Southern Pacific in San Jose & the Santa Clara Valley

SP / CP / SPC / Peninsular Ry.
San Jose Railroads / Caltrain

EO's pet engine:

Above: Sour grapes, not wine grapes, over SP's long-promised,but yet unfulfilled new depot: San Jose parade float, early 1930's. - Courtesy Ken Middlebrook, History San Jose

Left (Click on the image for the full article): San Jose Yard (third permutation) opened in 1927, an occasion commemorated in the December SP Bulletin. Several names in the group photo are familiar to Wx4 Staff. The Ishams were an institution in San Jose, and Staff worked with one of E.B.'s (Earl) descendants, along with one of A. G. Swanson's. Wx4's Employee Rosters page hosts 20 years' worth of L. H. (Lyle) Clevland's time books, while C. (Charlie) "Pop" Mathews had Mission Bay [Roundhouse] Garden renamed after him. Photos and biographic info on Isham, Cleveland and Mathews can be found in the Ernie Kiesel Collection.

^:A Coast Division Photobomber & the 1935 Wreck at Rucker

Coyote Wreck, 1966

Freedom Train College Park Yard 1976

Coast Daylight in San Jose (2 pages)

Last SP Std. Ga. Steam Revenue Freight Train, 12-30-57, W. Oak - SJ & 2nd-to last steam excursion, SJ to T0

revised 4-30-24:The San Jose Line Change
supplemental material to J.R. Signor's Fall 2023 SPHTS "Trainline" article about SP's "West Side Relocation" project of the early 1930's

new 12-10-24: Insights into 1979 SP Bay Area Freight Traffic, Courtesy of TOPS - the last of the 'good' years

Caltrain

aborted 1990's Pullman Way Facility: Caltrain/Amtrak/ACE

Peninsular Railwaynew photo added 4-30-24: A Bio of a Humble Little Line Car; circa WWI log book of car #14's activitiee

Maps

consumer maps, Sanborn Maps & etc., system-wide

tracks & structures: engineering drawings
Coast, Western, Shasta Divs.

SPINS books - system wide

SP-published maps

1932 SP San Jose industries/yard limits/union designated union agreement points; probably the last detailed SP map of Santa Clara Valley before 1935 line change, Peninsular Ry's demise, and partial New
Almaden Branch abandonment

new 12-10-24

South Pacific Coast

New Almaden, California SP/SPC Yard:see below

(click on above)SP 1940 memo reveals that the recently abandoned New Almaden Branch was so obscure that it was barely known even within the company.- Shasta Div. Archives

SP Company memo stating that effective May 1, 1906, South Pacific Coast north of Santa Clara would operate standard gauge trains, and likewise, this portion would henceforth be transferred from the Coast Div. to the Western Div.- Shasta Div. Archives

Erroneous June, 1906 Oakland Tribune article describes SP as having abandoned SPC. In truth, SPC only abandoned its right of way between Alameda and Mulford in favor od SP's s.g. route.

1905 SPC Stations List- Shasta Div. Archives

Circa 1880 SPC 14 pg. promotional brochure - Shasta Div. Archives

A selection of SPC public timetable schedules

New Almaden Branch

"Whaddaya mean that I don't own the right-of-way?"

Wreck of the New Almaden Mixed- lengthy article & unpublished photos about 1902 SPC / SP head-on

New Almaden, California SP/SPC Yard map
see below

New Almaden, California SP/SPC Yard Click on map for 3000 pixel wide image

Even collectively, the Southern Pacific New Almaden Branch and the South Pacific Coast narrow gauge Almaden Branch did not amount to much despite very occasional mini booms following their simultaneous construction in 1886. A few months after the SPC branch went standard gauge in September, 1907, business was so scant that daily mixed train service was reduced to weekly and combined with the already once a week mixed train on the SP side. This map shows the gradual reductions of infrastructure that occurred between 1907 and abandonment in 1934. Narrow gauge passenger trains forsook the SPC depot at Harry road (see upper left) no later than 1887, so the presumption is that most or all of the depicted tracks between the junction and SP end of track at Mckeen Road were dual gauge. drawing: Wx4 Staff

Wx4's historic original logo

SP / CP / SPC / Peninsular Ry. San Jose Railroads / Caltrain EO's pet engine:	latest additions: 4-30-24, 12-10-24 `Full article from December, 1927 SP Bulletin`	Southern Pacific Index Above: Sour grapes, not wine grapes, over SP's long-promised,but yet unfulfilled new depot: San Jose parade float, early 1930's. - Courtesy Ken Middlebrook, History San Jose Left (Click on the image for the full article): San Jose Yard (third permutation) opened in 1927, an occasion commemorated in the December SP Bulletin. Several names in the group photo are familiar to Wx4 Staff. The Ishams were an institution in San Jose, and Staff worked with one of E.B.'s (Earl) descendants, along with one of A. G. Swanson's. Wx4's Employee Rosters page hosts 20 years' worth of L. H. (Lyle) Clevland's time books, while C. (Charlie) "Pop" Mathews had Mission Bay [Roundhouse] Garden renamed after him. Photos and biographic info on Isham, Cleveland and Mathews can be found in the Ernie Kiesel Collection.

