Dodging Bullets and Other Assorted Tales: The Last Freight Serving San Francisco is the Mouse to Caltrain's Cat

This article describes in detail a day in the life of the last freight serving San Francisco as it scurries to make its run between the 96 daily Caltrain commuter trains serving the San Francisco Bay Area. It provides a history of why rail freight service declined so drastically over the years, then describes how a local conductor begins at 6:30 in the morning calling customers, asking if they need cars, and waiting for inbound Caltrain commute rush to subside in order to move onto the main line and then off to Pier 96. It includes an 800-foot run of 2.5 percent grade where the engineer slows the train’s speed to a crawl and blows his horn constantly to get parked trucks and dumpsters off the tracks.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/6163876
• Publication Date: 2007-7

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Maps; Photos;
• Pagination: pp 62-67
• Serial:
  • Trains
  • Volume: 67
  • Issue Number: 7
  • Publisher: Kalmbach Publishing Company
  • ISSN: 0041-0934
  • Serial URL: http://trainsmag.com

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Freight traffic; Freight transportation; Railroad traffic
• Identifier Terms: Caltrain (Commuter rail line); Union Pacific Railroad
• Geographic Terms: San Francisco (California)
• Subject Areas: Freight Transportation; Operations and Traffic Management; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01052231
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: UC Berkeley Transportation Library
• Files: BTRIS, TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 14 2007 1:13AM