The End. As the sun sets on a seemingly typical California evening, Caltrain Nippon Sharyo Gallery cab car #4011 is leading train 711 on its penultimate journey. Nearly 40 years old, the car has traversed the rails between Gilroy and San Francisco countless times and has seen Caltrain continuously evolve into the railroad it is today. September 20, 2024 would be the final day that the original EMD F40PHs and Gallery cars would see service before the new Stadler KISS trainsets officially take over all service between Tamien and San Francisco, with MP36s and Bombardier Bi-Levels being relegated to solely Gilroy to San Jose service. With this being the last run (in daylight) of a Gallery cab car, a large group of railfans has gathered in the head end of 4011, all vying to get their final shots out of the famous "foamer window" at the front of the train. Within hours, the new Stadler KISS EMUs will take the reins as the primary workhorse of the history-filled route. Though this will surely be 4011's most documented run, it takes with it decades of successful and largely unnoticed service to the Bay Area. Though in the name of progress, the demise of the Gallery Cars and F40s along the San Francisco Peninsula marks the end of a defining era in Caltrain history.
Where once there was only one commuter carrier, Southern Pacific between San Jose and San Francisco, today there are three: Caltrain (former SP), Altamont Commuter Express, and the newest, SMART (Sonoma-Marin Rapid Transit).
