Tag Archives: transportation

Ferry After Sundown

Growing up on an island must bring a special affinity for ferries because, whenever I see them, it brings a spark of interest as to what people are going to or from.  I lived on the seafront for a portion of my teenage years and the ferries would pass our window each day as they headed to the mainland.  Ferry travel at night was often a thing because it would be either the beginning or end of a longer journey.  Something about the lights on a ferry at night seems very welcoming to me.

We had a terrace overlooking Puget Sound that we were able to hang out on in the evenings and the regular ferry traffic across the sound caught my attention.  It is dark out on the water but the lights from the passenger decks and the lighting on the open car deck beneath shine out across the water.  Seeing it from a slightly elevated position on the shore helps as well.  Seeing this just makes me feel good.  I guess decades away from living on an island hasn’t changed some things deep inside.

An Aging Monorail Keeps on Going

Cast your mind back to 1962 (if you are old enough to do so).  What were your preferred modes of transport then?  Do you still drive the same car?  Probably not.  That was the year the Seattle Monorail opened to serve the World’s Fair.  It is still going strong.  The original cars are still in use although they have had some upgrades over the years and are planned to have some more.  The styling is certainly of their time but they continue to prove to be a popular tourist attraction – the fifth most popular attraction in Washington apparently.  There are two trains which operate at peak times, the red and the blue train.  The journey is not a long one and it isn’t too cheap but it is part of a visit to Seattle to check it out.  Plus, it was going where I wanted to go!

Sailing Ship in Oakland

A pair of sailing ships had been in Oakland earlier in the year but I didn’t get around to seeing them while they were there.  However, I had lunch with some colleagues in Jack London Square a little while later and saw that one of the ships (or another similar ship) was tied up on the dock.  Unfortunately, the sun was behind the boat so it wasn’t an ideal time to photograph it but, with something that unusual, I figured I shouldn’t waste the opportunity.

New Locomotives 

The acquisition of new locomotives for the state of California is something I have been working on for a while. A little time back I posted about some testing from the cab that we did in Colorado. Since then the first locos for the state have been delivered to Oakland. We had to do a bunch of testing with local equipment and to carry out trials out on the corridors that the trains operate. I managed to get a few shots of the locos during these tests (as well as some in Colorado that used locos that will go to Illinois).

Now that the testing is wrapped up and the locos belong to the state and, if they haven’t already, will shortly be showing up in regular service, it is okay to post some shots of the vehicles. They are Charger diesel locos built by Siemens in Sacramento California. These locos are powerful and fast. They are designed for 125mph although they won’t be used at high speeds in California due to track limitations. However, hopefully they will provide modern, efficient and cleaner traction for the state. I am proud to have been involved in the program and enjoyed working with the team.

Amtrak Over the River

Having watched a guy walking across a narrow railroad bridge over the Alameda Creek in Fremont as you can read about here, a train was now coming across the bridge.  The train was a Capital Corridor service heading to San Jose.  I am currently working on a project to acquire new locomotives for Caltrans that will see service on the Capital Corridor and will replace borrowed Amtrak locomotives.  This train was being hauled by one of these Amtrak locomotives.  All being well, this will soon no longer be a regular sight.

Trains Along the Bayshore

Having had a post with a train in it, I was reminded that I had actually photographed some trains a while back and they had never made it on to the blog.  It was actually a work related reason I was out there.  I was waiting for the delivery of a pair of our locos (a delivery that was o late it was after the light had gone) but, since we often need imagery for proposals, I thought it would be good to get some new shots.

The location is up in Pinole.  The trains are running along the shore of the bay so it provides a quite photogenic location.  A number of Amtrak California trains came through.  Since these trains are part of my work, I found myself checking out what was in each train and what condition it was in.  I guess I have been doing this for too long!  Anyway, here are some train pictures.

Going Around in Circles Quite Quickly

B11I8814.jpgA recent work trip involved some testing of a locomotive.  The test track in use is just outside Pueblo Colorado.  The testing program involves a ton of different tests, many of which are pretty boring to watch if you are not involved.  We did get to do some high speed runs while I was there though.  The locomotive is designed for 125mph so it has to be tested to 130mph.  We got to blast around the track for a while. Wildlife would scatter as we approached – usually.  The loco is a modern design so at this speed, things were really quite uneventful.  The ride was smooth.  The noise was pretty quiet and would have been better if we didn’t have instrumentation cables out of the windows breaking the normal seal.  Soon you will be seeing these locos in service in a number of states across the US.

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Latest from Cars and Coffee

B11I8565.jpgI have had a few visits to Cars and Coffee over the last few months.  Plenty of cool vehicles to check out and justify getting up early on a Sunday morning.  This time I figure I will just share a bunch of pictures of what has been there.  Of course, these are but a small fraction of the total number of cars appearing but they caught my eye.

Shipwreck

AE7I0448.jpgI stopped off at Coyote Point in the Bay for a short while.  It hasn’t been so long since I was last there so the new addition I saw must have occurred pretty recently.  It appears that someone has had a little incident with their sailing boat.  I don’t know whether they had a problem making it into the channel to the marina or whether the boat broke loose from a mooring somewhere else in the bay.  Whatever the origin, it is now lying on the rocks just outside the marina.  I didn’t get closer to see how bad the damage is but I am guessing that it is not in great shape!

Contrasting Cars

AU0E8744.jpgOne of the fun things about going to Cars and Coffee at the Blackhawk Automotive Museum in Danville is the variety of vehicles on show. You get things from one extreme to another. One of the first vehicles I saw after parking was a Lamborghini Aventador. This is a serious piece of supercar technology. There was also a McLaren to take a look at. Compare this with an old Datsun or a selection of old VWs and you are poles apart. However, they are all loved by their respective owners.

AU0E8758.jpgMy enthusiasm for the Honda/Acura NSX was satisfied by three of them lined up together over in one corner. A very nice thing to find on one side of a big event. This proved to be a popular edition of Cars and Coffee. Over 800 cars were noted by the organizers. I got there a little early and it was already getting very full. Supposedly some people were there from 5:30am. That is enthusiasm for you.