chuljin
Lead Service Attendant
Part 4: January 24
Ferry, Martinez, Davis, SACRT Light Rail, SJ SAC branch
Pictures (and a few videos) from this day are here.
Sorry for the long delay in posting this final part. :|
A little background as to why I was up so early this day: One thing oddly not mentioned about MUNI F cars except on timetables on MUNI's hard-to-navigate site is that they're stored pretty far from their usual route, in a little yard at the southeast corner of San Jose and Geneva, catty-corner [sp?] from the Balboa Park station and yards. They put them into circulation each day by following essentially the J route up to Market, whence their usual route. Most of these early-morning movements are actually revenue, and published in the timetables.
I woke at 5am, intending to take BART from Civic Center out to Balboa Park, and then take MUNI F back to the Ferry Building as described above. In the event, it took me so long to completely wake up and get going that my carefully-planned sequence of connections collapsed (and it's not like I'd figured out exactly where to board it near Balboa Park anyways [see the previous day, trying to board the J). So I instead just walked along Market to Powell, whence F to the Ferry Building. Peet's Coffee was the only thing open, so I got a big one and just sat and watched/photographed the sunrise (three pictures starting here).
At 7:35, I boarded an Alameda/Oakland Ferry to cross the bay. The name of the ferry I rode, Peralta, has some historical significance in that it was the name of one of the Key System's twin ferries, which was destroyed in a fire in 1933, fortunately not that long before the Bay Bridge opened and Key no longer needed ferries. The 'wind' created by the ferry's movement was no stronger than on an identical trip in 2008, but this day the air temperature was much colder, so I spent precious little time outside, though I did get several pictures. Over at Oakland, I took my time getting to OKJ, since my train was not for two hours. I walked a slightly different route this time, walking along Embarcadero where there is street running, catching a short video of train 527 approaching OKJ from the north.
I'd intended to spend about 2 hours at/near OKJ and MTZ, and 1 hour at/near DAV, but OKJ was exceedingly dull, so I opted for an earlier train, 526, to MTZ and stay there for 3. My trip on 526 was an uneventful one of a little under an hour; e-seatchecking was once again in evidence. I can happily report getting a corner seat behind the glass.
At MTZ, I was happy to find they have the same wide selection of timetables, brochures, and whatnot for transit all over the Greater Bay Area, so I picked up a whole bunch. I didn't want to drag my suitcase all over Martinez, so I asked if they store luggage for a fee, and the station agent just had the station host open the office door and let me store it for free. Sweet.
I headed up to Martinez Waterfront Park and the Martinez Marina and, while there, heard train horns and luckily caught pictures or short videos of two trains approaching MTZ from the south, along the edge of the Carquinez Strait, and of one approaching MTZ from the north as it crossed the Benicia-Martinez Bridge (714, 528, and 535, respectively, I think). I then walked back to town for lunch. On the way, I got to watch a UP guy 'load' a high-railer (I think that's what they're called) onto the tracks where Ferry St crosses. Lunch was at a Thai restaurant called Erawan 2, just around the corner from the station. Pretty good, and with prices about midway between normal-with-competition and normal-without-competition. Back at MTZ, I loaded up with more literature, then it was off to DAV.
My 45-or-so minutes on train 530 was also almost unremarkable, but for two things: e-seatchecking again, and it had one of the new cafe cars, which I really dislike, as they're just Surfliner ones, with regular passenger seating upstairs and the tiny crappy cafe downstairs.
At DAV, I was about to go explore the town when I heard a train approach from the north. I stuck around to see what it was: it turned out to be Train 11. I was pretty sure this would have been the same set, and same (OBS, anyways) crew that I'd had on Friday, so I started to walk over to the platforms to say hi to Cynthia. As I walked, the station agent came over the loudspeakers, as if admonishing me personally, to say 'There's only one passenger boarding here on Train 11, the southbound CC will be here shortly!' And as it turns out that single passenger was going coach, so the sleeping car doors didn't even open. Oh well.
I walked around the town a little, stopping for gelato at Icekrimski, next to the iconic Varsity theater, and taking a few pictures of this and that. I then went back to DAV for my shortest Amtrak ride of this trip.
Not a lot could have happened in the 28 minutes I was on Train 532. More e-seatchecking. I'm guessing it's routewide.
