A west bound Amtrak train suddenly stops on the I Street Bridge on January 1, 2012 at 12:35 p.m. The train was detained for twenty minutes then was pulled back to the Sacramento train station.  A few minutes later, the bridge swiveled over to let a Hornblower cruise ship past through.  To see the train being rolled back, click video. 

  In the mood for a low-country Regina Spektor-meets-Jimmy Buffett-on-whiskey act followed by a Dave Matthews crossed with a beached-out Buddy Holly number? Well, you can... this coming Tuesday, November 8 at the Naked Lounge in downtown Sacramento (1111 H St.), starting at 8:30. This all ages show features two of California's up-and-coming, on-the-scene singer-songwriters, Jo Elless (www.joelless.com) and Mike Macchia & Tyler Canaday (Mike's Lost and Found, http://www.youtube.com/TheMikeMacchia). Midwest and northeastern roots, with a little dixie thrown in for good measure, Jo Elless is a Berklee-trained multi-instrumentalist who arranges her songs for wind orchestra (all of the instru

Grammy awarding winning, Train, not to be confused with the series of connected railroad cars pulled or pushed by one or more locomotives, thundered into town on Sunday and performed to a sold out crowd at Thunder Valley Casino and Resort. Thunder Valley Casino and Resort really scored with signing on Train to perform at their outdoor amphitheater. Train just finished their Save Me San Francisco tour last month. Taking full advantage of their current success, they headed back out on the road with Maroon 5 and Gavin DeGraw for a summer tour. The band actually performed in Southern California Saturday with the others, drove by bus to Sacramento, then headed back down to Hollywood for a Mond

Residents will get a chance to see the design of a planned pedestrian and bicycle bridge over the railroad between Curtis Park and Land Park Wednesday night. The city’s project team will give a construction update at the Sierra 2 Center for the Arts and Community, 2791 24th St., at 6 p.m. 6:30 p.m . Wednesday The bridge is designed to give pedestrians and cyclists safe access over the railroad tracks from the light rail stop at Sacramento City College near the intersection of 24th Street and Sutterville Road. “Currently, pedestrians and bicyclists must use Sutterville Road to travel between Curtis Park and the light rail station,” according to a Department of Transportation newsletter.

The California State Railroad Museum and Historic Park is calling all volunteers to enter its 50th volunteer academy – volunteers who, according to officials, are the museum’s backbone. “We couldn’t run the museum without our docents. They are everything,” said Theresa Gonsolis, a guide and volunteer coordinator. She added that the museum – founded in 1981 – is considered the premiere indoor railroad museum in the country. Applications for the volunteer docent class are online and are being accepted through May 31, though Gonsolis said there is some “wiggle room” in the deadline. “Our philosophy is: the more the merrier,” she said. Docents are only required to work seven hours per mon

Sacramento light rail riders will soon have real-time information on train schedules and delays as a new electronic sign program is implemented. In an effort to improve its communication with riders, Sacramento Regional Transit is installing 36 signs at 22 stations in the first phase of a project that will eventually see signs at all stations, said Alane Masui, Sacramento Regional Transit spokeswoman. “They need the information so they can make the decision that best fits their needs,” she said. Signs will inform riders about train delays and scheduling issues, Masui said, adding that the information is currently posted to the website,  but transit officials wanted to make the informati

Celebrating Halloween is now a month-long occasion. Here are some spooky activities to get your skin crawling and set your nerves on end all the way through the 31st. All events are in Sacramento, unless noted otherwise. Trash Film Orgy Halloween 2010 Crest Theatre, 1013 K St. Oct. 31: 8 p.m. (doors open) 9 p.m. (show begins) All seats cost $10 ($1 discount for those wearing costumes) Ages 18 and older only More information: www.trashfilmorgy.com or call 916-44-CREST Trash Film Orgy presents “Heavy Metal Halloween” at the Crest Theatre. Live bloody stage shows, audience participation, games and costume contests will accompany a showing of the 1986 film “Trick or Treat,” featuring cameo

