Riding the rails on the San Francisco Peninsula

Sunset, May, 1985

As the train rumbles to a start, the diesel locomotive throbbing loudly, you head for the upper deck of the gallery car, where most seats are window seats. Then you hear the timeless sounds of a train ride: the clackety-clack acceleration to a maximum 70 mph, the blast of the horn, the brakeman calling to wake dozing riders, "Belmont next. Next stop is Belmont." Plying the San Francisco Peninsula for 122 years, this is one of the last commuter trains in the West. Full of businesspeople at rush hours, it is half empty weekends. For a unique family weekend outing, you can take a half-day round trip, riding the rails past historic stations and stopping to explore and old downtown area of a Peninsula city. We tell how to plan your trip.

This month is your first chance to ride one of the shiny new cars imported from Japan, and perhaps your last chance to ride one of the vintage 1924 Harriman suburban cars before they're retired.

History on wheels: SP to CalTrain

In October 1863, railroad baron and thendium in Mayfield (a town later absorbed by Palo Alto) to annouce the arrival of the railroad era for the Peninsula. The original San Francisco and San Jose Railroad, bought by Southern Pacific in 1868, has been run by Caltrans since 1980.

Fine stations--gateways to the towns that sprang up along the way--were built to reflect nearby lavish estates (most in San Mateo Country). More utilitarian stations served dairy and fruit farms of the South Bay. As bedroom communities and computer companies filled the Peninsula, profitable freight trains yielded to increasingly unprofitable commuter trains.

The federal government, the state, Santa Clara County, Samtrans, MUNI, and SP all subsidize CalTrain. But it's in trouble: for the past two years, fares have provided less than 40 percent of operating costs. If this happens a third year, California law requires the state to withdraw its hefty subsidy (42 percent of costs last year).

To increase ridership and replace aging cars, Caltrans is introducing 63 new cars from Japan and 18 new locomotives from Illinois. This month, the first six new cars come on line; by next February, the $87-million transition will be complete. Some of the cars, built by Nippon Sharyo Seizo Kaisha and assembled by General Electric Company, have cab control, so engineers can run the train from the passenger car instead of the locomotive.

Strategy for a weekend ride

On weekends, you'll have a 1- to 2-hour layover at your destination before the next train heads back to your original station. For example, on Saturday morning you might take the 10:14 train from Sunnyvale, getting off at San Carlos at 10:40. The next southbound train leaves San Carlos at 12:42. You have time to window-shop, eat brunch or lunch, and inspect the historic station building.

For a schedule, call the CalTrain hotline, (415) 557-8661, 7:30 to 5 weekdays; weekends, call the San Francisco or San Jose stations (numbers follow). Discount round-trip adult fares (which must be used the day of purchase) range from $1.80 to $6, depending on distance traveled. Ages 5 through 11 ride for half-fare; each adult fare lets a child under age 5 ride free. (The last car is for smokers.)

Here's a brief rundown on each station on our map, north to south, with telephone numbers for stations open on weekends; if you leave from a closed station, you can buy your ticket on the train.

San Francisco. Open weekends 7 A.M. to 10 P.M.; (415) 495-4546. From the staid cement-block station at Fourth and Townsend streets, you can hop on a MUNI bus and explore the city (fare is 60 cents; have exact change). For instance, bus #30 gets you to Union Square, Chinatown, and Fisherman's Wharf. Call (415) 673-6864 for bus information; or buy a San Francisco Street & Transit Map for $1.25 at the station's newsstand.

South of San Francisco, the train goes through three tunnels and past warehouses and auto wreckers' yards.

Millbrae. The 1907 colonial revival station is on the National Register of Historic Places. A block northeast of the station, off Millbrae Avenue, is the large Peters & Wilson Nursery (9 to 5:30 weekends).

Broadway. In the station is La Gare St. Lazare, a French restaurant (open at 6 P.M. Wednesdays through Sundays). Cross the street to Broadway, a road lined with delis, Chinese, Italian, and Japanese restaurants, and a doll shop.

Burlingame. This stop has it all: a fine mission revival station (restoration should be completed in June), a park across the street with swings and picnic areas, and dozens of shops and restaurants along Burlingame Avenue. Among the specialty shops, one sells pasta, one balloons, one baseball cards, one 300 kinds of cheese.

San Mateo. From the new station, head one block southwest into old San Mateo on Main Street and Second adn Third avenues. You'll see well-kept 19th-century buildings, an antique store, a stamp collectors' shop, and several Japanese restaurants.

Hillsdale. Step across El Camino Real on the overpass to Hillsdale Shopping Center, with 150 stores.