Sacramento Amtrak Station Platform Relocation

Documentation of the cutover of the new Sacramento Amtrak Depot Platforms in August, 2012

[@k.m.slattery6263]

Great video Gary! To think the platforms (or some version of them) had been in service for 90 years amazes me.😊👍🏼🚂

[@ScottishWoman24]

My dad worked at the old SP yard. Seeing it brings back fond memories. I miss my dad.

[@DardanellesBy108]

Heading out there for the first time in a long time. This video was helpful. The changes don't look like too big of a deal. Thanks for taking the time to make the video and post it.

[@miketallica665]

Temp walkway was still there in November when I arrived in 2012... Amtrak is still my favourite way to travel!

[@fakecumberland]

I rode a train from Sacramento to San Jose a few days before the cutover. Nice to have been part of history that way.

[@philo5227]

Gary, I was born and raised in Sacramento, 60's-80's; still have family and friends there. I live in SoCal now. Planning to retire to Sacramento in a few years. I love your stuff! Keep it coming.

[@SierraRailway]

Wonderful! Its not often you see something like this, much less film something like it. I'm a little sad to see the realignment done, as I've only ridden down the track in front of the station twice in my whole life. But, its great to be able to see something like this. It looks like the realignment is on schedule for completion just in time for the 844's visit to Sacramento next month!

[@Narpets2112]

Great video. I have to get up there soon and have a look.

[@Tremolux59]

Bill, I'm not talking about Sacramento, I'm talking about downtown Oakland where there is plenty of room for the ramps up on both ends.

[@harrisonofcolorado8886]

I remember watching this when I was a kid!

[@PowerPawsNW]

And now we're pretty much back to a near alignment with the old (1880-1926) CPRR Arcade Depot alignment...not exact, but very close. The new line sits almost on top of that period's "freight main" bypass that was just south of the Arcade Depot structure.

[@295g295]

The station tracks had been connecting to the "freight main" at 7th Street & D Street from 1926 - 2012 ?

[@smitty195]

At the end of the video, it says temporary walkway until October. Where does that walkway go to?

[@DardanellesBy108]

Follow up FYI...was there today, everything is done, no temp walkway, and I like it lots better than the old station. We now have information on several large screens instead of nothing at all as before.

[@charlesdell2864]

Great video, but be nice if you could keep subtitles up just a bit longer.

[@revised33]

You can always pause it

[@ivanoffw]

Are they planning to have passenger cars that have a lower floor than the current rail cars? I noticed near the end that the platform height was well below the floor of the cars.

[@michaelmorgan7893]

I would have loved to have been there, and tried to work a deal to get a couple of the old Safetran Unilens II searchlight signals when they came down.

[@PowerPawsNW]

I need to edit myself! Now that I see by the closeness of the new tracks to the Sac Shops perimeter fence, the new main is right on top of the Arcade depot's principal passenger platforms...

[@ScottishNSRailFan]

Enjoyed your video. It was nice to see Amtrak 2052, which is in my model N scale collection.

[@steventheamtrakanimeelevat7791]

Cool horn action at 1:37

[@joshmeister4449]

How many of the Old SP shops are still there now?

[@thesierrastandard7281]

Alot of the core buildings are still surviving. Sadly the roundhouse was demolished in the late 1950s to make way for diesel repair shops. The California State Railroad Museum, right where Gary was filming this, is extending their museum over to the shops.

[@nathanschmidt4889]

@@thesierrastandard7281 I bear sad news in that regard. All plans to convert the old Boiler Shop and Erecting Shop where the collection of the museum is currently stored into a fully functional museum of their own have been abandoned. The structures are in line for a full restoration, however, to further maximize the use of the buildings. Plans would be to rebuild the tracks in the boiler shop and use them as excursion equipment winter storage, while the erecting shop bays will house the non operational exhibits. Much to be done, but the good news is they aren't going anywhere. With the onset of Project Railyards, all of the six remaining structures will be reinforced and repurposed for public use, ensuring the survival of the beautiful structures that were instrumental in Sacramento's history

[@BubbaBouy]

Thanks for the view Gary. Come on now, we know its you SP. Ah yo yo yo !

[@Wingnutcaseman]

Now I'm lost. I thought the purpose of the relocation was to shift rail tracks to a new, fixed high level bridge over the river a quarter mile or so north from where it is now. Why go to all this trouble if they're retaining the current moving bridge?

[@Randoman35]

To get rid of the sharp S-curve on the east side of the station.

[@Tremolux59]

I know it takes money. Elevating the track through Oakland, in lieu of street running, would increase train speed through the area as well as public safety, and reduce traffic congestion. Costs could be shared with Amtrak, UP, Caltrans and City of Oakland. Re the turns, the worst offenders are on either side of Fremont as the train cuts over from the east bay line to Niles Junction. Seems there is enough real estate in both those areas to increase the turn radius.

[@michaelglass4701]

cool

[@pokesomi]

um as I recall going up through donner pass is a lot of single track

[@Narpets2112]

elevating the track is really not an option as the grade would be too steep going into the yard and the numerous freeway overpasses would also be a problem as the would have to either brought down to ground level or raised even higher. Given that two of those overpasses have just been replaced, neither is going to happen.

[@GamingRailfanner]

It really wouldn’t be an option, one of those freeways is I-5, a vey busy freeway

[@robertgift]

Good ideas! MONEY! Who can afford the co$ts of elevating the track at this time? The construction process also affects businesses. May even cause businesses barely succeeding to fail. How can they widen turns?

[@Tremolux59]

OK, so when are you going to double track the main line and raise track speeds to 100 mph? Both the GE and EMD locos can do 100. Capitol corridor is just too damn slow. The worst is San Jose to Martinez, way too slow. Street running through Oakland is insane, elevate the tracks. Turns are too sharp (slow) on either side of Fremont.

[@oscarisara]

Your video is Amtrak

[@smitty195]

Ah, okay. Thanks.