I've suggested this one a few years ago but I think enough time has passed so here goes! So why the Martinez Sub? Well in "short": It's the beginning of UP's overland route running from Oakland to Omaha It has a vast verity of both Amtrak passenger and UP freight service The route has centuries of history from when the transcontinental railroad was first built in the 1860s The unique change in scenery as you leave Oakland travel around the bay through the delta and through the valley into the Sacramento metro A large variety of freight operations from long distance intermodels to refinery services, long local manifest trains, and Autoracks trains beginning in Fairfield You’re able to build intermodal trains in the Port of Oakland and start their cross country journeys by taking them to Roseville and visa versa You can build an Autorack service in Fairfield You can build refinery services starting or ending from the Martinez or Benicia Refineries TWO long distance Amtrak trains You can build or take part a California Zephyr train in Oakland and bring it into or out of service You can do the same with the Capitol Corridor and Gold Runner services in Oakland The Coast Starlight operates at night contrasting with the Zephyr's daytime running Nearly 24 hours of freight and passenger services along the route. Now into the route details: 110mi (173km) travel time: 2hr - 2hr 30min depending on the service Max speeds 70mph(freight) / 79mph(passenger) Stations 10 (Oakland Jack London, Emeryville, Berkeley, Richmond, Martinez, Suisun/Fairfield, Fairfield/Vacaville, Davis, Sacramento Valley, Roseville) There are two major yards both at each end plus an Amtrak yard in Oakland West Oakland Yard serving the Port of Oakland Davis Yard serving Roseville and long distance freight Amtrak Oakland Maintenance Facility Now for the services! Amtrak has 4 services using the subdivision: Capitol Corridor: Oakland Jack London - Roseville Gold Runner: Oakland Jack London - Martinez California Zephyr: Emeryville - Roseville Coast Starlight: Oakland Jack London - Sacramento Valley These use a diverse variety of rolling stock: Capitol Corridor: Siemens SC44 Charger, F59PHI, California Car Gold Runner: Siemens SC44 Charger, F59PHI, Siemens Venture single-level trainsets, California Car California Zephyr: P42DC or Siemens ALC42, Superliner cars, baggage car Coast Starlight: P42DC or Siemens ALC42, Superliner cars, baggage car At launch I believe the SC44 w/California cars and the California zephyr and Coast Staring should come with the route at a bare minimum CC with SC44 and California cars Gold Runner with SC44 and Siemens Venture cars F59PHI California Zephyr w/ P42DC, baggage car and Superliner cars ALC42 loco Now for the freight services: (We know what these look like) Intermodal Auto racks Local tanker services mainly serving the Martinez Refinery Manifest +Many more! I believe at launch the ET44AC and SD70M should come standard with the route ET44AC SD70M These are the big ones. I'd like to give more specifics but then this'll get too long All fright is almost exclusively Union Pacific with the occasional BNSF service What about layers? Layers are what would really elevate this route especially for the freight scene! GP38-2 UP from Peninsula Corridor SD70ACe from Sherman hill AC4400CW and SD40-2 from Cane Creek Now for the cool sights along the route! Oakland Jack London Station w/ 1/3mi of street running in Oakland Amtrak Maintenance Facility (See above) West Oakland Yards (See above) Running next to the San Pablo Bay and Carquinez Strait Benicia–Martinez drawbridge over the Sacramento River 1.6mi Elevated Yolo Causeway I Street Bridge in Sacramento and Tower bridge nearby Sacramento Valley Station Crossing the American River Davis Yard in Roseville + Roseville Amtrak Station (Largest Railyard on the west coast) (See above) I appreciate your time reading this suggestion and look forward to reading your thoughts and comments below! That's all folks!
I'm sold. Siemens Chargers needed, as well as ET44s and SD70Ms (including #1616 Abraham Lincoln and #1776 US 250th; also multiple radiator versions and cab versions). Also, SD59MXs, ES44ACs, SD70ACe-T4s, GP60s, and/or GP40-2s/Ns. Perhaps we could see this route set in the pre-UP merger SP days. Perhaps the 1990s with GP60s, SD70Ms, GP40-2s, C44-9Ws, AC4400CWs, SD40T-2s, B39-8s, SD38-2s, SD39s, and/or GP38-2s in SP livery.
