A route that I and many others would really like to see is the Amtrak Capitol Corridor route in northern California, which is run in joint partnership with the California Department of Transportation, or CalTrans. It would make a good pair with the Peninsula Corridor Route, as they both stop at San Jose Diridon on the Coast Sub (Caltrain diverges at CP Coast). Also, the Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) follows the same line as the Capitol Corridor until Niles Junction, when it joins the Oakland Sub at Niles Junction and heads east to Stockton. I have tried to build this route on my own, but I have had difficulties and would love to see it professionally done. This route is approximately 168 miles long, beginning at San Jose Diridon, and ending in Auburn, California, but almost all trains terminate in Sacramento (Sacramento would be a sufficient terminus. It is 133 miles from San Jose to Sacramento). Major intermediate stops include Oakland’s Jack London Square, Martinez, and, of course, Sacramento. There are lots of busy, active industries for career scenarios all along the route. These include the oil refineries of Martinez, the Port of Oakland, grain elevators along the Central Valley portion, and other small industries handling various goods and commodities. The trains themselves are similar to the Pacific Surfliner, the only difference is the cab-control car where the K5LA horn is on the roof, directly above the door, not in between the flashing ditch lights. The railroad tracks are important Union Pacific trackage, as the Port of Oakland is in the middle of the route. (The route is ex-Southern Pacific Cal-P, or California-Pacific, which was a vital artery for the SP). There are intermediate yards, including Ozol Yard (approximately a quarter mile northeast of Martinez), East Oakland Yard (approximately one half mile east of the Jack London Station), West Oakland Yard (adjacent to the Port on the south side of the main line and follows it along the 10th Street curve on the west side), Milpitas Yard (5 miles south of Niles Junction), Newhall Yard (adjacent to the Santa Clara University Station), and the Port of Oakland (three quarter miles west of Jack London Square). Neighboring the port to the Port of Oakland on the north side of the main track (0.65 miles from Jack London) is Amtrak’s maintenance facility, servicing San Joaquins, Capitol Corridors, and the California Zephyr. Roseville Yard is northeast of Sacramento, about 17 miles from the station. In addition to the intercity Capitol Corridor trains, the Amtrak San Joaquin trains operate from Oakland Jack London Square to Bakersfield, diverging just east of the Martinez station at CP Ferry onto the Union Pacific’s Tracy Sub until it joins the BNSF Stockton Sub at TR041 (Port Chicago). The California Zephyr (coming from Chicago) terminates at Emeryville after coming down from Donner Pass, through Sacramento, and following the exact line of the Capitol Corridors to its destination, which is just north of Jack London Square. The Coast Starlight operates between Los Angeles and Seattle, and passes through this region. For this route, the Coast Starlight would begin at San Jose and diverge east of Sacramento onto the Union Pacific Sacramento Sub toward Yuba City at Haggin. The subdivisions covered on the route of the Capitol Corridor is the Roseville Sub (Roseville Station and east into Donner), Martinez Sub, (Roseville Station to 10th Street, which is in between Jack London Square and Emeryville), the Niles Subdivision (10th Street to Newark Junction), and the Coast Sub. The Coast Sub begins at a junction named Elmhurst, south of the Coliseum/Airport station, then runs parallel to the Niles Sub until Newark Junction (milepost 153), southwest of the Fremont Station. There is also the Warm Springs Sub, which begins at Niles Junction (northeast of Fremont) travels south to Milpitas, then curves west to meet back up with the Coast Sub, just north of Diridon at CP Stockton/Shark (This sub includes the Milpitas Yard). Station stops along this line would include San Jose Diridon at the southernmost end, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara/Great America, Fremont-Centerville, Hayward, Coliseum/Airport, Oakland-Jack London Square, Emeryville, Berkeley, Richmond, Martinez, Suisun-Fairfield, Fairfield-Vacaville, Davis, Sacramento, Roseville, Rocklin, and finally Auburn at the north end. Rolling stock included should be an assortment of freight cars, most importantly auto-racks, double-stacks, oil tanks, boxcars, and rock gondolas. An ex-SP GP40-2 locomotive for freight switching. Also, any new Tier 4 locomotive like an ET44AH would be great to see as well. Passenger equipment should include an F59PHI, SC-44 Charger, and bi-level “California Cars” (coach, business, cafe, and cab car styles) in the California livery for Capitol Corridor service. For San Joaquin services, a converted NPCU (non-powered cab unit, or “cabbage” for cab/baggage) F40PH and single level “California Comets” in coach and cafe styles with the San Joaquin livery would be necessary.
that would be a awesome extension to peninsula corridor or even a alone route and a good route for capital corridor and union pacific and a little BNSF it could also maby include the niles canyon railway in Fremont or the Sacramento railroad museum. i hope this becomes a reality for TS 2020
