by Elrond Lawrence/photos as noted
After seven years of planning, construction, and testing, Caltrain launched its new electrified commuter rail service between San Francisco and San Jose — the most significant transformation in California railroading since diesel locomotives replaced steam. On Saturday, September 21, 2024, Caltrain flipped a switch — literally and figuratively — to launch electric service and largely replace diesels (except for trains to Gilroy).
For the first time in 161 years — dating back to the first San Francisco & San Jose Rail Road trains in 1863 — passengers on this historic corridor no longer ride in trains powered by steam or diesel locomotives. Modern red, white, and gray Stadler electric multiple-unit (EMU) trainsets now speed up and down the 51-mile Peninsula line under catenary, saving travel time, adding capacity, and drastically improving ride quality.
On the other side of the story, the seven-car EMU trainsets have vanquished one of the last major fleets of Electro-Motive F40PH-2s in the country. Three F40PH-2Cs rebuilt by Morrison-Knudsen in 1998 will continue on the roster, as will five Motive Power Industries MP36PH-3Cs that arrived in 2003. But the original 20 F40s that arrived on the property during 1985–87, as well as the fleet of Nippon Sharyo double-deck “gallery” cars that joined them, have been retired.
As striking as the visual change has been, what’s equally startling is the sound… or, more appropriately, the lack of it. The new EMUs are incredibly quiet, a gift to the many homes and high-rise condos that flank the old Southern Pacific main line. Dan Lieberman, public information officer for Caltrain, says it best: “Riding these trains is like riding a 350-ton whisper.”
ABOVE: The last EMD-built F40PH-2 to serve Gilroy, Calif., was 917 (named for Gilroy) on Train 822, arriving at its namesake station on September 27, 2024, a week after diesel operations ended on the Peninsula. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2019, the former SP depot was built in 1918 and restored in 1998. Passenger service ended in 1971, but returned in 1992 with two round trips extended from San Jose. A small layover yard was constructed here in 1994. —Mike Johannessen photo
But the railfan world was anything but quiet in the weeks and months leading up to the electrification transition, as they chased a way of railroading that would all too quickly fade into history.
From Old-School to State-of-the-Art
San Francisco & San Jose Rail Road was chartered in 1859 to connect its two namesake communities down the length of the Peninsula. Construction began in 1860, and the full route was completed in 1864. Timothy Guy Phelps was an early backer of the railroad, and made a speech at the inauguration of service, saying in part, “The shrill whistle of the engine, and the rattling of the cars so lately heard in your beautiful valley for the first time, will be sounds familiar to your children and children’s children, until the angel, with one foot upon the sea and the other upon the dry land, shall declare that time shall be no more.” Phelps went on to become one of the founders of Southern Pacific, which later acquired SF&SJ in 1868.
The railroad was double-tracked in 1904, and the Bayshore Cutoff opened in 1907, which rerouted the railroad to the east of San Bruno Mountain (the original SF&SJ route to the west became the Ocean View Branch, and was abandoned in 1942). SP studied electrification and grade crossing elimination as early as 1921, but cited postwar inflation and competition from subsidized highways as convincing reasons against.
ABOVE: With Limited Express Train 508 on the drawbar, Caltrain F40PH-2CAT 915 is slowing to a stop as it passes Santa Clara Tower on September 3, 2024. The former Southern Pacific interlocking tower has been lovingly restored by South Bay Historical Railroad Society. Caltrain 915 was rebuilt by Alstom in 1999 with a separate Caterpillar HEP generator. —Harry K. Wong photo
After decades of declining ridership and increasing costs, SP filed to discontinue Peninsula passenger service in 1977, first with the state, and later with the Interstate Commerce Commission. In 1980, Caltrans (the state department of transportation) entered into an operating contract with SP to preserve the service. New push-pull trains were purchased in 1985 to replace the prewar heavyweights and mid-century gallery cars. Along with the new equipment came a new name — Caltrain.
The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (PCJPB) acquired the right-of-way from SP in 1991, and Caltrain released its first study of possible electrification in 1992. Without a source of funding, however, the study was shelved. A second study in 1998 also recommended electrification, but the board voted it down in 1999, instead choosing to focus on other service improvements.
When I first moved to Redwood City in the heart of the Peninsula, it was March 2000 and the dot-com technology boom was in full swing. And yet Caltrain’s main line still rocked the mid-century vibe of the former Southern Pacific. Classic SP searchlight signals, pole lines, and trackside structures dotted the line; despite the former “Octopus” being absorbed into Union Pacific in 1996, SP power could still be seen on locals, and Caltrain locomotives and cab cars still carried oscillating SP-style Gyralites. Even Caltrain’s work trains featured “Espee” alumni — a pair of GP9Es and a bay window caboose. Adding to the illusion, restored SP 4-6-2 2472 powered two weekend excursion trains during the months of April and December 2002, transporting onlookers back to a time when SP’s Peninsula trains were known as “commutes.”
ABOVE: ABOVE RIGHT: Dan Lieberman and Rudy Hernandez view the coupling system of EMU 309 while gallery cars of Train 122 roll south on August 28. —Elrond Lawrence photo
Change was already in the wind, though, with a massive track and infrastructure upgrade that began in late 2000 and was completed in 2003, all in preparation for incoming “Baby Bullet” trains that would bring express service to the Peninsula. On April 4, 2003, State Senator Jackie Speier christened bright and shiny MP36PH-3C 923 at Burlingame by smashing a champagne bottle against its curved nose. Locomotive 923 was quickly joined by five more units and a fleet of new Bombardier bi-levels to handle the new express trains.
The “Baby Bullet” launch was the last significant change until 2017, when the PCJPB — Caltrain’s operator — announced that funding had been secured for the system-wide electrification project. A groundbreaking event took place and over the next several years, catenary structures were lifted into place and wires were strung. Californian railfans suddenly had to grapple with a concept that’s all too familiar for fans on the East Coast (and some in the Midwest) — photographing trains under wires.
During that time, the original F40 fleet had begun to look and feel its age; the red and white safety striping on many units had badly faded, smoky exhaust displays were common, and the cowl-style carbodies were visibly battered and beaten, even as the fleet continued to shoulder a punishing daily routine. The stainless-steel gallery cars, as visually striking as ever, were rougher to ride and suffering from nearly 40 years of commuter wear and tear.
The Electric Cavalry Arrives
With funding finally in place and many legal hurdles cleared, the contracts to build an electric railroad and the trains to run on it were approved in 2016. The first EMU trainsets arrived in March 2022, crossing Donner Pass in dedicated trains hauled by UP from Stadler’s plant in Salt Lake City, Utah. Testing followed; while Caltrain had purchased two retired Amtrak AEM-7s to assist with catenary testing, neither was ultimately used, although “meatball” 938 got a spiffy Caltrain wrap that gave railfans a glimmer of hope…
