Uploaded January 2020 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
I headed the 25 miles south to the Santa Clara Caltrain station on January 18, 2020, to record trains run by Caltrain, Amtrak (Capitol Corridor) and Altamont Corridor Express (ACE). There was a surprising amount of activity for a Saturday but this is the heart of the Silicon Valley where many people put in long hours to create high tech devices and applications.
Caltrain runs trains between San Francisco and Gilroy, south of Diridon station in San Jose. Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor trains run between Sacramento and Diridon station while ACE operates between Stockton and Diridon. In this video, you’ll see all three operations with a surprise visit from the southbound Amtrak Coast Starlight.
The junction just north of the Santa Clara station directs Caltrain north to San Francisco while Capitol Corridor and ACE trains turn right at the junction and head to the east side of San Francisco Bay. At Fremont, ACE and Capitol Corridor trains branch right and head to Niles where ACE continues up Niles Canyon toward Stockton while Capitol Corridor trains travel north to Oakland and eventually Sacramento.
The trailer at the end of the video was shot at the South Bay Historical Railroad Society facility in the old Santa Clara depot. They're open Tuesdays 5pm to 8pm and Saturdays 10am to 3pm.
I headed the 25 miles south to the Santa Clara Caltrain station on January 18, 2020, to record trains run by Caltrain, Amtrak (Capitol Corridor) and Altamont Corridor Express (ACE). There was a surprising amount of activity for a Saturday but this is the heart of the Silicon Valley where many people put in long hours to create high tech devices and applications.
Caltrain runs trains between San Francisco and Gilroy, south of Diridon station in San Jose. Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor trains run between Sacramento and Diridon station while ACE operates between Stockton and Diridon. In this video, you’ll see all three operations with a surprise visit from the southbound Amtrak Coast Starlight.
The junction just north of the Santa Clara station directs Caltrain north to San Francisco while Capitol Corridor and ACE trains turn right at the junction and head to the east side of San Francisco Bay. At Fremont, ACE and Capitol Corridor trains branch right and head to Niles where ACE continues up Niles Canyon toward Stockton while Capitol Corridor trains travel north to Oakland and eventually Sacramento.
The trailer at the end of the video was shot at the South Bay Historical Railroad Society facility in the old Santa Clara depot. They're open Tuesdays 5pm to 8pm and Saturdays 10am to 3pm.
