since this happened in 1985 (now 30 long years ago) .
I hope this info helps to set the historic record as straight and accurate as I can after about 30 years now.
---- Daniel

BoilingMan Wrote:
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> I was never around SJC until late '91, so forgive
> me: when did the Subs and the P-S galleries go
> away? Both together, or Subs first?
> SR



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/27/15 18:21 by daniel3197.

Great answer!
Thanks!
SR

And a great example of TO's at it's best

These are probably March 1985 (too lazy to go find the originals).

Bill Kepner
 

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Here is a shot of some of the SP gallery cars parked at San Jose in August of 1985.  I got the impression they were out of service at this point.  The closest looks like several of St. Louis Car co. products.

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I really wish I had gotten down to San Jose in 91 and 92 (there was some big steam thing I missed out on down there). Just never did make it down from the north bay.

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