Caltrans  R a i l  D i v i s i o n

Page Contents The Caltrain Years Caltrans & Amtrak Equipment  Locomotive Summary Detailed Roster California Car Roster Photo Gallery Links Railroad Pages Amtrak California Photo

An unoffical history of the California Department of Transportation's Rail Division by Ken Rattenne Photography by the author except where noted NOTE: This article was written in 1997 and has not been updated since then. Roster information updated through 2015. Introduction Since 1982 the California Department Of Transportation (CalTrans) has been active in the funding, planning and execution of a number of railroad passenger operations in the Golden State. CalTrans' Rail Division, in a partnership with Amtrak, has expanded California's rail transportation network dramatically, adding several new trains to the San Diegan and San Joaquin corridors and initiating the very popular Capitols between San Jose and Sacramento. Until 1992 CalTrans also operated CalTrain, the former Southern Pacific commuter service on the San Francisco Peninsula crewed by Amtrak personnel. During this period they increased the number of trains to 60 a day, refurbished stations and purchased new equipment.  CalTrain is now operated as a separate entity governed by the Joint Powers Board representing the three participating counties: Santa Clara. San Mateo and San Francisco. Equipment, however, retains the CDTX reporting marks designation. Due to the Great Recession, in 2010 the Joint Powers Board was receiving only a fraction of the funding required tokeep service as described above, due mostly to reduces tax revenues. The JPB announced drastic service reductions to take place starting in October of 2010 and January of 2011. Weekend service would be eliminated as would service to Gilroy.

 The Caltrain Years 

In 1980 the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) took over operation of Southern Pacific's San Francisco-to-San Jose commuter service, leasing the passenger cars, locomotives and stations along the line from SP and contracting with SP for operations. Under the moniker of Caltrain, the agency was successful in building ridership and adding trains to improve overall service. In 1985 Caltrans re-equipped the service with brand new stainless steel bilevel cars and head-end power equipped locomotives.

On June 27, 1992, Caltrain service. equipment and physical plant were turned over to the Bay Area's Joint Powers Board (JPB), an independent governing agency formed to administer all aspects of Caltrain Peninsula commuter operations.

Today, the JPB operates autonomously, responsible for all Caltrain operations, maintenance and funding activities. Asidefrom loaning an occasional F40PH-2 to the state to cover an Amtrak road failure, there is no day-to-day contact with Caltrans.
 
 

Caltrans And Amtrak California

Once out of the commuter rail business, Caltrans began focusing on building a state-wide intercity rail service to meet the needs of a growing rail passenger market and to begin an aggressive campaign to convince more Californians to leave the convenience of their cars for the convenience and comfort of an Amtrak coach. To this end CalTrans and Amtrak entered into a partnership called Amtrak California.

Today, Caltrans and Amtrak California is responsible for California's three busiest rail corridors: The Capitol Corridor Service, San Joaquins and San Diegans - since renamed to Surfliners. Through Caltrans funding, Amtrak operates an extensive state-wide network of Amtrak Thruway bus connections which act as a feeder system to the trains. This bus-rail pairing brings intercity transportation to many of California's smaller towns that have no direct Amtrak rail connection.

The Department must also employ political savvy as well as logistical expertise, cooperating with local government agencies to provide grants for station improvements in addition to money for capital improvements to track and signaling systems on routes running Amtrak trains.

The Caltrans Rail Division has been using bond money voted for rail use in 1990, and has used these funds for adding to train frequency on all three corridors plus extending Surfliner service on California's scenic Coast Line between San Luis Obispo and Los Angeles. This bond money was also used by Caltrans to design and purchase a new fleet of intercity railcars and locomotives now plying California's rails. Dubbed "California Cars," these new bilevel passenger cars equip all state-funded corridor trains.

Equipment

In 1991 Caltrans ordered two General Electric P32-8WH units as part of a larger Amtrak order for the same model. These two units originally wore Amtrak colors and featured a small Caltrans decal on the cab. They carried Amtrak numbers 501-502 until 1994 when the units were repainted into the current Amtrak California paint scheme and renumbered 2051-2052.

Amtrak California F59PHI 2009 passes a BNSF freight as it speeds through  Riverbank Yard with a northbound San Joaquin on December 12, 2008. Six months later the San Joaquin has just left the Modesto depot and will run along the aptly named Santa Fe Road for another mile. The San Joaquins uses BNSF tracks between Port Chicago and Bakersfield, maintaining a respectable 79 mph along much of the route. BNSF does a better than average job keeping the trains' schedules.

With the growing popularity of both the San Joaquin and Capitol Corridor trains Caltrans went back to EMD in 2001 and ordered another six F59PH units, numbered 2010-2015.

Caltrans Locomotive Roster Summary

The F59PHI and P32-8WH units make up the majority of the roster but Amtrak G.E. P42 units often are assigned to Capitol Corridor and San Joaquin service when the Amtrak California units are in for inspection.  Amtrak maintains the Amtrak California roster at their Oakland maintnance base.

1. CalTrans transferred title to 900-919 to the JPB (Joint Powers Board) in 1992). JPB has since taken delivery of three additional units.
2. CalTrain F40PH-2s were not equipped with dynamic braking upon delivery but have since been equipped with that feature when the fleet was rebuilt.
3. CalTrans 2051-2052 were originally delivered lettered and painted for Amtrak, wearing numbers 501-502. The only distinguishing marking was a Caltrans logo on the cab of each unit. The units were painted into the Amtrak California silver & blue scheme in the summer of 1995.

Photo Gallery
Photos by Ken Rattenne

On October 27, 1998, B32-8WH 2052 (ex-Amtrak 502) blasts through Modesto with a set of California Cars after departing Riverbank only moments before with the San Joaquin. . (Ken Rattenne Photo)	CalTrain 1985-built F40PH-2 905 takes its turn on the turntable in San Jose not long after its delivery. (Ken Rattenne Photo)	Amtrak F59PH 460 speeds a Surfliner south through Del Mar on September 19, 2008. Theformer  San Diegan train name was changed to Surfliner when Amtrak California rebranded the service and added California Cars. The F59s belong to Amtrak.
CalTrain (nee SP) 3i87 displays its one of a kind paint scheme along with two of three bilevels which also wore the experimental scheme. Seldom did the four travel in a matched set but it did occasionally happen. Seen here on display in San Francisco on May 15, 1982.	Southern Pacific GP9E 3187 and three SP Gallery cars were repainted into an experimental CalTrain paint scheme in 1983. SP, which held the operating contract for CalTrain, wasn't particularly interested in keeping the matched set together and more often than not passenger cars and locomotive were scattered amongst four different trains. However, once in a great while the gods would smile and the 3187 would pull duty with the three matched Gallery cars. CalTrans returned 3187 to SP in 1985 after taking delivery of new F40PH-2s.  SP immediately re-assigned the 3187 to the general freight pool and the unit finished out its days working locals and yards.	A Capitol Corridor train with CDTX 2011 in the lead, trundles across the Carquinez Straits just before arriving at Martinez on April 28, 2002.
Links Want to learn more about California intercity passenger rail service, CalTrain or Bay Area railroad history? Check out these quality links.  Amtrak California Home Page  CalTrain Homepage Return to Railroad Pages		CalTrain Baby Bullet Train, Santa Clara