RMweb Premium newbryford Posted February 12, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 12, 2022 (edited) I'm booked on a holiday in a few months to the US. It isn't a rail trip per se, but Mrs NB has consented to a trip on the Southwest Chief from Chicago to Flagstaff and a drive over Tehachapi Pass. There is also one spare day in San Francisco for me and a friend to go riding the rails. The vague plan is to ride Caltrain [*] to San Jose, Amtrak to Oakland and BART back into SF. [*] Ta to Johann Marsbar for the info that the electrification project is running late, so F40PHs may feature. Hoping I don't get one of their MP36PHs as I've already sampled those. Maybe including a cable car and MUNI metro/streetcar if possible. I've been having a look without too much success, but have found a Clipper Card that covers BART/SFMTA/Caltrain and others, but has to be bought for $3 and pre-loaded. - is there a combined ticket I can get to cover most of it, or will it be a case of separate Caltrain/Amtrak/BART/MUNI (SFMTA) tickets? TIA, Mick Edited February 13, 2022 by newbryford 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted February 13, 2022 Share Posted February 13, 2022 (edited) 1 hour ago, newbryford said: There is also one spare day in San Francisco for me and a friend to go riding the rails. The vague plan is to ride Caltrain [*] to San Jose, Amtrak to Oakland and BART back into SF. Maybe including a cable car and MUNI metro/streetcar if possible. I've been having a look without too much success, but have found a Clipper Card that covers BART/SFMTA/Caltrain and others, but has to be bought for $3 and pre-loaded. - is there a combined ticket I can get to cover most of it, or will it be a case of separate Caltrain/Amtrak/BART/MUNI (SFMTA) tickets? I'm in the Toronto area with no experience in SF, but a look at the respective websites indicates they are all operating it appears in the same way the Toronto area operators do. So happy if someone else can correct me (and perhaps some emails/contact form questions to the respective operators may help). (this is worded on an assumption that you, or anyone else reading it, has no experience with North American train/transit where in particular Amtrak/VIA operate very differently than the British railway system does) Basically in North America except for the actual local city transit the idea that tourists would use these services is alien, and when added in to their fiefdoms there is unlikely to be any combined ticketing - the fact that all but Amtrak take the Clipper Card is likely because they were forced to take it and not because they wanted to. So no single fare to cover everything. First things first - Amtrak (and VIA) are ticketed based on seats - no seat no travel. So you are best to make sure you plan anything Amtrak in advance and once you have the Amtrak tickets plan around that. The next question is will you have a data plan to use with a smartphone. If the answer is yes then there are 2 apps you may want to consider: Transit - this app provides bus/train/streetcar/etc times for routes close to you, as well as trip planning. For the SF area operators they have real time updates to the schedules. I use this daily in the Toronto area, good app, works in a lot of places around the world. the Muni (SFMTA) have their own app called MuniMobile. You may want to consider this one as it has a ticketing capacity, and the Muni offers a tourist day pass (Visitor Passport) for $13 that gets you unlimited rides on the streetcars/cable cars/other Muni services (as the cable cars are normally $8 if you are going to use the cable car then this could be a good deal - they want $24 to put this on the Clipper card so better to use the app if you can). If you decide against the cable cars the Muni app offers a $5 daily pass. https://www.sfmta.com/fares/1-day-visitor-passport (I don't know if this requires data plan or not, if you won't have a data plan then check with them) Beyond that the Clipper Card appears to be just like the Toronto area Presto card - for Bart/Caltrain they charge you based on distance (so you need to tap the card before boarding and before you leave your destination station). Muni is a flat fare system of $2.50 per trip with a 2 hour transfer window of free transfers. With this you will (I assume) only tap on boarding, but if you are going to spend more than 2 hours using Muni the day pass/visitor passport will be cheaper. Unfortunately BART requires Clipper to travel, otherwise you would actually be better off avoiding it for your limited use case. Edited February 13, 2022 by mdvle 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johann Marsbar Posted February 13, 2022 Share Posted February 13, 2022 The two occasions that I have spent any length of time in the SF area I've used a combination of a 7 day Muni visitor passport (a paper version bought from the Tram Museum building near the Ferry Terminal ) and the Clipper Card, though if you are only using the various systems for one day it rules that out! For Caltrain, I've just purchased the individual tickets before use from their ticket machines at the stations. Current single fare from San Francisco to San Jose is $10.50, but for $21.00 you can buy a day pass (only from their ticket machines, not electronically) that enables you to hop on/off trains on the whole section of the route, which might be of interest if you want to get photos along the line or rake up some loco haulage or visit some decent brewpubs en route! No time limit on when it starts in the day either . I believe the electrification is further delayed, though all the mast bases are now in place. Out at the San Jose end is the most complete part of the project. Don't forget the VTA light rail in San Jose as well..... One trip that it is possible to do, and one I thought about but discounted, is Caltrain, SF-San Jose, ACE, San Jose to Stockton and Amtrak, Stockton to Oakland. The timetables did work for it back in 2019 as long as you did it that way round during the afternoon runs on ACE, but that may not be the case now, but it enables a run along the Altamont Pass. The thing that put me off was the prospect of having to get between the two stations in Stockton with a longish wait for the Amtrak train - particularly given the reputation of Stockton as a rather unsafe City.....