Clipper Add Value Machines are Here

Purchasing Clipper transit products and adding e-cash just got easier for Caltrain customers. Two Clipper Add Value machines have been installed at each of the San Francisco, Palo Alto and San Jose stations.

Currently, the machines accept only credit cards and debit cards. Cash acceptance will be added in the future. E-cash can only be added in increments of $20, $50, $100 and $200.

Caltrain Proposing Changes to Codified TariffFollowing four community

meetings, the Caltrain Board of Directors held a public hearing Feb. 2 to receive public comment regarding proposed changes to its Codified Tariff, which outlines the specific fares the rail system may charge.

Proposed changes include additional Regional Clipper® Implementation Measures. To provide an incentive to use Clipper, Caltrain would increase the cost of paper One-way and Zone Upgrade tickets

lengthen the sales period for monthly transportation passes and parking permits from the 9th of the month to the 15th of the month.

Monthly Pass prices would remain the same.

The board is expected to take action on the proposal at its March 1 meeting.

The proposed adjustments to the stated Caltrain fares would become effective July 1, 2012.

by up to 25 cents per zone and Day passes by up to 50 cents per zone. Customers who currently use Clipper to pay for their one-way rides would continue to pay the current fare. Caltrain also is considering eliminat-ing the 8-ride Ticket.

Caltrain is proposing to increase the cost of the Go Pass by $10 to $165, and to set the minimum participation level at $13,750.

To provide additional flexibil-ity for customers, Caltrain would

Monthly PassholdersPlease remember to

tag on and tag off

on your first trip

of the month.

Santa Clara Caltrain Station Improvements: It’s “thumbs up” for the northbound platform that is accessible via the new pedestrian underpass. Two trains can now pass through the station at the same time. Pedestrian safety also has been improved at the station. In February, Caltrain will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the station improvements. See more on page 5

ConnectionCaltrain

Information for CustomersWin

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2012

Visiting the SBHRS museum is a great family activity and place for train enthusiasts to get their passion on for model railroading and to learn a bit about the old railways.

A Great Whistle Stop for Train Enthusiasts & Kids

When you slide back the barn-like door that is the entrance to the Edward Peterman Museum of Railroad History, you feel as if you walked into another time and place. Railway crossing signs, signals and other North American railroad memorabilia greet you as you enter the main room. As you look about, your eyes settle on counters and display cabinets filled with artifacts that date back to the 1870s and earlier when trains were the fastest way to travel.

Follow the sounds of a train whistle and the delight-ed chatter of adults and children and you will encounter a back room filled with working model train sets trav-eling through painstakingly detailed landscapes and mountain scenery. Look a little closer and you will spy a scratch-built HO scale replica of the San Jose Southern Pacific Depot. The museum has two operational HO and N scale model railroad layout displays depicting various railroad eras and operations venues.

If you like trains, the historic Santa Clara Caltrain Station Depot, which houses the museum, is the place to visit. Every Tuesday and Saturday the depot is open to the public and train enthusiasts who gather there to watch and run model trains.

“The model railroads are a way of displaying the history and operations of railroading to the general public,” said Joe Hoffmann, president of the South Bay

Historical Railroad Society, a nonprofit that operates the museum and onsite library.

Long-time member Woody Rider added, “Our goal is to also educate the public on railroad safety and to pro-mote public transportation.” When Rider gives tours to school children, scouts and other groups, his presenta-tion begins in the main room with a safety lecture based on the Operation Lifesaver program.

The museum also includes several outer buildings – the former Southern Pacific Tower built in 1926, which controlled the signals and switches for the yard; the Maintenance-of-Way Speeder Shed, built in 1926; and the Section Tool House, built in 1894. All the buildings and the depot have been restored by the society.

Behind and just south of the the depot platform sits a work in progress, a 1912 Pullman rail car. The exterior has been restored, while the interior is waiting to be ren-ovated. The restoration of the Pullman has been delayed by recent Caltrain construction work. The society’s goal is to have the rail car ready for the 150th anniversary of the station in 2013.

The society is starting to see a second generation membership who is actively involved in preserving the history of the railroad. Two of its younger members, Seth Evertz, 11, and Kevin Renner, 21, assisted in the restoration and painting of the buildings and help

run the trains and talk to the public. Renner’s and Evertz’s interest in model trains started when they were about 5 or 6 years old.

