Railfanning around San Francisco/Oakland California Area??

[Anonymous]

Noah:

Maybe it was just a typo, but Pinole is actually about 13 miles North of Oakland.

I grew up there. Have a good time, but be advised that other than the trains Pinole isn't long in the way of tourist attractions.

TrummyandElla

[dldance]

Jack London Square in Oakland is an interesting place to visit with non-rail fans. There are some good restaurants, and nice shopping in addition to Amtrak and freight traffic. It probably does not have the traffic density of other places but it has things for other family members. Check the Amtrak schedule.

dd

[Noah Hofrichter]

My family will be traveling to San Francisco to visit relatives over my Spring break from school in about 2 weeks. We are getting a rental car, and my Dad promised that I could have at least half a day to railfan in the imediate area, Oakland, San Fran, ect.. I have Kalmbach's Guide to North American Railroad Hotspots, and they recomend Pinole California, about 13 miles to the South of Oakland.

But I was still wondering, does anyone else know of any good spots with in 20 miles of San Francisco and Oakland? If you could provide exact directions or a Mapquest map to the area it would greatly help me, We know the basic area but not alot about it. I would prefer just the lines that have at least 3 or 4 trains an hour, so I can see the most in the time that I'll have(a few hours). I appreciate any answers that you can give, I want to make the best out of the situation.

Noah