Difference between revisions of "South Pacific Coast Railway"
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Revision as of 13:21, 26 September 2020
This page is under construction
Contributors: John F. Hall;
In May 1887 the South Pacific Coast Railway was formed by a consolidation[1] of the South Pacific Coast Railroad, the Bay & Coast Railroad, the Oakland Township Railroad, the Santa Cruz & Felton Railroad, the San Francisco and Colorado River Railroad, the Felton & Pescadero Railroad, and the Almaden Branch Railroad for the purpose of transferring the consolidated railroad to new owners. The information on this page is for the Southern Pacific leased line, the 1887-1937 South Pacific Coast Railway.
Brief Description
Corporate History
The South Pacific Coast Railway was formed in May 1887 as a consolidation of the: South Pacific Coast Railroad Company; Bay and Coast Railroad Company; Oakland Township Railroad Company; San Francisco and Colorado River Railroad; Santa Cruz and Felton Railroad Company; Felton and Pescadero Railroad Company; and the Alameda Branch Railroad Company. At the time of consolidation the stockholders of the South Pacfic Coast Railway were: James G. Fair, 44,844 1/2 Shares; Charles S. Neal, 10,048 shares; Alfred E. Davis, 4900 1/2 shares; Charles Stewart, 79 shares; E. J. Coleman, 25 shares; L. B. Benchley, 23 shares; E. J. Swift, 20 shares; R. H. Hall, 20 shares; Henry Skinner, 20 shares; E. J. Cox, 15 shares; S. V. Mooney, 1 share; Seth Cook, 1 share; E. S. Pillsbury, 1 share; V. W. Gaskill, 1 share; and Luther Fillmore,1 share.[2] A total value of $6,000,000 or 60,000 shares at a par value of $100 each.
The consolidation was made to facilitate the transfer of the South Pacific Coast Railroad and its leased lines to new owners. The new consolidation was debt free. To pay for the transfer to the new owners the South Pacific Coast Railway, right-of-way, rolling stock, track, buildings, etc., was mortgaged for $5,500,000. The mortgage was guaranteed by the Southern Pacific Company. The mortgage company, The Farmers' Loan and Trust Co. of New York, then issued Bonds to the stock holders of the SPCRY. Finally, after an additional cash payment of $500,000 the stock holders then transfered their shares to Leland Stanford, C. P. Huntington, and Charles Crocker.[3]
On August 1, 1887 a new Board of Directors of the SPCRY was elected. The Directors were Leland Stanford, C. P. Huntington, Charles Crocker, Charles F. Crocker, Timothy Hopkins, W. V. Huntington, and N. T. Smith. Leland Stanford was elected President and Charles F. Crocker Vice-President.[4] The Board then leased the SPCRY to the Southern Pacific Company.
The Narrow Gauge Years
1887-1908
Conversion to Standard Gauge
1893 - 1908
Crossings
The SPCRwy crossed Southern Pacific railroads five times. At each crossing the South Pacific Coast was required to stop before crossing.
- In Oakland
- Seventh Street - SPC/SP Double track crossing double track
- First Street - SPC/SP Double track crossing double track.
- In Alameda
- Pacific Avenue - SPC/SP Double track crossing single track
- In Santa Clara
- Single track crossing SPC/SP
- In Santa Cruz
- Two single track crossings SPC/SP
The Tunnels
| No. | Location | Built By | Year Open | Original Length | Enlarged for Standard Gauge | Abandoned | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1.4 miles south of Los Gatos | SPCRR | March 1880 | 191 feet | Daylighted 1903 | n/a | February 1903-Dual gauge track bypasses tunnel.[5] |
| 2 | Between Wright's and Highland | SPCRR | April 1880 | 6,150 feet | November 1940[6] | December 1892-Massive slide at Wright's end.[7] Concrete tunnel portal, dam, and spillway completed November 1893[8] | |
| 3 | Between Highland and Glenwood | SPCRR | October 1879 | 5,850 feet | November 1940[6] | ||
| 4 | South of Clem's | SPCRR | December 1878 | 912 feet | November 1940[6] | ||
| 5 | 0.5 miles north of Doughtery's | SPCRR | February 1879[9] | 300 feet | November 1940[6] | ||
| 6 | 1 mile south of Big Trees | SPCRR | 338 feet | January 1993 | |||
| 7 | 0.25 miles south of Rincon | SPCRR | October 1879[10] | 282 feet | |||
| 8 | Misson Hill, Santa Cruz | SC&FRR | October 1876 | 918 feet | Still in use |
Locomotives
South Pacific Coast Railway Locomotive Roster
Rolling Stock
Ferryboats
Newark
Bay City
Garden City
Freight boat, tracks on deck
Encinal
Passenger and Freight boat, tracks on deck
Ordered by the South Pacific Coast Railroad and delivered to the South Pacific Coast Railway
References
- ↑ Daily Alta California, May 26, 1887, page 6
- ↑ Daily Alta California May 25, 1887, page 2
- ↑ Sacramento Daily Record-Union July 16, 1887, page 4
- ↑ Daily Alta California August 2, 1887, page 1
- ↑ Santa Cruz Morning Sentinel February 25, 1903, page 1
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Santa Cruz Evening News November 8, 1940, page 1
- ↑ San Francisco Call December 30, 1893, page 2
- ↑ Santa Cruz Daily Sentinel October 19, 1893, page 3
- ↑ Santa Cruz Sentinel February 22, 1879, page 3
- ↑ Santa Cruz Sentinel October 4, 1879, page 3
Reference Material Available Online
Photographs
Collected South Pacific Coast Railroad Photographs. Images collected from private collections, libraries and historical societies.
Maps
The South Pacific Coast Railroad ca. 1886 for Google Earth By John Hall
Trackage
South Pacific Coast Track Status Timeline by John Hall.
A timeline of track life, including: construction, service dates and gauge changes.
Color Cards
Color swatches using PMS color representing the paint layers found on the carbody.
Color Card: South Pacific Coast - Coach #39: Body PDF icon 1.48 MB
Color Card: South Pacific Coast - Caboose #47: Body PDF 0.88 MB
Color Card: South Pacific Coast - Coach #42 circa 1904. by Andrew Brandon PDF 0.97 MB Drawn to Southern Pacific Common Standards, using paint samples taken from Coach #39 by Randy Hees, Dimensional Data from Mike Collins and Bruce MacGregor.
Organizations
Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources. Dedicated to the preservation of equipment built by the Carter Brothers and other car builders of the west coast.
Further Reading
MacGregor, Bruce A., South Pacific Coast, Howell-North 1868
MacGregor, Bruce A., Narrow Gauge Portrait South Pacific Coast, Glenwood 1975
MacGregor and Truesdale, A Centennial South Pacific Coast, Pruett 1982
MacGregor, Bruce A., The Birth of California Narrow Gauge, Stanford 2003
MacGregor, Bruce, The Centennial History of Newark, Newark Days 1876
Holmes, Norman W., Prune Country Railroading, Shade Tree 1985
Hamman, Rick, California Central Coast Railways, Pruett 1980
Shaw, Fisher, Highland, Oil Lamps and Iron Ponies, Bay Books 1849
Ford, Robert S., Red Trains in the East Bay, Interurban 1977
McCaleb, Charles S., Surf, Sand & Streetcars, Interurban 1977
Harlan, George H., Ferryboats, Howell-North 1967
Bruntz, George G., History of Los Gatos, Valley 1971