Renner’s passion for model trains is turning him into an amateur railway historian. Between school breaks, he volunteers at the museum and shares his interest and knowledge with people who visit the museum.

Evertz keeps coming back to the museum so that he can run his own trains on the tracks and share stories with other model train enthusiasts.

The museum complex sits next to the Union Pacific freight yard where multiple rail lines converge. It is open to the public every Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Tuesdays, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. (except on certain holidays). Admission is free. Visit www.sbhrs.org for more information.

Top right: Who doesn’t love trains? You can find 5-year old Carson and his dad, Michael Stockwell, at the museum almost every Saturday bonding over their shared passion for everything trains. Carson’s interest in trains was spurred by his father who bought him a Thomas the Tank Engine when he was about a year old.

Below: Model railroading is not just for boys and men. Tiffany Kircher has been a member of the museum for almost a year. She and fellow member Eric Barning can be found on the N scale side running a steam locomotive.

Bottom right: Lanterns such as these were used atop switch stands for sidings along the right of way of railroads and for sema-phore signals. This collection of lanterns is part of a larger one of hand lanterns, switch stand lanterns and marker lights used on the last car of passenger trains.

The museum is always interested in receiv-ing railroad artifacts donated or loaned that they can share with the public.

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EVENTS CALENDAR

Ride Caltrain to these special events. The station name and any additional transit service required are listed below each event.

Feb. 4Giants Winter Fan Fest AT&T Parkwww.knbr.comSan Francisco station

Feb. 11Chinese New Year ParadeSan Franciscowww.chineseparade.comSan Francisco stationMuni Route 30 or 45

Feb. 13 – 19SAP Open TennisHP Pavilion at San Josewww.hppsj.comSan Jose Diridon station

March 21 - 25SF Flower & Garden ShowSan Mateo Event Center www.sanmateoexpo.orgHillsdale station

March 23Lady Antebellum & DariusHP Pavilion at San Josewww.hppsj.comSan Jose Diridon stationVTA light rail

March 23An Evening with Pop Fiction Club FoxDowntown Redwood Citywww.foxrwc.comRedwood City station

Fast FactsService for Presidents Day

Caltrain will operate a modified Saturday schedule with express service, including one round trip to Gilroy on Presidents Day, Feb. 20. Schedule is available on trains or at www.caltrain.com.

• • •

Train Operator Transition

The schedule to transition to the new rail operator, TASI, is being moved back a bit because of the complexity of the change. TASI should be behind the controls by summer.

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Caltrain and the Peninsula Commute Service Available Now in Paperback

Former Caltrain Marketing staffer Janet McGovern’s newly published book Caltrain and the Peninsula Commute Service is now avail-able for preorder at Amazon.com. Her latest paperback tells how the rail line evolved and how it has helped the San Francisco Peninsula transform from ranchos to towns to suburbs to today’s Silicon Valley.

• • •

Track the Fun Now Available

Don’t forget to pick up the latest edition of Track the Fun. The color-ful, guide features tons of great things to do all week long and on

weekends, especially now with express Baby Bullets available.

Make Caltrain your ride to a variety of attractions and events which are only a few blocks or steps away from a Caltrain station or

another transit connection. For discounts,

check out Track the Savings at www.caltrain.com/fun.

Advanced Signal System PlannedCaltrain recently awarded a

$138 million contract for a sophisti-cated signal system, putting the his-toric railroad on track to better serve its riders now and in the future. This vital system will improve safety and reliability for Caltrain and be com-patible with the other railroads that use the train tracks between San Francisco and San Jose.

The Communications Based Overlay Signal System, or CBOSS,

will work with Caltrain’s existing signal system. The hi-tech system will improve safety for passengers on trains and workers on the train tracks. It also will allow Caltrain to operate more trains and reduce the time that crossing gates are down.

CBOSS is made up of equip-ment onboard trains and alongside tracks and a dedicated communica-tion network that interfaces with the dispatching center.

continued on page 6

Drivers: Before driving over the tracks make sure that the area is clear before advancing across the tracks. If you need to stop, make sure it’s behind the Stop line.

