Passenger Trains > Capitol Corridor: 25 Amazing Years 1991-2016

Today marks the 25th Anniversary of Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor, inaugurated on December 12, 1991, with three daily roundtrips and subsequently expanded to 16 and now 15 daily roundtrips.  Time has certainly flown by!
 
The service was made possible not as a result of planning efforts initiated by Amtrak, Caltrans, regional transportation agencies, or others with responsibility for those matters.  Rather, the Capitol Corridor came about largely as a citizens’ initiative, culminating in California voter approval in June 1990 (53% yes vote) of Proposition 116, a $1.99 billion rail bond measure that included $85 million for track and signal upgrades between San Jose and Sacramento to make the passenger service palatable to then-owner Southern Pacific.  Many Californians stood on street corners collecting signatures to qualify Proposition 116 for the ballot; some of the effort was also undertaken by professional gatherers funded by the campaign.
 
Earlier, in 1989, grassroots efforts to publicize the opportunity offered by the mostly doubletrack railroad were undertaken, including a special excursion with box lunch for city council members and others, using a dedicated car on the California Zephyr for that purpose between the Bay Area and Sacramento, picking up elected officials along the way, with the return being by charter bus.  Helpful in arranging Amtrak’s participation on that day was the late Arthur Lloyd.
 
Many of us remember the exhilaration on June 5, 1990, when Proposition 116 passed, only to be disappointed by what then seemed an excruciating long delay in implementing the service – 18 months.  But eventually, in due course, all the hurdles were overcome, and the new service started 25 years ago today.  In retrospect, that intervening period of waiting was not all that significant.

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/12/16 00:08 by reindeerflame.

Great  manager. Skorpowski.

cutboy2 Wrote:
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> Great  manager. Skorpowski.

AAF ...

When I rode it around 1991, it was 3 or 4 trains a day of 3 car Horizon consists.

Not to be forgotten, the reaction to which is indicative of how State and local forces banded together in defense:

Amtrak tried to kill it and announced the discontinuance of the Capitols in the mid-1990s!

And Thanks to Reindeer for being the mover and Shaker to get prop 116 passed.

Many of you did not realize this.

In '91 I was working as an LSA on the Coast Starlight.  I had been commuting to the LAX Crew Base from Dutch Flat (450mi) for about 8yrs (yes, really).  The launching of the Capitol service was my chance to transfer to the Oakland Crew Base and cut my commute to a mere 140mi!

The service began with 6 LSA's in rotation: 2 days on/ 4 off.  There were just 2 trainsets, each an F40 with 4 Horizon coaches and 1 Horizon cafe- the Capitols never used Amfleet cars.  On any given night one set was in the Oakland Yard while the other overnighted in Roseville.  My report time in OAK was 2am.  I loaded my stock, set up the cafe, and the T&E crew arrived around 5am.  We then deadheaded to San Jose to wait for our 8am departure.  About the time we left SJC for SAC, the other set left RSV for SJC.  This was repeated at noon.  Around 5PM I left SJC, and we continued past SAC to tie up for the night in Roseville.  Meanwhile, after arriving in SJC, the other set deadheaded back to the Oakland Yard and the whole process started again at 2am.   
T&E crews were all in Oakland at the time- Sacramento Crew Base didn't exist yet.  Crews changed at 16th Street in Oakland, stepping on & off.  Also of note: there were no stops between 16th Street Oakland and San Jose- today there are 6!
I did not work the inaugural train that first day.  If I recall, I went out on about the 3rd day- I'd bid a rotation that would have Christmas off. 
I retired from Amtrak last July after working the Capitols exclusively since that first week in 1991.  All of the other 5 LSA's had retired before me.  None of the T&E people worked the Capitols continuously during these years, so I'm pretty sure I've racked up more miles on the Capitols that anyone, crews or passengers, somewhere around one and a half million miles. 
I wonder how many miles per gallon that was in coffee served?
It was kinda fun.
SR



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/13/16 18:59 by BoilingMan.

GenePoon Wrote:
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> Not to be forgotten, the reaction to which is
> indicative of how State and local forces banded
> together in defense:
>
> Amtrak tried to kill it and announced the
> discontinuance of the Capitols in the mid-1990s!


This is sort of true, or rather, there's more to the story...
I don't remember all the details, but the gist of it was that Amtrak had been taking heat in it's decisions regarding train support.  The accusation was that choices were political, not economic..  (Validity of this is an argument for another day)  A budget crunch of some sort came up and $xx needed to be cut.  To avoid criticism and be "fair", an outside agency was hired to analyze the economic performance of all services and as many trains would be listed to be cut (starting at the bottom) as needed to hit the $xx target.  It was a blind list, for both Amtrak and the public. 
When the results were revealed, I think 10 trains were listed- and the Capitols made the hit list.  The State of California reacted quickly saying they would pick up the full tab of the Capitols. (as a result: to this day the Capitols, unlike the Surfliners & San Joaquins, are NOT 403b trains)
When the dust settled (and I'm not 100% sure of this) I think it came out that the data used in the blind test was flawed- the hired agency had not understood that only 40% of the Capitol "loses" were billed to Amtrak. Oopsie.  Oh well, CA legislators had maybe jumped in too quickly...  but their check had already cleared, so- what the hey?!
If true, then Amtrak never would have "tied to kill it" as Poon states.  In a Q&A session shortly afterwards, Tom Downs said as much.
SR

BTW:  I tink the Hiawatha service also was on that list, and it too lives on.
 

