Western Railroad Discussion > SP Relic In Oakland

I was driving through Oakland and grabbed this video near the BevMo and Cost Plus. I'm terrible with streets so always have to look it up. This is Clay and Embarcadero in Jack London Square. 

The manhole was for an SP conduit bank or whatever that undergrounded the SP's East Bay Electrics system's high voltage transmission lines maybe from Magnolia Tower down to 5th Avenue. These were the transmission lines that ran on those lattice towers still there today adjacent to East Oakland yard. I believe they led back to Fruitvale powerhouse.   

Photobob famously posted one of his great photos and photoshopped out these transmission towers. It was funny because it threw everyone for a loop as to determining location. 

 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/10/24 22:06 by phthithu.

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The still photo is old East Oakland Yard, where  Yardmaster Floyd Duncan ruled without question with his booming voice on the SP radio road channel. I believe his job was abolished the day he retired. Looks like the old steel yard office is still there, which surprises me. That place was renamed Palm Tree Yard, or something like that after the I880 Cypress Project was completed in the 1990s after the great 1989 earthquake.

Look closely at the track on the right (3rd track) in the video. That is an old ATSF track, not SP and not in service for decades.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/10/24 20:53 by Westbound.

Westbound Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The still photo is old East Oakland Yard, where 
> Yardmaster Floyd Duncan ruled without question
> with his booming voice on the SP radio road
> channel. I believe his job was abolished the day
> he retired. Looks like the old steel yard office
> is still there, which surprises me. That place
> was renamed Palm Tree Yard, or something like
> that after the I880 Cypress Project was completed
> in the 1990s after the great 1989 earthquake.
>
> Look closely at the track on the right (3rd track)
> in the video. That is an old ATSF track, not SP
> and not in service for decades.

Westbound great memories of East Oakland. I haven't been able to find any details on the waterside track on Embarcadero/First St. being ATSF track. I think you based that on a document you saw at 65 Market St. right that showed the various joint switching faciltiies around the Bay Area? Rantoul posted a valuation map that had a mark on the track showing the limit of ATSF operation. If I recall correctly it wasn't that far west of the west switch to the ATSF's Alice St. yard lead. I was thinking the ATSF would've used the small amount of track allowed to them at the time of that valuation map to run their power around a cut of cars as I think there was possibly two switches off the First St. track and into the ATSF's yard. 

Of course use could've changed over the years.  

If the ATSF was allowed to use the track all the way up to Homestead yard they could have used it to interchange with Howard Terminal along with the SP. So it would have been useful. 

 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/10/24 22:31 by phthithu.

So that's the theory -- the compass-SW track on 1st St
was SFe as far as the Homestead and not beyond.
Can't disprove that. I do have a slide of Amtrak on
it at Jack London one day when SP was working
on the 1st St eastward main.

Quite a bit of info looking back over the archives on the "Hanlon" lead.  Closest to 880.  The name must have been inspired but the shipbuilding past.

http://shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/emergencylarge/hanlon.htm

sphogger



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/11/24 15:08 by sphogger.

There is one little note I want to add concerning that short ATSF track still extant on the Embarcadero. The 1992 book RAILS to SAN FRANCISCO BAY by Demoro & Sappers has a photo on page 16 of the ATSF engine house with a steam engine (#2148 ?) inside. The caption reads "An almost forgotten Santa Fe operation was the freight switching at the foot of Alice Street in Oakland, below, reached only by tug and barge and an interchange with the Western Pacific."

 

Westbound Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There is one little note I want to add concerning
> that short ATSF track still extant on the
> Embarcadero. The 1992 book RAILS to SAN FRANCISCO
> BAY by Demoro & Sappers has a photo on page 16 of
> the ATSF engine house with a steam engine (#2148
> ?) inside. The caption reads "An almost forgotten
> Santa Fe operation was the freight switching at
> the foot of Alice Street in Oakland, below,
> reached only by tug and barge and an interchange
> with the Western Pacific."


Very interesting Westbound. That would make sense the WP tied in to the "work lead" as I believe the SP called it. Maybe if I go back in the Port Series reports I can find something saying that the WP and ATSF connected to Grove St. Terminal which was between Howard Terminal and Alice St. yard.  

Although it's odd that the SP wouldn't interchange with the ATSF at Alice St. or Homestead yard. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/11/24 22:19 by phthithu.

There's almost always some BNSF covered hoppers in this yard whenever I pass it on I-880.