The Ernie Kiesel Collection of Southern Pacific Photographs at Histoty San Jose This collection of 300+ photos once decorated the engine crew rooms at 7th St., Mission Bay and Harrison St. From about 1900 to 1980. Many of the enginemen depicted in the photos were San Jose residents. Cahill St. Depot Buildings new photo 4-30-24:Trackage, east Trackage, west Proposed 1965 Revision The Depot Goat Commute trains, 1 Commute trains, 2 Coast Mail, 1964 Del Monte Metamorphosis Lenzen Ave. Roundhouse First photos, 1964 Gallery 1 Gallery 2 Gallery 3 Roundhouse OOPsies Rob Sinclair photos of #4449 auxiliary tender axle changeout,San Jose RH, 1984 (see also above) Alien Visitors to San Jose Part 1 Part 2 San Jose Yard San Jose Yard Photos San Jose Yard - Santa Clara End...before drones You & I are Looking at Different Photos of San Jose Yard 1984 San Jose video: yard, depot, RIP track, 4449 shot by a car foreman	San Jose Engineer & Firemen Assignments, 11/14/1979 ^:A Coast Division Photobomber & the 1935 Wreck at Rucker Coyote Wreck, 1966 Freedom Train College Park Yard 1976 Coast Daylight in San Jose (2 pages) Last SP Std. Ga. Steam Revenue Freight Train, 12-30-57, W. Oak - SJ & 2nd-to last steam excursion, SJ to T0 revised 4-30-24:The San Jose Line Change supplemental material to J.R. Signor's Fall 2023 SPHTS "Trainline" article about SP's "West Side Relocation" project of the early 1930's `new 12-10-24: Insights into 1979 SP Bay Area Freight Traffic, Courtesy of TOPS - the last of the 'good' years` Caltrain aborted 1990's Pullman Way Facility: Caltrain/Amtrak/ACE Peninsular Railwaynew photo added 4-30-24: A Bio of a Humble Little Line Car; circa WWI log book of car #14's activitiee Maps consumer maps, Sanborn Maps & etc., system-wide tracks & structures: engineering drawings Coast, Western, Shasta Divs. SPINS books - system wide SP-published maps 1932 SP San Jose industries/yard limits/union designated union agreement points; probably the last detailed SP map of Santa Clara Valley before 1935 line change, Peninsular Ry's demise, and partial New Almaden Branch abandonment	`new 12-10-24` South Pacific Coast New Almaden, California SP/SPC Yard:see below `(click on above)SP 1940 memo reveals that the recently abandoned New Almaden Branch was so obscure that it was barely known even within the company.- Shasta Div. Archives` `SP Company memo stating that effective May 1, 1906, South Pacific Coast north of Santa Clara would operate standard gauge trains, and likewise, this portion would henceforth be transferred from the Coast Div. to the Western Div.- Shasta Div. Archives` `Erroneous June, 1906 Oakland Tribune article describes SP as having abandoned SPC. In truth, SPC only abandoned its right of way between Alameda and Mulford in favor od SP's s.g. route.` `1905 SPC Stations List- Shasta Div. Archives` `Circa 1880 SPC 14 pg. promotional brochure - Shasta Div. Archives` `A selection of SPC public timetable schedules` New Almaden Branch "Whaddaya mean that I don't own the right-of-way?" Wreck of the New Almaden Mixed- lengthy article & unpublished photos about 1902 SPC / SP head-on New Almaden, California SP/SPC Yard map see below
New Almaden, California SP/SPC Yard Click on map for 3000 pixel wide image Even collectively, the Southern Pacific New Almaden Branch and the South Pacific Coast narrow gauge Almaden Branch did not amount to much despite very occasional mini booms following their simultaneous construction in 1886. A few months after the SPC branch went standard gauge in September, 1907, business was so scant that daily mixed train service was reduced to weekly and combined with the already once a week mixed train on the SP side. This map shows the gradual reductions of infrastructure that occurred between 1907 and abandonment in 1934. Narrow gauge passenger trains forsook the SPC depot at Harry road (see upper left) no later than 1887, so the presumption is that most or all of the depicted tracks between the junction and SP end of track at Mckeen Road were dual gauge. drawing: Wx4 Staff