Martinez is a city of 35,000 located along the Carquinez Strait, about 30 miles east of San Francisco. Its downtown, adjacent to the Amtrak station, contains many preserved buildings, which provide a glimpse into California’s rich history. The city was also once home to famed preservationist John Muir, father of Yosemite National park. Martinez also claims to be the birthplace of the martini.
TRAIN WATCHING
The Amtrak station is located at milepost 31.7 on Union Pacific’s Martinez Subdivision. This former Southern Pacific line runs between Oakland and Roseville. Just east of the station there is a junction with the Tracy Subdivision, which runs to its namesake city. UP runs about eight freight trains through Martinez in 24 hours, mostly traffic to or from the Oakland area.
Several photography angles are available at the station and nearby grade crossings.
RADIO FREQUENCIES
FOR YOUR FAMILY
The Martinez History Museum (www.martinezhistory.org) offers exhibits and walking tours throughout the downtown area.
The Martinez Waterfront Park and Martinez Regional Shoreline, part of the East Bay Regional Park District (www.ebparks.org), offer additional recreational activities near the Amtrak station. Adventurous visitors can walk to the end of the fishing pier and watch ships from all over the world dock in the strait.
very nice you can hear the trains on railroadradio.net under western area tab must you folks probably know that already but I thought I would pass it on take care