Train Station #70 -- October 9, 2014

The West Bay Model Railroad Association occupies a former Southern Pacific baggage building on the grounds of the Menlo Park Caltrain Station.  I took the photo as I rode past on Ravenswood Avenue on 29-June-2014. 

Train Station #69 -- September 9, 2014

On our recent trip to New Orleans, we took the the New Orleans Hop-On, Hop-Off Tour.  We got on at the French Market, then got off to buy our tickets at the Southern Railway's former Basin Street Station.

The waiting room was decorated with a large mural. 

  There was a small historic display. 

The gift shop resembled a streetcar. 


 Read more about our trip:
http://cablecarguy.blogspot.com/2014/07/new-orleans-saturday-july-19-2014.html
http://cablecarguy.blogspot.com/2014/07/new-orleans-sunday-july-20-2014.html
http://cablecarguy.blogspot.com/2014/07/new-orleans-monday-july-21-2014.html
http://cablecarguy.blogspot.com/2014/07/new-orleans-tuesday-july-22-2014.html
http://cablecarguy.blogspot.com/2014/07/new-orleans-wednesday-july-23-2014.html

Train Station #68 -- August 9, 2014

On our recent trip to New Orleans, we took the the New Orleans Hop-On, Hop-Off Tour.  The bus went by the New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal (NOUPT), a modern station which opened in 1954.  Today the station serves three Amtrak trains, the City of New Orleans, the Crescent and the Sunset Limited, and Greyhound buses. 

I did not get to ride the new Loyola Avenue streetcar line to visit the NOUPT.  The line opened in January, 2013. 

Read more about our trip:
http://cablecarguy.blogspot.com/2014/07/new-orleans-saturday-july-19-2014.html
http://cablecarguy.blogspot.com/2014/07/new-orleans-sunday-july-20-2014.html
http://cablecarguy.blogspot.com/2014/07/new-orleans-monday-july-21-2014.html
http://cablecarguy.blogspot.com/2014/07/new-orleans-tuesday-july-22-2014.html
http://cablecarguy.blogspot.com/2014/07/new-orleans-wednesday-july-23-2014.html

National Train Day 2014 -- May 10, 2014

Happy National Train Day, everyone.  Among the events being celebrated across the country is the 75th birthday of the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal. 

Los Angeles Union Station, now called Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal, which opened in 1939, was one of the last union stations built in the United States. We visited it in July, 2011 on our way to Angels Flight. We got off the Gold Line on an open platform. We saw heavy-rail commuter trains on other tracks. The lower levels reminded me of a cleaner version of the old East Bay Terminal. The head house was beautiful, as seen above in this front view. The inside was nice, too. 

Train Station #67 -- January 7, 2014

The signboard at the San Carlos Caltrain station.  The station building was built in 1888 by the Southern Pacifc. I took the photo on 27-December-2008.

Train Station #66 -- December 5, 2013

The Palo Alto Caltrain Station.  I took the photo on 01-December-2013. 

Train Station #65 -- November 5, 2013

In October, we visited beautiful San Luis Obispo for the dedication of the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum and the 2013 Central Coast Railroad Festival. We parked near the 1942 Southern Pacific station.  It is still served by Amtrak with the Coast Starlight and Pacific Surfliners. 

San Francisco and San Jose Railroad 150 -- October 26, 2013

I see that I missed the 17-October-2013 150th anniversary of the opening of the San Francisco and San Jose Railroad between the city and Menlo Park.  The Southern Pacific took over in 1870 and today CalTrain operates commute service and Union Pacific hauls freight.  Here is a postcard view of the Menlo Park Southern Pacific station. 

Train Station #64 -- October 6, 2013

Ardenwood Station serves as the entrance to Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Park in Fremont. It is, I believe, a replica of a South Pacific Coast depot.  I took the photo from the train pushed by Porter locomotive Ann Marie during this year's annual Labor Day Railfair. 

