List of San Francisco Bay Area trains explained

This is a list of trains and train museums in the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California in the United States.^[1]

Full-size commuter trains

The Bay Area hosts several regional commuter rail operations, as well as inter-city rail.

Commuter and intercity

• Altamont Corridor Express (ACE)^[2]
• Amtrak (California Zephyr, Capitol Corridor, Coast Starlight, and San Joaquins)^[3]
• Caltrain^[4]
• Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit^[5]

Rapid transit

• Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)^[6]

Light rail / streetcar

• VTA light rail (VTA)^[7]
• San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA)^[8]
  • Muni Heritage streetcars (including the Market Street Railway^[9])
  • Muni Metro
  • San Francisco cable car system^[10]

Full-size excursion trains

The Bay Area is home to several heritage railways that operate full size trains.

• Ardenwood Historic Farm – Fremont^[11]
• California Trolley and Railroad Corporation – San Jose^[12]
• Napa Valley Wine Train – between Napa and St. Helena^[13]
• Niles Canyon Railway – between Fremont and Sunol^[14]
• Roaring Camp & Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad
• Santa Cruz, Big Trees and Pacific Railway

Ride-on trains

The Bay Area is home to several ridable miniature railways.

East Bay

• Golden Gate Live Steamers – Berkeley^[15]
• Kennedy Park Train - Hayward^[16]
• Oakland Zoo – Oakland^{[17] [18]}
• Redwood Valley Railway – Berkeley^[19]

Peninsula

• Central Park Bianchi Train – San Mateo^[20]
• Emerald Hills Railway – Redwood City^[21]
• Little Puffer – San Francisco Zoo^[22]

North Bay

• Seaside Railway at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom – Vallejo^[23]
• Sonoma TrainTown Railroad – Sonoma^[24]

South Bay

• Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad – Los Gatos^[25]
• Bonfante Railroad Train Ride and Sky Trail Monorail at Gilroy Gardens – Gilroy^[26]
• Happy Hollow Park & Zoo – San Jose^[27]

Museums

The Bay Area is home to several independent railway museums.

East Bay

• Golden Gate Railroad Museum – Niles Canyon^[28]
• Niles Depot Museum – Fremont^[29]

North Bay

• Tiburon Depot – Tiburon^[30]
• Western Railway Museum – Solano County^[31]

Peninsula

• Colma Historical Association – Colma^[32]
• Millbrae Train Museum – Millbrae, California^[33]
• San Francisco Cable Car Museum – San Francisco^[34]
• San Francisco Railway Museum – San Francisco^[35]

South Bay

• Los Altos History Museum – Los Altos^[36]
• Edward Peterman Museum of Railroad History – Santa Clara^[37]

Model trains

There are several clubs in the Bay Area that are home to large layout model trains.

North Bay

• Golden State Model Railroad Museum – Richmond^[38]

East Bay

• Alameda County Fairgrounds – Pleasanton^[39]
• Black Diamond Lines Model Railroad Club – Antioch^[40]
• Diablo Valley Lines – Walnut Creek^[41]
• Niles Depot Museum – Fremont^[29]
• Walnut Creek Model Railroad Society – Walnut Creek^[42]

Peninsula

Barron Park Garden Railway – Palo Alto^[43]

• Golden Gate Model Railroad Club – San Francisco^[44]
• West Bay Model Railroad Association – Menlo Park^[45]

South Bay

• Edward Peterman Museum of Railroad History – Santa Clara
• Silicon Valley Lines – San Jose^[46]

See also

• List of California railroads

External links

• Web site: Bay Area train swap meets. 2012-12-01.

Notes and References

1. Lists of San Francisco Bay Area rail related resources can often be found at the "Links" page of a club or museum website. Examples include:
   1. Web site: SBHRS Related Links & Favorite Sites. 2012-11-30.
   2. Web site: GGRM Links. 2012-11-30.
   3. Web site: Links to Clubs & Suppliers. 2012-11-30.
   4. Web site: Local Railroad-related Entities. 2012-11-30.
   5. Web site: San Francisco Cable Car Museum - Public Transit. 2012-12-01.
   6. Web site: San Francisco Railroad Activities. 2013-01-11.

