San Francisco & Colorado River Railroad
California / Common Carrier / South Pacific Coast Railroad
History
By John F. Hall
The 36 inch gauge San Francisco & Colorado River Railroad was incorporated in January 1883. The Directors were: Alfred E. Davis, President and Treasurer; Asycough Groves (a SPC clerk); Charles Iverson (the SPC Bookeeper); and George C. Prentice (a SPC clerk); and R. M Garrett (the SPC General Passenger and Freight Agent).[1] The railroad was leased to and operated by the South Pacific Coast Railroad until May 21, 1887 when it was consolidated into the South Pacific Coast Railway.[2]
The San Francisco & Colorado River Railroad was the extension of the South Pacific Coast Railroad from Alameda Point to a new ferry terminal on a 2.5 mile long pier out into San Francisco Bay. It's original purpose was to establish a ferry terminal out in the bay and extend over 600 miles to the Colorado River with a possible connection to the AT&SF railroad. But the Oakland City Council never approved a franchise to allow the railroad to cross the city. The ferry terminal and pier were all that was built.
The terminal, which opened March 15, 1884,[3] was built to handle transcontinental trains as well as the existing local and through trains to Santa Cruz. The building had eight tracks for incoming and outgoing trains with room for more. The 2.5 mile long pier had two tracks. The northern track was designed to be used by the Oakland and transcontinental trains. The southern track was used by the Alameda locals and the Santa Cruz through trains. Ocean going ships as well as bay sloops tied up at the wharf on the south side to transfer freight including: coal imported from the British Isles;[4] paper pulp imported from Europe;[5][6] wheat exported to Australia;[7] and Carter Bros. rolling stock exported up and down the Pacific Coast.[8]
Moving the ferry terminal from Alameda Point to the new mole saved ten minutes off the travel time from San Francisco to High Street, Alameda.
The terminal was originally designed to be lit by electric light. A steam engine was installed both to pump water up into the twin tower 15,000 gallon water tanks and to power an electric dynamo for generating electricity. The dynamo was never installed. The terminal was lit by oil lamps until 1897 when the building was connected to the City of Alameda's power plant via wires installed along the pier.[9] The steam engine's sole use was to pump fresh water up into the tanks from a well drilled under the pier.[10]
At the time of construction in March 1884 a new substance was being tried as floor coverings, bitumen. This naturally occurring asphalt and sand mixture was heated and spread across the floor were the passengers would walk. It was this bitumen that ultimately was the downfall of the original terminal. A harbinger occurred in October 1884 as the bitumen was being applied. A small fire broke out but was extinguished quickly before the bitumen got a chance to start burning.[11] Then, in November 1902, on a very windy night long after the last train had departed, fire again broke out. The wind wiped the fire and the bitumen began to melt and catch fire. The terminal building was a total lose.[12]
References
- ↑ Sacramento Daily Record-Union January 17, 1883, page 3
- ↑ Daily Alta California, May 26, 1887, page 6
- ↑ Oakland Daily Evening Tribune March 15, 1884, page 5
- ↑ Daily Alta California June 14, 1881, page 1
- ↑ San Francisco Call June 9, 1892, page 8
- ↑ 'Report on the Internal Commerce of the United States for the year 1890, Treasury Department, Washington, 1891, pages 419-420.
- ↑ Oakland Daily Evening Tribune February 8, 1883, page 3
- ↑ Alameda Semi Weekly Argus February 18, 1882, page 3
- ↑ San Francisco Call March 17, 1897, page 13
- ↑ Daily Alta California March 15, 1884, page 1
- ↑ Alameda Weekly Argus October 25, 1884, page 3
- ↑ San Francisco Call November 20, 1902, page 1