At SAC, I went to the baggage office (uniquely so far for me separate from the ticket office) and asked to check my bag to GDL (because the timetable says I can). He told me I could only check it as far as BFD and would then have to put it on the bus myself. OK. It was going to be an hour and a half here, so I passed part of the time by taking SACRT light rail over to the State Capitol and back. Too soon, it was time to start my trip home.
Train 704 was enjoyable enough until almost the very end. Some highlights:
I had a pack of hummus and pretzels, and two packs of cheese and crackers, of course.
As we stopped at SKT, there was an ACE train on the next track. Shortly after we left, it passed us, then slowed and we passed it, then it sped up and passed us again and turned off somewhere and disappeared, probably being put away until Tuesday's San-Jose-ward trip.
We got to each station between MOD and FNO pretty early, and dwelled for several minutes. When we got to FNO, it was foggy as hell, never clearing up for the rest of the trip.
Shortly after we left WAC, the 'fun' started. We stopped. And we sat. And sat. And sat. Finally a conductor came on and said the reason why we were sitting is that a BNSF freight we were following had hit a car someone had abandoned on the tracks, and they had to clear it, inspect that train and the tracks, etc. After waiting some 2 hours, we were finally cleared to travel the last 20 minutes to BFD.
BFD was even foggier than FNO; it was hardly possibly to even see the station building from the tracks and bus loading area. I claimed my bag from the cart and put it next to the bus, noticing that SAC *had*, after all, put a pink-bordered transfer tag for GDL on it. Fortunately my bus, 5804, turned into an express of sorts, since we didn't make the stops at NHL or BUR; perhaps no one was so ticketed. We finally arrived at GDL just after 2, a little under 2 hours late. Mr. chuljin picked me up, more than a little bent that either of us was up that late, and home.
So there it is.
I'm thinking of doing this often. I don't think I'll go up or down the coast again, at least 'only' as far as the bay area (though I intend to take the CS to or from this year's Gathering)...I think all future bay-area trips will be San Joaquins up *and* down.
I think the next one will probably start on a Friday, 5811/711 to OKJ, 535 to SJC, token short or no stay in San Jose, Caltrain up to SF, etc. etc. then on Sunday 716/5816 home.
Ferry, Martinez, Davis, SACRT Light Rail, SJ SAC branch
Pictures (and a few videos) from this day are here.
Sorry for the long delay in posting this final part. :|
A little background as to why I was up so early this day: One thing oddly not mentioned about MUNI F cars except on timetables on MUNI's hard-to-navigate site is that they're stored pretty far from their usual route, in a little yard at the southeast corner of San Jose and Geneva, catty-corner [sp?] from the Balboa Park station and yards. They put them into circulation each day by following essentially the J route up to Market, whence their usual route. Most of these early-morning movements are actually revenue, and published in the timetables.
I woke at 5am, intending to take BART from Civic Center out to Balboa Park, and then take MUNI F back to the Ferry Building as described above. In the event, it took me so long to completely wake up and get going that my carefully-planned sequence of connections collapsed (and it's not like I'd figured out exactly where to board it near Balboa Park anyways [see the previous day, trying to board the J). So I instead just walked along Market to Powell, whence F to the Ferry Building. Peet's Coffee was the only thing open, so I got a big one and just sat and watched/photographed the sunrise (three pictures starting here).
At 7:35, I boarded an Alameda/Oakland Ferry to cross the bay. The name of the ferry I rode, Peralta, has some historical significance in that it was the name of one of the Key System's twin ferries, which was destroyed in a fire in 1933, fortunately not that long before the Bay Bridge opened and Key no longer needed ferries. The 'wind' created by the ferry's movement was no stronger than on an identical trip in 2008, but this day the air temperature was much colder, so I spent precious little time outside, though I did get several pictures. Over at Oakland, I took my time getting to OKJ, since my train was not for two hours. I walked a slightly different route this time, walking along Embarcadero where there is street running, catching a short video of train 527 approaching OKJ from the north.
I'd intended to spend about 2 hours at/near OKJ and MTZ, and 1 hour at/near DAV, but OKJ was exceedingly dull, so I opted for an earlier train, 526, to MTZ and stay there for 3. My trip on 526 was an uneventful one of a little under an hour; e-seatchecking was once again in evidence. I can happily report getting a corner seat behind the glass.