Key to All California -- September 15, 2013

Southern Pacific Lines calls itself the Key to All California in this ad from the 06-September-1923 Variety.  "The Southern Pacific Lines are most intimately associated with California than any other railroad system."  The ad lists their major routes, the Sunset Route across the Southwest, the Golden State Route from the midwest to the Southwest, the American Canyon Route, which is a name I don't remember seeing before for the Overland Route, and the Shasta Route through Northern California to the Pacific Northwest. 

The Giants won again, to take 3 out of 4 in the series against the Dodgers.  

Train Station #63 -- September 11, 2013

Last week they started pouring concrete deep underground for the new Transbay Terminal. 

Train Station #62 -- August 7, 2013

San Francisco native Ruth Asawa has placed many of her sculptures around the city.  One of the favorites with many people is the fountain in the plaza of the Hyatt Union Square Hotel.  The fountain, installed in 1973, was formed using baker's clay, with help from friends and school kids who created some of the people, animals and autos.  It was then cast in bronze.  Unfortunately, the fountain has been threatened by Apple, which wants to replace the building at Post and Stockton with an ugly Apple Store which would displace the fountain.

Ruth Asawa passed away Monday night.  

This section of the fountain depicts the old Southern Pacific Depot at Third and Townsend.  The Mission Revival depot opened in 1912, in preparation for the Panama Pacific International Exposition.  The depot was in very bad shape when I was young.  The current Caltrain Depot at Fourth and King opened in 1975. 

Train Station #61 -- July 7, 2013

Los Angeles Union Station, now called Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal, which opened in 1939, was one of the last union stations built in the United States. We visited it in July, 2011 on our way to Angels Flight. We got off the Gold Line on an open platform. We saw heavy-rail commuter trains on other tracks. The lower levels reminded me of a cleaner version of the old East Bay Terminal. The head house was beautiful, as seen in this front view.

Train Station #60 -- June 7, 2013

The Ocean Shore Railroad has been gone since 1921, but Pacifica's Vallemar Station has housed many restaurants since then. The current eatery is a sports bar with good food. It has a nice selection of railroad photos.  I took the photo on 13-April-2013. 

Train Station #59 -- May 8, 2013

Today I took a photo of a train station without trains.  This is the Amtrak Station behind the California Agriculture Building, next to the Ferry Building.  Amtrak California buses come here. 

Train Station #58 -- April 7, 2013

Looking down at the Muni Metro level of the Embarcadero Station, we see an inbound Breda LRV as it arrives. I took the photo on 11-March-2013.

Train Station #57 -- March 6, 2013

I scanned this photo of the Southern Pacific Sunol depot in 2006.  I don't remember when I took it.  The depot is now used by the Niles Canyon Railroad, for excursion trips to Niles. 

Train Station #56 -- February 8, 2013

The Ocean Shore Railroad has been gone since 1921, but Pacifica's Vallemar Station has housed many restaurants since then. The current eatery is a sports bar with good food. It has a nice selection of railroad photos.  In the lobby and the bar are two models built by Armando and Danilo Vargas, representing Ocean Shore scenes.  This one shows a San Francisco-bound train arriving at Vallemar Station. 

Happy Groundhog Day #4 -- February 2, 2013

Happy Groundhog Day to all.

"Groundhog in Lincoln Park" reads the caption from a 1925 Chicago Daily News photo. The Groundhog is posing at the zoo, in front of a painted background. I hope it is not a stuffed groundhog. 

The photo comes from the Library of Congress' wonderful American Memory site (http://memory.loc.gov/). DN-0078555, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society.

Update at 9pm:  We had a nice drive to Princeton.  We visited the Harbor Village Mall and had panini for lunch at the Mezza Luna Cafe.   We went to 5 o'clock mass, which was the monthly teen mass.  Two of the young men helping with the collection had done it last month, so I had them go down the center aisle.  We had dinner at Vallemar Station. 

Train Station #55 -- January 7, 2013

The 1926 Southern Pacific Depot is used by Amtrak and Caltrain. There was a great deal of work going on last summer.

 I took the photo during our July, 2012 visit.