Bay Area Behemoths

Bay Area Behemoths

by Art Peterson

all photos are from the Krambles-Peterson Archive

The Southern Pacific (SP) gets a horrible rap for its latter-day attitude towards commuters and intercity passengers. Yet, the East Bay area commute territory provides a couple of examples where SP management went above and beyond to make things better for its riders. The first instance was the consolidation of independent operators (San Francisco & Oakland and the San Francisco & Alameda) under the Central Pacific banner in 1870 and then the further consolidation of the South Pacific Coast narrow-gauge lines into this operation 17 years later. This could be dismissed simply as strengthening SP’s competitive position, while the later standard-gauging of the ex-SPC lines certainly made things easier operationally for SP.

After having had the East Bay commute traffic to itself for 30+ years, SP had to adjust to the Key Route’s electric trains intruding on the scene from late 1903. This affront happened right in SP’s face at University and Shattuck in Berkeley. Key’s founder, Francis Marion Smith, had much the same motivation as Henry Huntington did in Los Angeles; both saw the value-enhancing role that good transportation could play for their real estate holdings.

SP implemented several measures to improve the time-keeping and speed of its steam services to counteract the Key threat. Key kept expanding, opening lines serving Piedmont, Claremont and central Oakland (another direct threat to a previously-SP-dominated market) in succession. By 1911, they were also opening their Northbrae and Westbrae lines, fueling the suburbanization of previously undeveloped land. In the period 1890 to 1910, Alameda had doubled in size, while Oakland grew three-fold and Berkeley expanded eight-fold. Both Key and SP saw East Bay commuter ridership as a serious growth market.

SP’s big move this time around was a stunner – replace the steam trains with an electrified system, a worthy competitor to the Key System. Initially, SP considered cars similar to what Key was using, but finally they settled on big, steel MU cars, each coach being 72’-10.5” long over pulling faces and 10’-4” wide. This allowed 3-2 seating accommodating a total of 116 riders per coach. SP expected to spend around $4 million for the electrification, and this decision came straight from the top – from Edward H. Harriman, who became the president of the SP in 1901. In fact, SP would spend considerably more than was expected in the electrification project – well past $10 million.   

Ground zero for the ridership wars between Key System and SP was Berkeley. In the foreground, a two-car train of dark olive green SP cars (with their original square end windows and roof-mounted GE arc headlights) waits at the handsome, 1908-vintage Berkeley station. The SP line has been rebuilt to include the centered catenary supports and wider track centers adopted with the coming of the big electric cars. Meanwhile, a three-car train of Key 500-series suburban cars shares Shattuck Avenue with a Key streetcar in the background.

In the first year of electrified operation, SP reported revenue amounting to $1.3 million against expenses of $1.7 million to the State Railroad Commission. These figures did not include any interest on SP’s capital investment or payments into sinking funds. SP went before the Commission the following year (1914), again requesting an increase in fares and demonstrating that it was losing money on every 10-cent (first zone) fare it collected. The road went away empty-handed once again. This went on year after year; in 1917, SP’s presentation to the Commission reflected a deficit of nearly $600,000. Once again, the Commission would not grant an increase.

Finally, in 1918 and again in 1919, SP appealed to a new party to the proceedings – the US Railroad Administration – for fare increases. The Administration granted an increase of 1 cent on the first zone fares in 1918 and followed this up with a 3.5-cent increase on its first zone fares in 1919.

Despite these increases, SP found itself operating at a loss of around $500,000 per year. In early 1920, SP implemented a reduction in the number of cars operated to try and control operating expenses. However, by this time ridership on the SP-East Bay Lines was slipping – between 1919 and 1920, 24% of the riders were lost. The rate of decay slowed a bit in the first half of the 1920s, with the next five years seeing only a 0.5% decrease in annual passenger traffic. In that brief period of stability, SP added six new St. Louis-built MU cars to the East Bay fleet in 1924, which would be the final additions to the roster.

IER Trains on Approach to Oakland Pier – December 23, 1938 – AR Alter Photo

High-capacity electric railroading, SP-style. The approach tracks to the Oakland Mole included four electrified tracks and four tracks for the use of steam/diesel trains. Here, a two-car train headed by car 306 (part of the original 1911 order for ACF-built cars) is filling a 3-Berkeley-Shattuck Avenue trip, while a single car works a 5-Berkeley-9th Street service. Use of the numbered disks, end destination signs and the full-height gates were among the more visible requirements for running over the Bridge Railway. IER had been the service operator for just over three weeks at the time. Within a month, operation to/from the Mole would be a thing of the past. 

In the period 1925-1930, a reduction in ridership of almost 20% occurred, while between 1930 and 1935, this trend accelerated to -22%, and then increased to -26% between just 1935 and 1938. Even the opening of the Bay Bridge and the provision of a one-seat ride to/from San Francisco couldn’t help the Interurban Electric Railway, or IER, as the operation was known after December 1, 1938. Traffic in 1939 was down 6%, with a further 3% decrease reported for 1940 (when just 9.6 million riders were carried). Out of its revenue, IER had to pay the California Toll Bridge Authority a 2.5 cents per passenger toll for each passenger carried in/out of the East Bay Terminal.

