"A Little Help From My Friends"

A picture of something not seen too often. Usually the Coast Starlight is headed by two Amtrak GE P42DC locomotives. Apparently one had some trouble. Union Pacific loaned Amtrak an EMD SD70M to possibly complete the trip to LA or to get to the next location that had available Amtrak motive power. They obviously would not want the Starlight to be stranded on their mainline interrupting their flow of freight traffic.

Just Messin' Around

My new camera has movie capabilities and I was just trying it out. I just wish it had sound as well. I took this video at the Santa Clara CalTrain station. I was about 10 feet from the track steadying myself on a wooden fence. You can still see the movement as the wind "hits" me when the locomotive passes.

California High Speed Rail

Here's a page that has some very cool conceptual animations of the proposed California High Speed Rail system. I think we are certainly ripe for this as a state. Gas is becoming ridiculously expensive and airlines are cutting back on flights and increasing fares due to fuel prices. I think it's definitely an idea whose time is long overdue.

Lawsuits Are The Answer

It always amazes me that when trouble strikes the first on the scene are the lawyers. We wonder why goods and services are so expensive. The million dollar scalding cup of coffee incident at McDonald's is a good example.

This article on CalTrain having found some hairline cracks near the wheel assemblies of their passenger cars amazes me. The fourth sentence of the article talks about CalTrain officials "looking into their legal options after the flaws were discovered". Talk of a lawsuit is thrown around before any mention of discussions with the manufacturer of the equipment. The assumption is there was negligence involved in these cracks appearing in the wheel assemblies? Any reputable manufacturer would be anxious to correct a problem with their equipment to maintain their customers' satisfaction.

My hope is that the politicians running The Peninsula Joint Powers Board are not looking to help bridge the gap in their upcoming 2009 budget shortfall. They are politicians so I'm not holding my breath.

Amtrak Capitol Corridor

Amtrak Capitol Corridor, originally uploaded by sharkzƒan.

I took this in Alviso on a calm morning. The lack of a breeze provided a great reflective surface on the water.

I Think It's "The One"

You would only understand this term if you were an enthusiast. So this is "the one", at least until another, grander one comes along. You can also view it large on my Flickr page

Atmosphere Pictures

I really like this shot. It's sunrise at the Santa Clara train station and there is a lone pedestrian walking the platform. The haze of smoke from the southern California wildfires hangs over the valley and washes out the photo. I think it adds a monochromatic "flavor" of loneliness. These shots are few and far between but they are the ones you try the hardest to take!


This is an old brick warehouse in Alviso. On the south side of the building it has the name "H.G. Wade" painted and fading away. I've tried to research the history of the building but have not found much other than a reference to the name as the owner.

Amtrak through Alviso

This shot didn't quite turn out the way I would have liked. I was trying to get a fair amount of the bridge and the reeds from the slough in the picture. However, in doing so I cropped the top of the picture just close enough to where the top of the locomotive is nearly out of the picture. It almost looks like a mistake which I guess in my book it IS! I like the early morning lighting and the soft color it lends to the picture.


This shot is from El Dorado St. near the curve where it becomes Moffat St. The roadway is about 12 feet or so below the track level so it gives an interesting perspective.


This is the end of that same train sporting cab car number 6965. On the eastbound return trip this car will be the head end of the train.


Here's another early morning shot with a nice warm hue to it. Unfortunately my digital camera is not the most up to date so in lower light situations I get some blur in the pictures. I'm hoping to remedy that siruation this coming Christmas (hint, hint).

CalTrain, Union Pacific and Amtrak

This was taken from the top of the CalTrain parking structure in Sunnyvale, CA. at 6:55 am Thursday October 4, 2007. It is about one half second exposure. Unfortunately I don't have a digital SLR to get super informative with. This is a shot looking east at the Sunnyvale Ave. crossing at Hendy Ave. In the background are buildings belonging to Westinghouse. Westinghouse currently uses the plant to manufacture steam generators, marine propulsion systems, and missile launching systems for the Department of Defense. Westinghouse purchased the original site property in 1947. Previous owners of the plant had used the property to manufacture ball mills, mine cars and hydraulic equipment in the early 1900's, and defense products such as torpedo tubes and mounts after 1940. Westinghouse also expanded the site by purchasing adjoining property in the mid-1950's from companies that manufactured heavy machinery and cable


This was an interesting picture to take. I was trying to get the time exposure but with my "basic" digital point and shoot it's difficult to get fancy. This was about a three second exposure on a southbound out of Sunnyvale at 6:45 am Thursday October 4, 2007. I actually set my camera on rail for this shot. I found a piece of scrap metal and set the camera on it to stabilize it since the rails are not a flat surface. Because of the length of the exposure, the sky appears as if it's nearly daylight. It was actually quite dark at this time and it was difficult to tell the actual frame of the picture since the display didn't register any image other than the dots of street lights and the headlights of the train.

Union Pacific number 4400 heading up a southbound load of Toyota's that just came off the assembly line at the New United Motors Manufacturing Incorporated (NUMMI) plant in Fremont, CA. Passing through the Santa Clara, CA. station bound for southern California. It's a rather bland, run-of-the-mill shot but I can give a little background on the motive power. UP 4400 is one of two hundred and thirty one SD40T-2's originally owned by Southern Pacific. These units were in service for SP from 1996 to 2001. The second locomotive UP 9229 is one of two hundred and fifty six C40-8's in service since 1987.

This is a shot of the Amtrak Capitol Corridor passing the abandoned Agnew Station in Santa Clara, CA. on Saturday September 29, 2007 at 3:04 pm on it's way to San Jose. It's being pulled by P42 DC number 164. This site has other shots of # 164. There's pictures of it from Washington state to Washington D.C. It's been around the block a time or two.