Peninsula Celebrations
On Saturday, Caltrain officials will kick off a year-long celebration marking 150 years of service between San Francisco and San Jose, Calif.
The celebration will begin with a re-enactment of a historic picnic that occurred in October 1863 near Menlo Park to mark the completion of the San Francisco & San Jose Railroad’s line to San Jose, Caltrain officials said in a press release.
Caltrain is the oldest passenger railroad in the West that’s still operating, they said. Built by the San Francisco & San Jose Railroad, it subsequently was absorbed by the Southern Pacific, which operated the Peninsula Commute Service for more than 100 years. A transition to public ownership began in the 1980s, first under the state of California and then by the three-county Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, which has owned and operated Caltrain since 1992.
Seven Caltrain depots are on the National Register of Historic Places: Millbrae, Burlingame, San Carlos, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Santa Clara and San Jose Diridon. Four depots were built in the 1800s.
Source: Progressive Railroads RAIL NEWS
150 Years of the Peninsula Commute Service
Caltrain is very pleased to be celebrating 150 years of the Peninsula Commute Service in 2014. This is a major milestone for Caltrain, especially as we look forward to Caltrain Modernization in the coming years. We are excited to celebrate the history of this incredible piece of American history that is still serving Bay Area residents today. The first of two events celebrating the 150th Anniversary, being held at the Menlo Park Caltrain Station, will honor the completion of the line from San Francisco to Mayfield, now part of Palo Alto. In October, 1863 a grand picnic was held to commemorate the progress. The line was completed to San Jose a few months later in January of 1864.
Please join us Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013 11am-3pm to celebrate 150 years of the Peninsula Commute Service.
For Caltrain’s 150th Birthday, we’ve put together quite a lineup. Join us this Saturday!
Free Ice Cream by Baskin Robbins Menlo Park.
Food Trucks by Moveable Feast.
Kettlecorn by Peter Ngu.
Face painting.
Diablo Pacific Shortline Garden Railways
The Stanford Golden Spike.
The Wells Fargo Stage Coach.
Historic exhibits from San Mateo County History Museum, Menlo Park Historic Association, Pacific Bus Museum, Silicon Valley Historical Assoc., Millbrae Historical Society, Native Sons of the Golden West and more.
The program begins at 11:30 a.m. Historic re-enactors arrive by train at 12:14 p.m.
Speakers for the program will include:
California State Senator Jerry Hill, Caltrain Board Chairman Ken Yeager, San Mateo County Supervisor Warren Slocum, Menlo Park Mayor Peter Ohtaki.
Vendors: Tera Tera, Ginkgo Designs
Source: Caltrain.com