Railfanning Bakersfield - 12/15/17

In conclusion to my railfanning trip along Amtrak's San Joaquin route coinciding with my trip home to SoCal, I headed over to the Bakersfield Amtrak Station immediately after railfanning at Wasco to beat Amtrak 702 there with ample time to spare. The Bakersfield station serves as the terminus for all southbound and originating northbound Amtrak San Joaquin trains, in addition to serving as the main bus connection for the majority of Amtrak passengers travelling to or from Southern California. Due to the fact that Amtrak does not provide frequent rail service directly from Northern or Southern California via the Tehachapi Pass or the Coast Line, essentially all passengers disembarking at Bakersfield immediately boards a connecting bus. Surprisingly enough though, the architecture and setup of this station is one of the most intriguing and well planned stations I have seen thus far, with efficient boarding and detraining plus some captivating architecture to look at as well. In addition, the Amtrak staff at this station were very welcoming of my presence throughout the duration of my railfanning here.
Train 1 : BNSF M-BAKBAR2-15A with ES44C4 #7975, ET44C4 #3843, GP60 #183, C44-9W #5257, ES44C4 #8044, & C45ACCTE #5513(UP). Given the setup of the Bakersfield station, all passing BNSF freights are viewed at the distance since the closest three tracks serve as boarding and layover storage for Amtrak equipment.
Train 2 : Amtrak 702 with CabCar #8312 & P42DC #13. Nice engineer on this train. As soon as 702 arrives into Bakersfield, the Amtrak personnel get to work readying the train turn for Amtrak 717 while all the passengers disembark to board buses bound for SoCal and other connections. Amazing to see the choreography of these connections !
Train 3 : BNSF V-KCKRIC1-12A with ES44C4 #6517 & AC44CW #6592(UP).
Train 4 : BNSF Q-RICALT1-15V with ES44C4 #7042, C44-9W #5247, ES44DC #7515, & C44-9W #5543. This train comes through shortly before Amtrak 717 is scheduled to depart.
Train 5 : Amtrak 717 with P42DC #13 & CabCar #8312. Great crew on 717 with some extra horn action and even a complementary shave and a haircut from the engineer as well upon departure !!!
Train 6 : BNSF Q-STOCHI6-15A with ET44C4 #3903, C44-9W #5370, #5311, ES44C4 #8330, & C44-9W #4688. Right before Amtrak 710 is scheduled to arrive, this BNSF intermodal passes by.
Train 7 : Amtrak 710 with NPCU #90225 & SC-44 #2101. With the arrival of 710, the Amtrak personnel get to work readying the outbound Amtrak 719 and where I would call it an end to a successful railfanning trip. However before departing, I decided to get some up close and varying angled shots of the Siemens Charger, F40PH... I mean NPCU, and the architecture of the station for those interested.
Thanks for Watching !

[@jimholder6656]

Another truly excellent video! Dating back to the 1950s, the-then Southern Pacific (now UP) operated a beautiful daily train, the “San Joaquin Daylight,” from L.A. Union Station to Oakland. It traveled from L.A. to Bakersfield via Tehachapi. That part was slow, but very scenic. The problem with that route is that the most critical part - the curvy part in the mountains - was and still is single-track only. It is very slow-going there. That presents a major freight train scheduling problem since both the SP and the then-Santa Fe shared trackage rights on that route. That remains true today with the UP and BNSF. By contrast, the Santa Fe ran its “Golden Gate” passenger trains starting at Bakersfield, with buses connecting from there to various parts of L.A. - what we have today with Amtrak and the “San Joaquins.”

[@BrentNguyen46]

Thank you Jim !

[@ziggypwner]

Great video! Also, good to know Amtrak staff is tolerant of Railfans- more so than Union Pacific staff in Tehachapi.

[@BrentNguyen46]

ziggypwner Thanks ! I think it just depends on where you are really. Typically stations have always been welcoming since it is relatively more safe than say for instance out trackside along a mainline.

[@coppercruz3605]

Great Video!!! Amtrak does a quick job turning off their lights once they arrive at a station:)

[@BrentNguyen46]

Copper Cruz Thanks ! I think it just depends on the crew, but yes. :)

[@wsor95]

Fantastic footage! Makes me long for warm weather and trains :)

[@BrentNguyen46]

wsor95 Thank you ! Yes, it is always worth it to visit California ! :)

[@nh_highlander1985]

I know this is California but these stations and platforms all look so kewl and the architecture does lend to the eye appeal of train stations and the functionality was definitely designed in at the same time. Kewl video and thanks for sharing!

[@BrentNguyen46]

Tweety Swauger Thanks ! Glad you enjoyed the content ! I really appreciate your continued viewership and wonderful comments as well.

[@railfanbryan7225]

Nice video! I live in Bakersfield and railfan the BNSF line all the time!

[@BrentNguyen46]

Railfan Bryan Thanks ! Yeah, Bakersfield has tons of great railroad activity !

[@railfanbryan7225]

Sure does!

[@railfanbryan7225]

You shoudl check out my videos sometime and subscribe to my channel!

[@brantbouslog1785]

I know this video is a year old but I love the video keep up the good work. Btw I found your channel in my recommend channels

[@BrentNguyen46]

Brant Bouslog Not a problem at all. And thank you ! Happy to hear you enjoy the videos and I really appreciate the kind comments !

[@TheAmtrakSpartan]

Success! 702 had came from Oakland.

[@gregoryferguson9973]

Live in chico California wish amtrak had a train like the capital coordinator from redding to chico and the smaller towns to sac

[@mxderate]

@Gumballem He is referring to the Capitol Corridor

[@Railfanner109]

Cool video!

[@BrentNguyen46]

@@Railfanner109 Thank you !

[@sdrailproductions]

Nice video Brent, I visited Bakersfield a few months ago and took the Amtrak to Fresno, CA.

[@BrentNguyen46]

SDRAIL Productions Thanks ! Yeah, I have yet to ride the San Joaquin, but it’d be nice to see the scenery, hopefully sometime in the near future.

[@YardLimit]

Great video, Brent!

[@BrentNguyen46]

Yard Limit Thank you !

[@Randoman35]

6:23 "Oops, shit what button did I just press"

[@caltrain920andelevators4]

Nice!!!

[@BrentNguyen46]

Thanks !

[@Lucrativecris]

Metrolink should extend their Lancaster line to Bakersfield

[@Lucrativecris]

@Acerailfan3101 F40PH excursion?

[@mxderate]

That would be really cool to see Metrolink and San Joaquins at the same station.

[@mccoyschannel777]

Brentnuygen46 nice train videos

[@mccoyschannel777]

Where are those buses going to

[@BrentNguyen46]

McCoy’s Channel The buses serve as Amtrak connections where rail service is not possible or limited. Most of these buses are either bound for SoCal cities connecting with the Pacific Surfliner and other Amtrak trains, or cities of interest like Las Vegas and cities not in proximity to Amtrak routes.

[@mccoyschannel777]

BrentNguyen46 thanks for the info

[@BrentNguyen46]

McCoy’s Channel Yep, no problem !

[@mccoyschannel777]

What is that noise at 7:09

[@BrentNguyen46]

McCoy’s Channel They are sounds of passengers deboarding the train, with the occasional luggage and train equipment noises as well.

[@mccoyschannel777]

Oh thank you

[@BrentNguyen46]

McCoy’s Channel No problem !

[@tjbailey29820]

I believe the noise at 7:09 that he refers to is the A/C for the first car behind the engine kicking in.