Questions, questions. I've been driving back and forth between Sacramento and the Santa Rosa area, which takes me past the old depot at Schellville. Question the first is, what am I seeing there? The first grade crossing features a track to the south that quickly disappears into the grass. The second leads past the depot, and is near a wye (I think), but both lines appear to be in disrepair. There is a stack of ties nearby, and the old SP equipment is gone, but what am I seeing there? Or, as part of question two, what am I missing? Where is the new construction / rehab in the area?

As an aside, the tracks in Penngrove, Cotati, Rohnert Park, and Santa Rosa feature some new(relatively speaking) grade crossings and lots of grass. One of the crossings in Rohnert Park hasn't been restored - it has the basic works, but no crossing arms or lights, and offers a forlorn air. That's part of question three - how long might it be before genuine freight trains are rolling through there again? The estimates seem to range from the very forgiving "A few months" to the depressingly cynical "Not in this lifetime."