From: adrian@ntmtv.UUCP (Adrian Brandt)
Subject: Re: Santa Cruz-San Jose CalTrain?
Organization: Northern Telecom Inc, Mountain View, CA
Distribution: ba
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 23:24:51 GMT

In article <14hlslINNa1b@darkstar.UCSC.EDU>, karplus@cse.ucsc.edu (Kevin Karplus) writes:
|> Does anyone have an address or phone number for the Central Coast
|> Railway Club in San Jose that publishes the Ferroequinologist?

I don't, but for some reason this reminded me that this weekend there will
be lots of steam engine activity in San Jose.  The National Railroad
Historical Society is having its convention there this week(end).  There'll
be special excursion trains, each pulled by one the following steam engines:

	SP 2474 - formerly used to pull SP commuters on the peninsula
	SP 4449 - "Daylight" locomotive and pulled the "Freedom Train"
	UP 3985 - "Challenger" (one of 2 surviving) built in 1943
                  (aka "The world's largest steam locomotive")

I heard that the Challenger will be kept in the Union Pacific yard in
Milpitas.  I guess SP wouldn't let it come into SJ on its tracks and
the Challenger is too heavy for the UP branch into San Jose.  The
Challenger weighs over one million pounds and is simply HUGE.  It is
long and so it's articulated and despite its size, it is said to be
fast.  (I think the 4449 was also quite fast--like up to 100mph or so).

There will be simulaneuos trains SJ-SF (2472) and SJ-OAK (3985) where
there will be charter ferry service to take people from one train and
bring them across the bay to the other and then the trains head back
to SJ.  Also there is a trip to Watsonville Junction (double header
4449 & 2472) where riders will be bused to ride the Santa Cruz-Felton
train) and another trip to Sacramento (4449) and the Sacramento
Railroad museum and Old Sacramento and back to SJ.  There is also
a trip to Stockton via Niles Canyon/Altamont Pass (probably 3985).

For ticket info call (408) 253-2798.  The first of the excursions
starts July 23 and they may already be sold out...


Ok, ok, now back to ba.transit stuff:
|> I also was disappointed to hear that Gary Patton was responsible for
|> limiting the study to in-county transit, as the Santa Cruz voters who
|> supported the railway initiatives thought that they were voting for
|> restoring some sort of over-the-hill service (even if it was only weekend
|> tourist trains).

First of all, if they build it, you can bet it won't just be for
weekend tourist trains.  If that kind of public money goes into it,
the public at large has a right to expect as many trains as make
economic sense to run on the line for it to ride.

Secondly, if you Santa Cruzians don't get behind this rail over the
hill project, it will never happen and someday you'll just get a widened
17 with all the traffic and development to go with it.   The choice is
yours, Santa Cruz: do you want to be a bedroom community of the Santa
Clara Valley that is overrun with cars or a bedroom community of the
Santa Clara Valley that is less overrun with cars?  Do you want the
quality of life that comes with struggling over the hill behind the
wheel of a car twice a day, or the quality of life that comes with 
hopping aboard the train and reading/working/relaxing/sleeping while
the train gets you over the hill and into the Valley?  There has to be
a grass roots push for this thing from the west side of the hill, and/or
at the very least a few champions of the idea that are in elected office.

Make contact with Rod Diridon and join forces with him if you think it's
a good idea.  I think he's given up on the idea for a while because no
one over there seems to support it, and of course, there are bigger,
more immediate transit "fish to fry".

-- 

Adrian Brandt (415) 940-2379
UUCP: ...!ames!ntmtv!adrian
ARPA: ntmtv!adrian@ames.arc.nasa.gov