   Additionally, search engines at rail related web sites may be used to dynamically generate lists of San Francisco Bay Area trains. Examples include:

   1. Web site: SearchResults - Trains.com. Kalmbach. Trains. 2012-11-30.

   General civic information websites also have similar lists. Examples include:

   1. Web site: California Railroad Museums - Guide to Bay Area Railroad Museums. 2012-12-04.
2. Web site: Altamont Commuter Express. San Joaquin Regional Tail Commission.
3. Web site: Capital Corridor Trains. Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority.
4. Web site: Caltrain. San Mateo County Transit District.
5. Web site: Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit. 2017-08-25.
6. Web site: Bay Area Rapid Transit. San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District.
7. Web site: Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. 2012-11-30.
8. Web site: San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA).
9. Web site: Market Street Railway.
10. Web site: San Francisco Cable Cars.
11. Web site: Ardenwood Historic Farm. East Bay Regional park District.
12. Web site: California Trolley and Railroad Corporation.
13. Web site: Napa Valley Wine Train.
14. Web site: Train Rides on the Historic Niles Canyon Railway. Pacific Locomotive Association.
15. Web site: Welcome to the Golden Gate Live Steamers.
16. Web site: Hayward Area Recreation and Park District, CA.
17. Web site: Rides Area. Oakland Zoo.
18. Web site: Oakland Zoo Train. Taylar, Ingrid. About.com. San Francisco.
19. Web site: Redwood Valley Railway.
20. Web site: Central Park & Recreation Center. City of San Mateo. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120427061248/http://www.ci.sanmateo.ca.us/index.aspx?NID=718. 2012-04-27.
21. Web site: Emerald Hills Railway.
22. Web site: San Francisco Zoo's Historic Sites . 2012-11-30 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120109232507/http://www.sfzoo.org/historicsites . 2012-01-09 .
23. Web site: Things To DoHoliday in the Park at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom - Holiday in the Park at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. 2012-11-30.
24. Web site: Sonoma TrainTown Railroad.
25. Web site: Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad and W.E. "Bill" Mason Carousel.
26. Web site: Gilroy Gardens - Rides & Attractions. 2012-12-01.
27. Web site: Happy Hollow Park and Zoo.
28. Web site: Golden Gate Railroad Museum.
29. Web site: Niles Depot Model Railroads & Museum. Niles Depot Historical Foundation, Inc. & Tri-City Society of Model Engineers, Inc.
30. Web site: Tiburon Heritage and Arts » TIBURON RAILROAD & FERRY DEPOT MUSEUM. 2012-12-04.
31. Web site: Western Railway Museum - Solano County - California. 2012-11-30.
32. Web site: Colma Historical Association. 2012-12-04.
33. Web site: Millbrae Train Museum. 2012-12-04.
34. Web site: San Francisco Cable Car Museum. Friends of the Cable Car Museum.
35. Web site: SF Railway Museum & Gift Shop. Market Street Railway.
36. Web site: Los Altos History Museum. Association of the Los Altos Historical Museum.
37. Web site: Welcome to SBHRS!. South Bay Historical Railroad Society, Inc. 2011.
38. Web site: Golden State Model Railroad Museum.
39. Web site: The Alameda County Central Railroad Society. 2011.
40. Web site: Black Diamond Lines Model Railroad Club.
41. Web site: Walnut Creek Model Railroad Society.
42. Web site: Walnut Creek Model Railroad Society.
43. Web site: Struck. Eric. BARRON PARK GARDEN RAILWAY. 2012-12-04.
44. Web site: GGMRC. Golden Gate Model Railroaders, Inc.
45. Web site: West Bay Model Railroad Association.
46. Web site: Silicon Valley Lines Model Railroad Club. Silicon Valley Lines. 2009.