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SN Transit BETA 0.1

A modern-day version of the Sacramento Northern Railway. Track laid from San Francisco to Moraga. Stations (so far): SF Transbay, Bridge Yard (Employees only), Hollis St, Shafter Ave, Temescal, Havens, Pinehurst, Moraga.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1hVSeQg2PMoA3UyCK82LBFepgOMg-Hn9Z&usp=sharing
Required DLC: Sacramento Northern, Caltrain (Gilroy and San Fransisco), Chicago Racetrack
Region: California, USA
Focus time period: 2015
Line Speed: P79/F55
Line Length: 40 miles
Line traffic: Passenger and freight
Passenger Motive Power: EMD F40PH-3, F40PH-2CAT, MPI MP36PH-3C, GE P42DC
Freight Motive Power: EMD SD70MAC, SD40-2, GP38-2
Intersecting railroads: Union Pacific, BNSF

The Sacramento Northern Transit Authority (reporting mark SNTX) is a medium-distance commuter rail network stretching from Sacramento, CA to San Francisco CA. The original right-of-way was operated by the Sacramento Northern Railway, an electric interurban. Due to competition from the automobile and interstate highways, the SN ceased passenger service in 1940, but freight service continued into the 1960s. Southern Pacific and Western Pacific joint-operated the right of way between 1965 and 1974, barely making a profit. In the late 1970s, several California highways were suffering from congestion due to poor planning and design, and there was simply no more space or money to fix or build new ones. At a CALTRANS meeting, it was decided to resume passenger service from San Francisco to Sacramento using the 1old SN right-of-way. The route was sold very quickly and cheaply, for SP and WP didn’t want anything to do with it after making little to no profit off of it for almost ten years. The route was to be operated as a subsidiary of Caltrain, and as such would get first dibs on Caltrain equipment that was for sale. Most of the jointed rail was ripped up and replaced with welded rail to increase line speeds, and all mainline trackage was upgraded with CTC and/or ABS. The SN still handles passenger and freight traffic, with the majority of freight trains running during off-peak hours or at night as so not to disrupt the schedule of passenger trains. Like the main Caltrain route, the SN is a partial quiet zone, meaning the entire route is a quiet zone between 2100 and 0600. Designated quiet zones are always quiet zones regardless of the time.

Initially, passenger service was provided with a mixed bag of motive power. Aging Ex-WP FP7s were finally replaced by Amtrak SDP40Fs in 1985. Contrary to Amtrak, the SN was quite satisfied with their performance and had no derailments or other incidents with them. In 1996, the SN bought six F40PH-2s from the Caltrain Joint Powers Board (JPBX) and rebuilt them into F40PH-2CATs with HEP generators and other new equipment. Their performance was satisfactory, and two years later, in 1998, SN bought nine newly refurbished F40PH-2CATs from New Jersey Transit, and 2 F40PH-3s from Chicago Metra. In 2015, three MP36PH-3Cs were purchased from MPI, but wear Caltrain paint and occasionally operate on Caltrain during power shortages. SN also took ownership of three used GE P42DCs, which will be used to systematically replace the 420-series F40s. SN is planning on purchasing up to 14 Siemens SC-44 Chargers to replace the entire fleet of F40s.

Passenger Locomotive Roster
360-362 (3 units) MP36PH-3C
4120-4128 (9 units) F40PH-2CAT
420-425 (6 units) F40PH-2CAT (a)
426-428 (3 units) P42DC
430-431 (2 units) F40PH-3 (e)

Heritage Locomotive Roster
505 (1 unit) SDP40F
711-712 (2 units) GP7
805-A (1 unit) FP7
805-B (1 unit) F7B

Freight Roster
380-382 (3 units) GP38-2
383-385 (3 units) GP38-2R


MOW Roster
900-901 (2 units) GP9

Roster Notes
300-302 are new from MPI/JPBX with Caterpillar HEP.
380-382 are Ex-UP
383-385 are Ex-BNSF, nee-BN with upgraded electronics, controls, and A/C
4120-4129 are upgraded F40PH-2s with Caterpillar HEP, blended brakes, and ACSES.
420-424 are upgraded F40PH-2s with Caterpillar HEP.
426-428 are P42DCs from Amtrak, HEP provided by the prime mover.
430-432 are upgraded F40PH-2s with blended brakes and TMS. HEP is provided by the prime mover. These are the oldest F40s out of them all.
505 has been operationally and cosmetically restored to look and run better than the day the SN bought it. 505 is one of two SDP40Fs preserved, the other being 644.
711-712 are GP7s from the original Sacramento Northern electric railroad. Being an electric railroad, the GP7s were the largest diesels they had and were only used during the waning years of the SN.
805-A and 805-B, like the 505, have been fully operationally and cosmetically restored.
900-901 are Ex-Caltrain, nee-SP GP9s that have been upgraded with 645 power assemblies. They were transferred from Caltrain in 2014, and are now used as MOW units.