BoilingMan Wrote:
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> If true, then Amtrak never would have "tied to
> kill it" as Poon states.  In a Q&A session
> shortly afterwards, Tom Downs said as much.


He sure had his problems with outside consultants and contractors.  A word to the wise
would be appropriate to anyone who would trust him for anything, I'd think (he's still out there!).

Or maybe Amtrak was bluffing, in which case a word to the wise would be appropriate for anyone
who would trust THEM.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/12/16 14:44 by GenePoon.

BoilingMan Wrote:
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> Around 5 I left SJC, and we continued past SAC to tie up for the night in Roseville.

Where did the train get parked? There is a track just east of the Roseville depot on the #1 track that seems like it may have been it, but that was before my railfanning time to know for sure.

At first we tied up at "Little Reno" where the MoW stuff was and TOFC ramps were- not far from the Rotary & Steam Locomotive are displayed now.
Later we were spotted in a short stub track just RR east of Yosemite Steet. There was a generator there so the neighborhood could be spared the howl of the screaming F40 all night.
We always turned the train on the eye for the East Valley line right after we arrived.
SR

Ah so then the stub track by Yosemite was used for the train. I kinda figured the SP wouldn't want the train in their yard every night, but ya never know. Thanks.

Right. The generator we used sat there for years afterward.

I think the time is coming when all CC trainsets that now overnight in Sacramento will instead tie up in Roseville again.
SR

Hey, new guys- if they put you up at the Heritage Inn, check out the "Honeymoon Suite", room 69 (yes, really). The ceiling is covered with mirrors.
It's really creepy.

I stopped by San Jose to photograph the inagural run before heading to work in Concord. I believe this was the revenue debut for the Pepsi Can P32-8BWH's, or close to it. Since I was waring a suit, I got an invite to ride from Amtrak PR, but couldn't take the entire day off.

1. Northbound crossing the Guadalupe River in Alviso.

2. Breaking the banner in Oakland, Jack London Square.

3.. Along San Pablo bay at Pinole.

4, Crossing the Benicia Bridge, before they built the second I-680 bridge

Jim

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Jim B

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Cool!
Dash 8's were not a particularly successful locomotive on the Capitol's. They were too slow accelerating and I recall engineers complaining about them.
SR

Even going back further, before trains served Roseville, all Capitol train sets would cycle between San Jose and Sacramento and would end up back at the Oakland Coach Yard for overnight servicing.  In the morning, a train would deadhead from Oakland to San Jose to board after going around the wye there.  Similarly, the last train in San Jose at night would go around the wye and deadhead back for the evening. No trains would lay over in Sacramento or Roseville and there were no cab cars so wyeing was necessary on each end. 

​When service to Roseville was eventually introduced, a cobination Horizon fleet set with an additional 5 Caltrain gallery cars were used to haul passengers taking advantage of a special $1 introductory fare.  I worked a morning westbound train from Roseville to San Jose and we carried 1000 passengers to the Bay Area who used the special fare that day. 

BoilingMan Wrote:
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> At first we tied up at "Little Reno" where the MoW
> stuff was and TOFC ramps were- not far from the
> Rotary & Steam Locomotive are displayed now.
> Later we were spotted in a short stub track just
> RR east of Yosemite Steet. There was a generator
> there so the neighborhood could be spared the howl
> of the screaming F40 all night.
> We always turned the train on the eye for the East
> Valley line right after we arrived.
> SR

Mmmmmm, no, you're confusing this a bit- from the very start there were 2 trainsets in motion every day so that there were morning, noon, and evening trains out of Sacramento & San Jose.
Each night one set ended up in Roseville, and the other deadheaded back to Oakland from SJ. (Remember we used to go out for Chinese with Kevin T in RV?)

That $1 intro thing was totally out of control!!!! You say 1000, but I think that's just how many tickets you were able to collect. I'm guessing we may have had even more on board! Looking back now it doesn't even seem possible we could do that- new guys think I'm pulling their leg when I tell them about it.
Crazy times.
SR

Hubert, I think what you're remembering is the opening/ introduction of the Roseville depot building, not the service itself.

Hey SR,
Hope your doing well.

Yes, I remember the dinners in Roseville very well!  Great times for all of us!

It has been so long, I will have to go back and look at my referenece materials.  You are likely right and I am likley getting senile!
 
HH

BoilingMan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Mmmmmm, no, you're confusing this a bit- from the
> very start there were 2 trainsets in motion every
> day so that there were morning, noon, and evening
> trains out of Sacramento & San Jose.
> Each night one set ended up in Roseville, and the
> other deadheaded back to Oakland from SJ.
> (Remember we used to go out for Chinese with Kevin
> T in RV?)
>
> That $1 intro thing was totally out of control!!!!
> You say 1000, but I think that's just how many
> tickets you were able to collect. I'm guessing we
> may have had even more on board! Looking back now
> it doesn't even seem possible we could do that-
> new guys think I'm pulling their leg when I tell
> them about it.
> Crazy times.
> SR
>
> Hubert, I think what you're remembering is the
> opening/ introduction of the Roseville depot
> building, not the service itself.