Stop Line for VehiclesS A F E T Y T I P

Fast Facts Holiday Train Returns Next Year!

Santa brought good tidings to those who gathered at the San Francisco station.

With a hearty Ho Ho Ho, Santa announced at a news conference held at the San Francisco station that the annual Holiday Train will be back in 2012 after a two-year hiatus.

Caltrain and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation have part-nered to revive a beloved holiday tradition. As the lead sponsor, SVCF will help raise money for the chari-table beneficiaries of the train and will provide strategic and technical

fundraising assistance to ensure the future success of the event. SVCF and Caltrain will work together to encourage communi-ties along the route to participate in the spirit of giving that is at the heart of the event and the holiday season.

The holiday season was a little bit brighter for hundreds of children thanks to the generos-ity of people who donated toys to the San Mateo County Transit District’s Transit Toy Drive.

In conjunction with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots program and the Salvation Army, the Transit Toy Drive received a total of 509 new, unwrapped toys and books this holiday season.

The Transit District, which heads SamTrans and Caltrain, has sponsored a toy drive since 2001. In years past the Caltrain Holiday Train, a glittering show train decorated with thousands of lights, ushered in the holiday season on the Peninsula, stopping at selected stations and collecting thousands of toys.

Although budget considerations forced the suspension of the Holiday Train in 2010 and 2011, SamTrans and Caltrain have continued to conduct a toy drive, collecting more than 45,000 gifts for needy Bay Area children over the past 10 years.

Santa Clara Station Pedestrian Underpass

The new pedestrian under-pass is ready for its close-up. The underpass, which is accessible for customers with disabilities, is part of a modernization proj-ect that also added a new centerboard northbound platform and extended the southbound platform 150 feet.

The project also included the reconstruction of a signal control point at the south end of the station, allowing for quicker train movement in and out of the station. When the work is fully complete, Altamont Commuter Express trains will resume service to the Santa Clara station, which was suspended a few years ago. Capitol Corridor may also add this station stop to its schedule in the future.

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Caltrain Connection is produced by thePeninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board. Comments, questions, contributions andsuggestions should be directed to:

Mary Knuckles, editorknucklesm@caltrain.com

Caltrain Connection P.O. Box 3006

San Carlos, CA 94070-1306

Caltrain Board of DirectorsAdrienne Tissier, chairKen Yeager, vice chair

José CisnerosMalia CohenJerry DealAsh KalraLiz Kniss

Arthur L. LloydTom Nolan

Michael J. ScanlonExecutive Director

1.800.660.4287 www.caltrain.com

San Jose Station Improvement Project CompletedThe trackwork around two

new west side platforms has been completed at the Diridon Caltrain station. The underpass entrances to the new ramps and stairs will open in late February.

The two platforms will provide needed operational flexibility for the current level of service and any future

increased service operated by Caltrain, Altamont Commuter Express, Capitol Corridor and Amtrak Coast Starlight passenger trains.

The project also included the re-construction of signal control points at both ends of the station, allowing for quicker train movement in and out of the station.

The system includes Positive Train Control, a safety system that automatically stops trains that are speeding or in danger of colliding.

After a tragic train collision in Southern California in 2008, the federal government mandated that all railroads have Positive Train Control by the end of 2015. The final design for CBOSS is scheduled to be completed in 2013, and installation will begin shortly thereafter.

Operating a railroad safely requires a combination of systems that perform a number of critical functions. Caltrain currently uses a system that allows dispatchers to know where the train is and ensures that the tracks are in good working order and that it is safe for the train to proceed. The dispatcher

operates switches and signals by remote control.

As sophisticated as this sounds, Caltrain’s current system is nearly at capacity and cannot accommo-date any significant increase in train service.

In addition to 86 Caltrain trains, up to 24 other trains use Caltrain’s tracks every weekday. These include Union Pacific Railroad, Amtrak’s Coast Starlight, Capitol Corridor, which travels between San Jose and Sacramento, and ACE, which provides service from the Central Valley to San Jose.

Forecasts indicate that the need for public transportation in the area will continue to grow. CBOSS is a critical step in modernizing the railroad to help Caltrain meet future demands for safe, reliable service.

Caltrain signal systemcontinued from page 5

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