Places to see around SFO or Napa..

Greetings to all...I'm going to be spending about a week out West, and have the choice of staying in downtown SFO or up towards Napa. Would anyone have an idea of where, the best railfanning area would be given the choice of either two?
Thanks...

For passenger trains - 4th Street in San Francisco (the northern terminus of Caltrain).
For freight (and passenger) - West Oakland (Take BART from SFO).
- Stephen

Napa has its tourist Wine Train but not much else.

Check out the California Railroad Museum in Sacramento and the Western Railroad Museum on Highway 12 between Fairfield and Rio Vista.

If you are renting a car get a map and go to Pinole, about 25 miles northeast of Oakland. Great spot for lots of trains, Amtrak, California Amtrak, UP and right along side that line the BNSF. Also try nearby Martinez. Same trains, a station, though at this point the BNSF is a few miles away but going across a valley on a spectacular bridge.

I have never been to San Fransisco, but I could help you as I might get there someday, who knows maybe next summer even though my brother lives in Santa Monica. You have all sorts of transit within San Francisco as well as nearby places. The BART takes you all over the bay area. So, basically it is like a commuter railroad. The MUNI would be considered San Francisco's subway and light rail. You might want to check those out. Caltrain- check it out. You now could go from end to end in 57 minutes. San Jose's Dirion is where most commuter service ends with very limited runs to Gilroy(only during peak, no reverse runs). You might want to take a spin on Amtrak California's Capital Corridor. Between Oakland and Sac, there are many trains and the fares are CHEAP. Freight opporitunities are endless outside of SFO. Yes, if you go too far away from SFO or Oakland, a car is essential.

Thanks for the tips in and around SFO...I will have a car to use, however I was wondering, is it possible to take BART to the Pinole area?

You can get pretty close to Martinez on the way to Pittsburg on BART. I don't know if you could walk it or if there is local bus service into Martinez. Perhaps you could get a cab to the station. If it gets onto Highway 4 you should be able to see the BNSF trestle. It is not a difficult drive to either Martinez or Pinole. Get off I-80 at the Appian Way exit, turn left. It's only a mile or so to the tracks at Pinole. Stay on I-80 for a few more exits and look for the directions to Martinez. If you want to go from SF to Martinez you can take Ca. Amtrak to Martinez. Take the Richmond BART out of SF to the end of the line, Richmond. At the very same station you can get Ca. Amtrak to Martinez which is just one stop east of Richmond. You will pass Pinole on the way and you will see why it is such a scenic route as the line hugs San Pablo Bay most of the way. Good hunting.

PS You might want to post your request on the Bay Area Commuter forum for more exposure to resoponses.

kevikens wrote:You can get pretty close to Martinez on the way to Pittsburg on BART. I don't know if you could walk it or if there is local bus service into Martinez. Perhaps you could get a cab to the station. If it gets onto Highway 4 you should be able to see the BNSF trestle. It is not a difficult drive to either Martinez or Pinole. Get off I-80 at the Appian Way exit, turn left. It's only a mile or so to the tracks at Pinole. Stay on I-80 for a few more exits and look for the directions to Martinez. If you want to go from SF to Martinez you can take Ca. Amtrak to Martinez. Take the Richmond BART out of SF to the end of the line, Richmond. At the very same station you can get Ca. Amtrak to Martinez which is just one stop east of Richmond. You will pass Pinole on the way and you will see why it is such a scenic route as the line hugs San Pablo Bay most of the way. Good hunting.

Excellent!! Thanks very much for all the info! I'll have a week to kill..so I should have plenty of time to fan!!

If you are staying in SF take the Caltrain commute service south to San Jose. The station and its nearby area is worth the trip. Also the stop just before San Jose, Santa Clara, is the location of a UP (nee SP) freight yard. The station itself may well be the oldest extant station east of the Mississippi and still in use. I was last there about two years ago and was amazed at the easy access to the yard. Pedestrians were constantly walking through the yard and no one ever paid me any attention as I photographed trains. Also the tower near the station is classic Western architecture. If you do take that route consider the station in Burligame, the station and girder bridge in Palo Alto. As you may have figured out by now I love the Bay Area. My two daughters live out there, one in SF the other in Berkeley. I go out once or twice a year ostensibly to visit them but really to railfan the area. Oh, one last thought. Ride the Muni Light rail system especially the F line with its classic trolleys. Best pix, I believe can be had on Market Street though the Embarquedero route probably has better light. I think you will find you have more railfanning to get in than you will have time. Let me know how your trip went.

Thanks again for the info...I think I managed to try every option of public transportation there was! I took Caltrain down to SJC, and Santa Clara, and saw limited activity, though the old station was interesting. I caught the Cable cars, and the "F" line from the Wharf to Embarcadero and back..I even managed to head out to East to Martinez, to catch some activity. All in all, it was a good week..very interesting spots!! Thanks again for all the help!!

If you're able to go to Roseville, they have a good yard there. It's also where the Donner Pass traffic comes and goes from.