Railfanning Martinez - 11/23/19

Well folks, it has been a long time coming, but after years of culminating railfanning trips, the end is here ! After many trips, many trains caught, and many great crews, this video brings to a close to my railfanning series of Amtrak stations throughout Northern California. More specifically, one of the first stations I ever visited in NorCal was at Martinez back in 2015. Thus, it would only be befitting to complete the series at where it all started it at, here at the Martinez Amtrak Station ! This station is particularly of great interest mainly because it serves as a major hub for all four of the Northern California Amtrak routes; but also because it serves as the main transfer point for passengers making connections, including Amtrak Thruway Buses to cities in the northwesternmost parts of California and throughout the local region as well. The station is especially unique in that the local topography, its layout, and four active tracks immediately adjacent to the station, provides for excellent viewing of railroad operations and plentiful railfanning opportunities. The station is located just east of Union Pacific’s Ozol Yard, is located just south of the Benicia - Martinez Railroad Drawbridge (originally Southern Pacific), and is additionally located at the convergence(westbound) / divergence(eastbound) of UP’s Martinez and Tracy Subdivisions. Furthermore, due to the City of Martinez being situated in a valley / topographical bowl, one can easily hear the horn echoes of approaching trains far beyond the station in both directions. Interestingly enough, it is also possible to hear trains crossing over Suisun Bay from the rumble and clickety clacks as the train moves along the railroad bridge. To add to that, the station area also features the original SP Depot built back in 1876 nearby, as well as a SP 0-6-0 steam locomotive #1258, ATSF boxcar, and caboose on display across the tracks. More recently, the station has also seen the new addition of a pedestrian bridge to accommodate more passengers with the parking lot across the tracks, and now connects with the existing station building. Although there are many other neat railroading features in and around the area, in the end, the Martinez Amtrak Station is an excellent place to railfan ! Whether it is the awesome horn action, meets and races, the plentiful trains, or the many great crews, Martinez serves as an excellent and befitting end to this railfanning series !
Note : Amtrak 711 was annulled (cancelled) on this day due to locomotive bearing problems while en route to Oakland. The train was terminated at Merced where the locomotive was set out north of the station at Fluhr, and where the passenger cars were later picked up by BNSF for transport back to Amtrak’s Oakland Maintenance Facility. Passengers were accommodated on Amtrak 701 and 737 via Sacramento and then on to Martinez.
Train 1 : Amtrak 723 with F59PHI #2011 & CabCar #6962. Right before the break of dawn, the first Amtrak train of the day, 723, arrives into Martinez for its station stop. Nice horn action from the engineer !
Train 2 : Amtrak 11 (Coast Starlight) with P42DC #48 & #79. Friendly engineer on #48 !
Train 3 : Amtrak 710 with NPCU #90215 & F59PHI #2006. Great horn action and echoes from the engineer !
Train 4 : Union Pacific LRJ88-23 (Tolenas Turn) with GP40-2 #1372 & #1450. This local was returning to Ozol Yard from the Fairfield / Vacaville area after dropping off and picking up cars for the local industries. It made for an unexpected but nice surprise catch for sure, with some loud horn action as well !
Train 5 : Amtrak 720 with CabCar #8314 & SC-44 #2107.
Train 6 : Amtrak 727 with SC-44 #2104 & CabCar #8302.
Train 7 : Amtrak 6 (California Zephyr) with P42DC #23 & #33. Note the Edward L. Ullman Superliner I car in the consist. Great crew on this train !
Train 8 : Amtrak 729 with SC-44 #2103, CabCar #8309, & #8306. Another great crew; with some great, loud horn action from the engineer !
Train 9 : Amtrak 724 with CabCar #6963 & F59PHI #2007. Nice quilling action.
Train 10 : Amtrak 712 with CabCar #6964 & P42DC #25. Note the extra Viewliner Diner in the consist. This is to accommodate the recently implemented minimum count of 28 axles for proper activation of crossing signals. First time seeing a Viewliner car ! I decided to also try out a new vantage point overlooking both the original SP Depot and the current station building. Nice engineer on #6964.
Train 11 : Amtrak 733 with F59PHI #2013 & CabCar #8312.
Train 12 : Union Pacific MRVOA-23 with C44ACCTE #5808 & C45ACCTE #5296. Immediately after Amtrak 733 clears the platform, MRVOA-23 appears, following right behind 733 in a brief race ! Friendly crew on #5808.
Train 13 : Amtrak 728 with CabCar #6962 & F59PHI #2011. Nice horn action from engineer !
Train 14 : Amtrak 714 with CabCar #6965 & F59PHI #2005. Cool engineer.
Train 15 : Amtrak 737 with F59PHI #2007 & CabCar #6963.
Thanks for Watching !