Key System Gallery By James H. Harrison Photographic Trans-Bay City Streetcar Li

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Key System Gallery By James H. Harrison Photographic Trans-Bay City Streetcar Li
 
Key System Gallery
By James H. Harrison
Softcover
96 pages
published 2006

A photographic visit to the trans-bay and City Streetcar Lines of the Key System and its Affiliated Street Railways in Oakland, Berkeley and East Ban Cities, 1902-1958.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter SubjectPage
1Introduction3
2Interurban and Transbay Trains 10
3Streetcars46
4Facilities 76
5Freight and Maintenance Equipment82
A Key System Bus Sampler88

Chapter One
Introduction
Dreams don't always come true. The promoters of the rail lines which became the Key System had their sights set on San Jose and Sacramento-as a high-speed electric competitor to the Southern Pacific. As history unfolded, however, lack of money and the business cycle (and perhaps even the great San Francisco Earthquake) thwarted Key's plans. To this day, there is no electric railway connection between Oakland and San Jose-while an unrelated company (the Oakland, Antioch & Eastern, which became the Sacramento Northern), eventually built the electric rail line to Sacramento. The SN abandoned its Oakland-Sacramento passenger service in 1941.
The Key instead re-focused itself as a suburban commuter railroad, aggressively pushing its competitive technology advantage in the East Bay, with suburban electric lines fanning out from the new pier and ferry terminal to serve commuters in Oakland, Berkeley and developing satellite communities.
During its construction, the Key System overlaid an existing network of street railway lines, most of which were swept into the holding company's corporate structure. In reality, there was one holding company and one home shop, but streetcars and transbay trains historically stayed out of each other's way. After 194648, both streetcars and suburban trains were painted the same and lettered for Key System Transit Lines.

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