(mind you SF seems to be getting worse now from things I've read in the past couple of years since I was last there.) 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clay Country Posted February 13, 2022 Share Posted February 13, 2022 I did the San Francisco - San Jose - Oakland - San Francisco circuit a few years ago. Unless you're determined to do the whole loop by rail I'd recommend taking the ferry instead of BART for the Oakland - San Francisco leg - you get great views of ships in the port of Oakland and across to San Francisco. The street running through Jack London Square in Oakland is a definite highlight and it's worth pausing there if you have time. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Siberian Snooper Posted February 13, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 13, 2022 I went to SF on the Californian Zephyr back in '18 and got a day ticket that combined the buses, cable cars and trams. I bought the ticket at the cable car terminus near Fishermans Wharf. I would suggest going from one of the extremities to Downtown, as the que going the other way was horrendous. I did one and then caught a trolley bus back to near another cable car terminal and did a 2nd trip. The earlier you start on the cable cars the better as the ques increase as the day goes on. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bodmin16 Posted February 13, 2022 Share Posted February 13, 2022 I am off to SF in the next week or so, we are now fairly regular visitors as my step daughter lives out there, I have limited "train spotting" experience in the states. We missed the Big Boy by a week last time we went out, it was only an hours flight away and a week out! the only other trains I have seen have been the tail end of a freight in the Vegas area and I did get to the Caltrain terminus in SF. I have however done all the cable routes, ridden on the trams and trolley buses. The trams and cable cars are well worth checking out, the cable car museum is great for a quick visit, and it's free. My step daughter has sent some video of trains passing when they were walking, in the countryside around SF, so I shall have to ask her where and I think a visit to Oakland is definitely on the cards! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johann Marsbar Posted February 13, 2022 Share Posted February 13, 2022 34 minutes ago, bodmin16 said: I am off to SF in the next week or so, we are now fairly regular visitors as my step daughter lives out there, I have limited "train spotting" experience in the states. We missed the Big Boy by a week last time we went out, it was only an hours flight away and a week out! the only other trains I have seen have been the tail end of a freight in the Vegas area and I did get to the Caltrain terminus in SF. I have however done all the cable routes, ridden on the trams and trolley buses. The trams and cable cars are well worth checking out, the cable car museum is great for a quick visit, and it's free. My step daughter has sent some video of trains passing when they were walking, in the countryside around SF, so I shall have to ask her where and I think a visit to Oakland is definitely on the cards! Martinez seemed a decent place for rail photography when I was in SF back in September 2019. If you get BART to Concord, there is a County Connection local bus route 16 from there to Martinez station every 40 mins, Mon-Fri. It's a free bus service as well! Mainly Passenger trains, but some freight (or there would have been if there weren't major signalling problems the day I went...) as well. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium newbryford Posted February 14, 2022 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted February 14, 2022 Thanks for all the info gents. As I was looking into it a bit more, the ACE at San Jose did pop up as a thought, but the limited service (four westbound Stockton-San Jose in the morning and four eastbound in late afternoon/evening ) put me off. Hopefully, they'll be visible at SJ. I like the idea of a Caltrain only pass as well as a day Clipper card - keeps it simple, but it does mean missing out on Amtrak on Jack London Square. But - there is a faint possibility of an extra day in SF, so Jack London Square would be high on the list to fill in some of the time. Cheers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johann Marsbar Posted February 14, 2022 Share Posted February 14, 2022 One ACE service was certainly stabled in the platforms in SJ when I was there...... Not sure where the others stable though - There are some sidings south of Tamien Station that are used for commuter stock, so they may run through and stable there during the day. You would need to go south on the VRE Light Rail to have a look! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
APOLLO Posted February 14, 2022 Share Posted February 14, 2022 On 12/02/2022 at 22:58, newbryford said: I'm booked on a holiday in a few months to the US. It isn't a rail trip per se, but Mrs NB has consented to a trip on the Southwest Chief from Chicago to Flagstaff and a drive over Tehachapi Pass. There is also one spare day in San Francisco for me and a friend to go riding the rails. The vague plan is to ride Caltrain [*] to San Jose, Amtrak to Oakland and BART back into SF. [*] Ta to Johann Marsbar for the info that the electrification project is running late, so F40PHs may feature. Hoping I don't get one of their MP36PHs as I've already sampled those. Maybe including a cable car and MUNI metro/streetcar if possible. I've been having a look without too much success, but have found a Clipper Card that covers BART/SFMTA/Caltrain and others, but has to be bought for $3 and pre-loaded. - is there a combined ticket I can get to cover most of it, or will it be a case of separate Caltrain/Amtrak/BART/MUNI (SFMTA) tickets? TIA, Mick Back in 2000 we toured California. We stayed two nights in Tehachapi at a motel by the lineside (now named Baymont by Wyndham Tehachapi). as per a Rails mag suggestion we asked and got a room with a railroad view. Wife was NOT amused that night as trains were stopping outside detaching mid train helper locos etc !!. https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Baymont+by+Wyndham+Tehachapi/@35.1261269,-118.414878,704m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m18!1m9!2m8!1sHotels!3m6!1sHotels!2sTehachapi,+CA+93561,+USA!3s0x80c1f63459df4611:0x4fa974d6b84a9cd4!4m2!1d-118.4489739!2d35.1321877!3m7!1s0x80c1f61fb34235a7:0x62c46ee9f2f5b1a9!5m2!4m1!1i2!8m2!3d35.1265531!4d-118.413798 Beware the loop is a few miles west, but WELL worth a visit, just awesome. Tehachapi loop live webcam Have a nice day !!!!! Brit15 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium newbryford Posted February 14, 2022 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted February 14, 2022 3 hours ago, APOLLO said: Back in 2000 we toured California. We stayed two nights in Tehachapi at a motel by the lineside (now named Baymont by Wyndham Tehachapi). as per a Rails mag suggestion we asked and got a room with a railroad view. Wife was NOT amused that night as trains were stopping outside detaching mid train helper locos etc !!. https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Baymont+by+Wyndham+Tehachapi/@35.1261269,-118.414878,704m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m18!1m9!2m8!1sHotels!3m6!1sHotels!2sTehachapi,+CA+93561,+USA!3s0x80c1f63459df4611:0x4fa974d6b84a9cd4!4m2!1d-118.4489739!2d35.1321877!3m7!1s0x80c1f61fb34235a7:0x62c46ee9f2f5b1a9!5m2!4m1!1i2!8m2!3d35.1265531!4d-118.413798 Beware the loop is a few miles west, but WELL worth a visit, just awesome. Tehachapi loop live webcam Have a nice day !!!!! Brit15 The drive over Tehachapi is quite a long road day between overnight stays. However, the timetable is to pick up a some food in Tehachapi town and then drive up to the loop viewpoint to consume. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium BR60103 Posted February 15, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 15, 2022 A bit of trivia: does the station where the cable car meets Market Street have the most types of transit in one spot? I'm not sure if it's California St or Powell St or both. We were there about 15 years ago, so I don't have any current information. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Siberian Snooper Posted February 16, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 16, 2022 There are numerous bus and subway stops and stations on Market Street. Google maps link below. https://www.google.com/maps/search/Cable+car+stop+near+Market+Street+San+Fransisco/@37.785667,-122.4074096,17z HTH Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendell1976 Posted February 22, 2022 Share Posted February 22, 2022 Mick, this may be a little stretch. Another rail route to see in the Bay Area is the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit(SMART) commuter system. You can take the Golden Gate Ferry from the Ferry Building in San Francisco to suburban Larkspur, California which is in Marin County. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonoma–Marin_Area_Rail_Transit Wendell Idaho, USA 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium BR60103 Posted February 22, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 22, 2022 It's been about 15 years since I was in SF, but I think that there is one station on Market Street that has Street Car Trolley Bus Gas Bus Cable Car (short walk) Subway maybe a second subway? Note that there are two models of cable car. One is double ended and the other has to be turned around at each terminus. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium newbryford Posted May 28, 2022 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted May 28, 2022 On 15/02/2022 at 03:43, BR60103 said: A bit of trivia: does the station where the cable car meets Market Street have the most types of transit in one spot? I'm not sure if it's California St or Powell St or both. We were there about 15 years ago, so I don't have any current information. The junction of Powell and Market has cable car, bus, trolley bus, streetcar above ground and MUNI Metro and Bart below ground 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium newbryford Posted May 28, 2022 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted May 28, 2022 On 22/02/2022 at 02:53, BR60103 said: It's been about 15 years since I was in SF, but I think that there is one station on Market Street that has Street Car Trolley Bus Gas Bus Cable Car (short walk) Subway maybe a second subway? Note that there are two models of cable car. One is double ended and the other has to be turned around at each terminus. Powell-Mason and Powell-Hyde lines are single ended. California is double ended. They cross at California and Powell. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium newbryford Posted May 28, 2022 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted May 28, 2022 (edited) The rail day out was a return day to San Jose with a F40PH #915 leading outbound and a MP36PH #928 pushing return. Seen at San Jose was an Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) with a fairly new Siemens SC-44, including a newly reliveried set of coaches. One of the two ex-Amtrak AEM-7s #929 (to be used for testing the ongoing electrification project) was parked up just outside the limits of the SF Caltrain station. San Jose Diridon and a Caltrain MP36-PH #927 A comparison of the two types of bilevel cars currently in use with CalTrain A grab shot from the train of one of the new Stadler units hiding at San Jose depot. Edited May 28, 2022 by newbryford 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium newbryford Posted May 28, 2022 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted May 28, 2022 (edited) On 14/02/2022 at 19:50, newbryford said: The drive over Tehachapi is quite a long road day between overnight stays. However, the timetable is to pick up a some food in Tehachapi town and then drive up to the loop viewpoint to consume. Got lucky with a downhill train pulling up as an uphill winds its way around the loop. Including a warbonnet Even my non-railway fan Mrs NB and other couple of travelling companions were suitably impressed. And just found a YT video of the same trains! Edited May 28, 2022 by newbryford 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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