 The light rail station at 12th and I streets closed Monday for renovation work and will reopen Sept. 7. The most noticeable improvement will be the installation of an elevated ramp to replace the old wheelchair lift, making access to the train for people in wheelchairs much more efficient and quicker, said Alane Masui, spokeswoman for Sacramento Regional Transit. “This is a major improvement for this station,” she said. Other improvements include repainting, new seating and redone landscaping, Masui said. Light rail users questioned Tuesday were in favor of the improvements. “It’s hard for me to climb up the steps onto the train,” said Danny Frias, who walks with a cane and rides lig

Midtown, Sacramento, CA An early morning, wayword, DUI driver, gets his car stuck on the tracks. Per Sac PD at 2:11 a.m. Tuesday, they responded to a call for a vehicle stuck on the railroad tracks at the 19th and N street railroad crossing. When officers arrived, they discovered a vehicle that had made a right turn onto the railroad tracks and high centered on the tracks, delaying Union Pacific trains until 3 a.m. The driver was arrested for driving under the influence.       Follow our SacMav Breaking News Twitter  

A 1950s Lionel train advertisement shows a father, mother, little girl and boy peering into a window display featuring a model train going through a city, over a bridge and into the mountains. The father appears to be the most interested -- head cocked, hand on his chin, ready to help his child build the toy train set. An adjacent Lionel Train advertisement shows a father sitting on the ground assembling a train set, while his son sits in the background frowning. California State Railroad Museum's "Some Assembly Required" exhibit, which opened today, featured a somewhat similar scene. Many families were in the museum, but the historical toy exhibit seemed to strike the strongest chord wi

"When are the Operators going to get a furlough day?" Hearing that question from one of Regional Transit's Admisistrative staffers who happens to be a close friend of mine, I had to pause and chuckle. The powers that  be at Regional Transit have taken on the arduous task of bridging a 9 Billion dollar budget defecit, and that ain't no easy fix.  Furloughs, hiring freezes, unfilled vacancies....the list goes on and on but makes nigh a dent......See, the problem lies with how Regional Transit recieves, and in turn allocates funds from the Fed's and the State. Why are we facing service cuts and possibly layoffs?  Simply put, our Operational bucket is almost empty while our Capital Bucket

The Sacramento City Council voted Tuesday night to accept the recommendation of Sacramento’s Preservation Commission, rescinding a 2007 resolution to move the 1926 historic passenger depot and approving the “Don’t Move the Depot” alternative as part of the city’s Intermodal Transportation Facility Project. Last night’s decision marks the latest transformation of the Intermodal Transportation Facility Project, which has changed a number of times since 1999. The facility is intended to serve as a multi-use transportation hub, including access to car, city bus, intercity bus, light rail, commuter train or long-distance train. The project has been the subject of heated debate among local pol

On Thursday night, Sacramento's Preservation Commission held a special meeting to review plans to expand and refurbish Sacramento's historic passenger depot. The depot's environmental impact report includes two alternatives: a "move the depot" option that would involve rolling the historic building 400 feet north to meet the new track alignment, or a "don't move the depot" option that would build an expanded station between the current depot and the new track alignment. The commission was asked to provide their recommendation to City Council as to whether the city should move the station or not. Union Pacific's railroad tracks adjacent to the depot currently form a sharp S-curve that limi

If you heard a "chug chug" and a different sounding train whistle through Sacramento this morning, you were most likely hearing Union Pacifics UP844 passing through in route to Oakland. We caught up with UP844 passing over the I street bridge coming into West Sacramento. Within the past hour, UP844 has passed through Benicia where the train was greeted by large crowds and signs as well as being paced by a news chopper through Emeryville. If you missed this historical steamer, you will have a chance to catch it again as it comes back through in the next few days. See schedule below or go to www. up.com and search UP844. UP844 Heritage Tour Schedule, California • Monday, April 20 o Depart

At 8 a.m. today, the historic Union Pacific steam locomotive 844 will move through Sacramento in route to Oakland where it will be on display. The Steamer has been in Roseville at the UP Yard for the past couple of days. Saturday, UP844, along with other UP locomotive memorables were on display for general public and Sunday they were held for a private showing accessed only by UP friends and family. If you are looking for good photo ops to catch old UP844 puffing down the tracks, it will roll out of Roseville and will be highly visible through the wetlands near CalExpo, You should also be able to see the puffer rolling through the downtown Amtrak station and over the "I Street" bridge. I