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| Lenzen Avenue update https://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=11690 |
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| Author: | bobyar2001 [ Sat Dec 18, 2004 4:35 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Lenzen Avenue update |
From the Railway Track & Structures website. Looks like they are finally starting on that planned Caltrain maintenance facility in San Jose, California. This is on the site of the old SP Lenzen Avenue roundhouse, which was dismantled brick by brick several years ago, with all materials now stored at the fairgrounds on pallets. Now unwanted at the fairgrounds, owner California Railroad and Trolley Corp. is still looking for a permanent home to re-erect the structure. Iterestingly, there were other sites proposed for the new maintenance facility, some of which were less objectionable to nearby residents, but all others were rejected. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- November 4, 2004 Caltain breaks ground on new maintenance facility After years of planning and community input, Caltrain is breaking ground on a new facility that will allow the rail agency to maintain its locomotives and passenger cars in San Jose rather than sending them as far away as Roseville and Southern California for major repairs. The groundbreaking will be held Monday, Nov. 8, at the future site located at Lenzen and Taylor streets on a former Southern Pacific rail yard, just north of Caltrain’s San Jose Diridon Station. The $76-million facility will feature a repair shop to better accommodate workers and equipment, and a new indoor train washer, which will replace the portable machine currently in use. Storage tracks with 480-volt electrical ground power will be available to power electrical trains in preparation for service. The facility is expected to be operational by late 2006. Earlier this year, Caltrain construction crews finished preparing the site, including demolition of unused buildings, relocation of existing tracks and the building of a community sound wall. In addition, crews relocated a fiber optic duct bank, a protective tube for major MCI fiber optic telecommunications lines, away from the construction site. In September, the Caltrain board awarded an $11.6 million contract to Schimmick Construction of Hayward for the current phase. This will include the relocation of mainline tracks, necessary to make room for the maintenance shop, and the digging of a pedestrian tunnel for workers to move between the shop and the new operations building. The final phase will include construction of a three-story operations building and a one-story control facility, which will accommodate train dispatchers and other key staff. This phase is scheduled to go to bid next spring depending on the availability of capital funding. |
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| Author: | ontracked [ Wed Dec 22, 2004 3:38 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Lenzen Avenue update |
The enginehouse was a neat old structure; but truly sad in its later days. I often flew over it onto the flight path into SJC, or passed by heading from Cahill St. Station on Caltrain. The pit turned into an urban duck pond after heavy rains if I remember. I was very dissapointed at the country's tossing-out of the Fairgrounds proposal. I watched the 2479 project from the Santa Clara County Fair for over a decade, and saw all the proposals for a much-needed local railroading museum. It would've been a fine museum, and a fine site... If I owned the former A to Z Nursery lot on Winchester Blvd. in Los Gatos, I'd donate it to a RR project...right next to 'live' rail. Beats a tech office park from Sobrato... Speaking of which, I do recall when there was an old siding there, that a streamlined coach was stored on/off there. This site is right across the street from Al Smith's place and his caboose was still there when I saw the silver coach. The siding was I believe the remains of the spur to the Maxxim Medical latex glove factory. When 85 was built, the siding was history. I also heard a distinct SP 5 or 6 chime whistle while looking for Xmas trees across the street. I often wondered if it was the SP 2472, or more likely, the BJWRR #2 with the borrowed SP whistle in the parade... -Ed Kelley |
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