(rshsdepot) Stockton (CA) Depots in the news

["Jim Dent" <james.dent_@_itochu.com>]

-From the Altamont Press Newsline...

Stockton Depots in the news

Two existing and one future Stockton train station have made the news
recently. First, the historic former Southern Pacific two-story brick
station located between Weber and Channel Streets in downtown Stockton has
had its ownership transferred from the Union Pacific Railroad to the San
Joaquin Regional Rail Commission, operators of the Altamont Commuter Express
(ACE) service between Stockton and the Bay Area.

Details of the transfer, which occurred in late July are not available, but
the building is currently being fenced off and a security firm has been
hired to provide 24-hour, seven-day a week protection. Asbestos and lead
paint inspection will soon begin in the building, which has been abandoned
for many years and its only tenants have been some of the city's more
undesirable residents. It will be renovated for use by passengers, in
addition to becoming ACE's headquarters building, which now is located in
leased space at the Stockton Metropolitan Airport.

The renovation is expected to be completed by 2003 and may include space
available for lease to other transit agencies. Currently, three ACE trains
depart Monday through Friday, from platform shelters adjacent to the
station, which also serves Amtrak's daily Sacramento to Bakersfield San
Joaquin.

At the same time, Caltrans has proposed plans for a new $7 million Amtrak
station to be built at a site located on Burlington Northern Santa Fe
Railway's former Santa Fe mainline adjacent to Stagecoach Road (between
Farmington and Mariposa Roads) in southeast Stockton.

Discussions for a new Amtrak station began in 1991 and city officials were
hoping that it would be built at a downtown Stockton site in order to anchor
the city's ongoing urban revitalization project. Operations wise, the ideal
site would be at the crossing of the former WP, SP and Santa Fe mainlines
adjacent to Hazelton Avenue, but for a variety of reasons, this site is not
feasible.

Currently, Amtrak's Emeryville to Bakersfield San Joaquins use the former
Santa Fe depot located on San Joaquin street in south Stockton. Neither this
station, nor the current ACE (and former SP) station is a good location for
an "all in one" facility, due to the number of back-up moves that would be
required at an already extremely congested interlocking, that until
recently, was controlled by BNSF's Stockton Tower. Control of this crossing
is now the responsibility of BNSF dispatchers in Southern California. The
proposal for the new Amtrak facility is scheduled to come before the
Stockton City Council in September.

The former Western Pacific depot located between Weber and Main Streets on
the now abandoned WP mainline, has been sold to a Bay Area demolition
company. However, the firm, Complete Deconstruction, Inc. has no plans to
tear the building down and in fact, announced that it will restore the
93-year old structure to its historic look when it served such trains as the
Exposition Flyer and California Zephyr. CDI purchased the adobe
mission-style depot for $190,000 from the Stockton Police Youth Activities
group which has been using the structure for almost 30 years, ever since it
was closed after the discontinuance of the Zephyr in 1970.

CDI is primarily a recycling business that purchases old buildings and
salvages useable materials before they are torn down. They have been looking
for a few historic buildings in San Joaquin County for use as an office and
apparently the WP depot fit the bill. Plans call for the building to be
replastered, receive a new roof and restoration of the windows and doors,
"while keeping the historic feel to the place."

When work is completed in 60-90 days, CDI plans to operate a recycling
operation out of one portion of the building, with the additional space to
be filled by a barbecue restaurant with one year. -Stockton Record, Ken
Meeker

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