New Train Exhibit at Library Offers Window to City's Rail Past

Long before Highways 85 and 280 cut through Cupertino, trains were a major source of transportation, and a new exhibit opening Tuesday, Jan. 3, at the will offer a peek into that part of the city’s history.

“Bells and Whistles: Railroads in the Bay Area,” features model trains, photographs, and other memorabilia, offered by a partnership of the library, the Cupertino Library Foundation and the Cupertino Historical Society, called the Santa Clara Valley History Collaborative.

The exhibit is open to the public on the second floor of the library during regular hours, January through June. An official kick-off event with the “father of modern transit service in Silicon Valley”, Rod Diridon Sr., takes place 2 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 28, in the , next door to the library.

According to Cupertino Community Librarian Mark Fink, “Bells and Whistles” will offer insight into the founders of the Southern Pacific Railroad, the Southern Pacific’s connection with, and influence on, Sunset magazine, and the Interurban Line that ran through Cupertino at one time.

Cupertino librarians have selected a list of companion books to the exhibit for interested patrons who want to learn more. In addition, the Cupertino Library Book Club will pick a special title for discussion, to be announced later on the Cupertino Library Foundation website.