San Ramon Branch Line of the Southern Pacific By Irma M Dotson

$110.00

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Hardbound with Dustjacket 288 pages

Approx 9 1/2 X 12 1/4 inches

ABOUT THIS BOOK

The year 1991 marks the centennial of the arrival of the San Ramon Branch Line Railroad in central Contra Costa County, California. From 1891 until 1934 Southern Pacific served the needs of the people by providing both passenger and freight service; from 1934 until final abandonment of the line in 1978, only the latter.

San Ramon Branch Line of the Southern Pacific gives the reader a look at some early attempts at railroad building in Contra Costa County but the book's main thrust is about the branch line. It follows the day by day committee work of the citizens in acquiring the right-of-way by gift and subscription free of cost to the railroad company; building of the line initially from Avon to San Ramon, with a later extension to (Radum) Pleasanton; the early and later uses of this line and its social and economic impact on the communities it served; and finally, its abandonment, with a chronicle of the many uses, and proposed uses, of the former railroad right-of-way.

Years of research has produced an attractive and readable history illustrated with line drawings, 126 photographs, the Southern Pacific alignment map of the branch line, and station plats. A glossary, notes and an index are included in this well researched and documented work.

Contents

Preface

Introduction

1 Early Attempts at Railroad Building in Central Contra Costa County

2..Acquiring Right-of-Way for Southern Pacific Railroad
3..Building and Opening the LineSocial and Economic Effects on Communities Served
4..The Extension of the Railroad to Pleasanton in 1908 - 1909

Effect on the San Ramon Branch of Building the Dumbarton Trestle

Bridge Cut-off and Upgrading the Carquinez Strait Ferries

2..Stations
3..Rails, Bridges and Grade Crossings
4..Railroaders and Rolling Stock
5..Operations after Extension to Pleasanton
6..End of the San Ramon Branch Line
7..Use of Abandoned Right-of-Way

Appendix

Notes

Glossary

Sources Consulted

Index

Introduction

THIS book is a detailed history of a branch line railroad which served the central section of Contra Costa County, California from June 7, 1891 until September 26, 1978.

You will not find the San Ramon Branch Line of the Southern Pacific listed in many books about railroads in California or in books devoted just to the Southern Pacific in California. About the only place its name appears is in newspaper and magazine articles, on a Time Table or in a corporate history of the Southern Pacific. This line was not a very important one to corporate Southern Pacific. It came into existence because of the insistence of the people along the line, not because SP had a great desire or need in 1891 to extend its tracks through the farming area of central Contra Costa County. There was little industry to entice SP to bring its rails through Concord, Walnut Creek, past the lovely villages of Alamo and Danville on its way to San Ramon.

This little railroad, though considered insignificant by some early writers, was important to

the farm families of the 1890s through the 1920s and to a lesser degree later. It provided two services: (1) passenger transportation and (2) easier shipping of produce and farm goods from relatively large farms, often hundreds of acres in size. Additionally, by providing faster, more efficient transportation, the railroad encouraged many farmers to change the types of crops grown; for example, growing fruit in place of or in addition to hay and grain. The San Ramon Valley became famous for many fruit and nut crops.

The railroad did make life easier by hauling farm products and carrying people but in the end the railroad destroyed the reason for its coming which was to provide these services. Its coming opened up these inland valleys and by doing so, it encouraged people to move to this beautiful area and thus was an impetus for the land owners to divide their farms. The communities of Concord, Walnut Creek and Danville all grew; new streets and new housing sprang up. A more urban way of life evolved. Even

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