Caltrain has opened an online store with the hope of auctioning off 20 retired diesel locomotives that can be repurposed as a brewery, store, community center or cozy home.
An opening bid for the auction, which is slated to start in late September or October, hasn’t been set yet, but agency officials are already thinking of creative ways to get the most out of the unusual offering.
“The Caltrain store is a great shopping experience for everyone, from Caltrain riders to Bay Area residents to rail fans across California,” said Caltrain Executive Director Michelle Bouchard in a statement. “I particularly recommend the F40 locomotives, which would be perfect for a creative planter box, a cozy bed and breakfast or a conversation piece for your mantle.”
That’s provided that your mantle is reinforced to support a 137-ton locomotive.
Last Saturday, Caltrain ran a limited number of new electrified trains during a special ceremony and then began running them for the public on Sunday. The launch was a long time coming. The $2.4 billion electrification project has been in the works for decades and construction started more than seven years ago.
With the new trains coming fully online on Sept. 21, Caltrain says it wants to give rail fans an opportunity to reuse the old diesel locomotives.
“There are a lot of rail fans out there,’’ said Caltrain spokesperson Dan Lieberman. “Both people who love trains in general and those who love Caltrain in particular and they want to show that love off.”
But it’s not just the locomotives that are up for sale. Caltrain is offering its first-ever holiday sweater and Caltrain-branded red-and-white soccer balls, “a great way to celebrate Caltrain’s service to Bay FC and the San Jose Earthquakes, as well as the service it will run to locally hosted World Cup matches in 2026,” Lieberman said.
“Demand has already been higher than expected, with T-shirts, hats, bags and model electric trains already selling out. Caltrain expects to refill its capacity in the near future so Caltrain fans can share their love for the rail service in style,” Lieberman said.
SamTrans also has a new online store and its own holiday sweater, vintage T-shirt, tote bag and an insulated water bottle up for sale.
Profits from both online stores will go to the general operations fund, which “helps with all aspects of keeping our buses running on San Mateo County roadways,” agency officials said.
People who are interested in acquiring a retired Caltrain locomotive can submit bids starting in late September.
Caltrain is not the first Bay Area transit agency to offer its retired fleet for reuse.
Earlier this year, BART officially retired its legacy fleet a few months after the transit agency began running new “fleet of the future” cars for its base schedule. All 55 trains are made up of new cars, with 20 additional cars slated for delivery each month, BART officials said. The new cars are a big upgrade from the agency’s original models that featured carpeting and cloth seats that were replaced about a decade ago after endless complaints of smells, grime and germs.
The old legacy cars are being repurposed as a bike shop, community event space and bed and breakfast. The Hayward Fire Department is using one as a training facility, while another car recently landed at the Western Railway Museum in Suisun City. The museum is expecting two more cars and plans to display all three in its new Rapid Transit History Center.
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