At MTZ, I was happy to find they have the same wide selection of timetables, brochures, and whatnot for transit all over the Greater Bay Area, so I picked up a whole bunch. I didn't want to drag my suitcase all over Martinez, so I asked if they store luggage for a fee, and the station agent just had the station host open the office door and let me store it for free. Sweet.
I headed up to Martinez Waterfront Park and the Martinez Marina and, while there, heard train horns and luckily caught pictures or short videos of two trains approaching MTZ from the south, along the edge of the Carquinez Strait, and of one approaching MTZ from the north as it crossed the Benicia-Martinez Bridge (714, 528, and 535, respectively, I think). I then walked back to town for lunch. On the way, I got to watch a UP guy 'load' a high-railer (I think that's what they're called) onto the tracks where Ferry St crosses. Lunch was at a Thai restaurant called Erawan 2, just around the corner from the station. Pretty good, and with prices about midway between normal-with-competition and normal-without-competition. Back at MTZ, I loaded up with more literature, then it was off to DAV.
My 45-or-so minutes on train 530 was also almost unremarkable, but for two things: e-seatchecking again, and it had one of the new cafe cars, which I really dislike, as they're just Surfliner ones, with regular passenger seating upstairs and the tiny crappy cafe downstairs.
At DAV, I was about to go explore the town when I heard a train approach from the north. I stuck around to see what it was: it turned out to be Train 11. I was pretty sure this would have been the same set, and same (OBS, anyways) crew that I'd had on Friday, so I started to walk over to the platforms to say hi to Cynthia. As I walked, the station agent came over the loudspeakers, as if admonishing me personally, to say 'There's only one passenger boarding here on Train 11, the southbound CC will be here shortly!' And as it turns out that single passenger was going coach, so the sleeping car doors didn't even open. Oh well.
I walked around the town a little, stopping for gelato at Icekrimski, next to the iconic Varsity theater, and taking a few pictures of this and that. I then went back to DAV for my shortest Amtrak ride of this trip.
Not a lot could have happened in the 28 minutes I was on Train 532. More e-seatchecking. I'm guessing it's routewide.
At SAC, I went to the baggage office (uniquely so far for me separate from the ticket office) and asked to check my bag to GDL (because the timetable says I can). He told me I could only check it as far as BFD and would then have to put it on the bus myself. OK. It was going to be an hour and a half here, so I passed part of the time by taking SACRT light rail over to the State Capitol and back. Too soon, it was time to start my trip home.
Train 704 was enjoyable enough until almost the very end. Some highlights:
I had a pack of hummus and pretzels, and two packs of cheese and crackers, of course.
As we stopped at SKT, there was an ACE train on the next track. Shortly after we left, it passed us, then slowed and we passed it, then it sped up and passed us again and turned off somewhere and disappeared, probably being put away until Tuesday's San-Jose-ward trip.
We got to each station between MOD and FNO pretty early, and dwelled for several minutes. When we got to FNO, it was foggy as hell, never clearing up for the rest of the trip.
Shortly after we left WAC, the 'fun' started. We stopped. And we sat. And sat. And sat. Finally a conductor came on and said the reason why we were sitting is that a BNSF freight we were following had hit a car someone had abandoned on the tracks, and they had to clear it, inspect that train and the tracks, etc. After waiting some 2 hours, we were finally cleared to travel the last 20 minutes to BFD.
BFD was even foggier than FNO; it was hardly possibly to even see the station building from the tracks and bus loading area. I claimed my bag from the cart and put it next to the bus, noticing that SAC *had*, after all, put a pink-bordered transfer tag for GDL on it. Fortunately my bus, 5804, turned into an express of sorts, since we didn't make the stops at NHL or BUR; perhaps no one was so ticketed. We finally arrived at GDL just after 2, a little under 2 hours late. Mr. chuljin picked me up, more than a little bent that either of us was up that late, and home.
So there it is.
I'm thinking of doing this often. I don't think I'll go up or down the coast again, at least 'only' as far as the bay area (though I intend to take the CS to or from this year's Gathering)...I think all future bay-area trips will be San Joaquins up *and* down.
I think the next one will probably start on a Friday, 5811/711 to OKJ, 535 to SJC, token short or no stay in San Jose, Caltrain up to SF, etc. etc. then on Sunday 716/5816 home.
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