Planning for the Bay Bridge and the San Francisco-based terminal facility had begun as early as 1932 as a cooperative effort between the State Department of Public Works, the Key System and SP. The 6.9-mile extension that the Bridge Railway represented was to be owned by the California Toll Bridge Authority, which had secured $15 million in Reconstruction Finance Corporation bonds. On March 6, 1936, SP/IER had reached an agreement with the Authority to deed 52 cars of the East Bay fleet to the Authority in return for Authority-secured funds to make the necessary equipment changes to the fleet in preparation for Trans-Bridge service.

The first spike on the Bridge Railway was driven on the first day of February 1938. Just shy of eight months later, the first train went across the Bay Bridge using the 600V DC third rail distribution provided for the Key System trains. IER combines 601-602 operated a second cross-bridge test trip on the last day of November, while IER coaches 357-375 became the first cars to enter the East Bay Terminal on December 18, 1938.

Ceremonial specials to/from the Terminal operated on January 14, 1939, and the next day regular, revenue service to/from San Francisco began. Six tracks looped through the terminal facility, with tracks 1-2-3 being used by the IER and the other three tracks being shared by Key and Sacramento Northern (SN) trains. Each platform could accommodate a 10-car consist. Between Key System, IER and SN, the initial weekday service included 519 scheduled departures from the terminal. PM rush service scheduled 52 arrivals and 51 departures, all made on a 75-second headway.

IER 628 – East Bay Terminal – 1939 – AR Alter Photo

SP-owned combine 628 (an 83-seat car from the 1912 Pullman order) leads a 4-Encinal Avenue (Alameda) train. At the time, daily ridership on this line was around 4,000 users. The Bridge Railway was confronted with varying electrical supply demands of the three using roads – IER was a 1200V DC catenary operation, Key used 600V DC catenary and SN could run on either 600, 1200 or 1500V DC.  Ultimately, the Bridge Railway was built using 1200V DC catenary and 600V DC third rail. This required the Key cars to have third rail shoes added.

To enhance the safety of such an intense operation, all trains were to receive cab signal equipment. General Railway Signal (GRS) equipment was installed on the Key and SN cars, while the IER cars used Union Switch & Signal (US&S)-made equipment. To manage the flow of trains onto the correct tracks within the Terminal, a train describer system on the west end of the bridge itself sorted the IER trains (right-hand lead track) from the Key/SN train (left-hand lead).

With the restructuring of the IER operation to focus trains onto the Bridge Railway (as opposed to having Oakland and Alameda Piers to provide the ferry connections), the lines serving Alameda Island connected to the mainland network at the east end of the island. This meant that what had once been a 9.7-mile trip via the Alameda Pier now became a 19.8-mile trip from East Bay Terminal to High Street, Alameda. You can see how going the long way around would lead to ridership reductions on these lines.

Unfortunately for IER, ridership across its system was not materializing to the extent envisioned and reductions in service went into effect from February 26, 1940. Where IER had been scheduling 210 weekday departures, now it was running only 162 trains east from San Francisco (a 23% reduction). Sundays/Holidays were subject to an 11% reduction in departures, with 114 now being operated.

IER – Shattuck-Vine - 1941

SP steam operations to Berkeley ran for 35 years, with the last SP steam train on Shattuck Avenue run on December 30, 1911. The successor electrified service by SP/IER was in place for just shy of 30 years, with IER’s last train to Shattuck Avenue leaving East Bay Terminal at 0116 on July 25, 1941. Vine Street, where this photo was taken, was 11.6 miles from the Terminal, located between the Berkeley main station and Thousand Oaks. To improve the visibility of the trains, cherry red exterior paint replaced the olive green within a year of starting operation. This car also reflects the rebuilding of the original order with porthole end windows, which was done to enhance crew safety/protection.

IER petitioned the Railroad Commission for abandonment of operations on the ground that it was not financially justified. The Commission concurred on August 26, 1940, while the ICC agreed with this determination on November 9, 1940. The two lines serving Alameda (Encinal and Lincoln Avenues) were the weakest of the system, and both made their last runs on January 18, 1941. These rail lines were replaced by Key System bus service.

Service on the 7th Street Line ended on March 21, 1941, at which time IER’s West Alameda Shops were also closed. All IER railcar maintenance was thereafter handled out of the Bridge Yard. A replacement Key System rail service to Havenscourt began running on April 14, 1941.

The IER Berkeley Lines were originally planned to finish up operations on March 1, 1940. This was postponed due to Key not having sufficient cars on hand to operate the replacement service. Key considered the lease of the Authority-owned ex-IER cars, but the State would not concur with this. The last day of IER 9th Street and Shattuck Avenue services was July 25, 1941.

Ultimately, Key had to rearrange its service plans to provide sufficient rail equipment, including giving up on plans for ‘G’ and ‘H’ rail lines. The ‘G’ line (now operated by motor bus) began on July 26, 1941. A track connection between Key and the ex-IER line at Shattuck/Dwight was made and Key ‘F’ line trains began running to Northbrae on August 6, 1941.

Part of the IER 7th Street line was used by East Bay Transit streetcar lines 1 and 3, while a portion of the 9th Street line was operated as part of the Richmond Shipyard Railway. The Shipyard Railway also made use of ex-IER pantographs and pilots (installed on former New York elevated cars), in addition to employing two IER substations, overhead catenary and rail (salvaged from various lines).

On March 15, 1944, the California Toll Bridge Authority sued IER for $15.8 million in damages, alleging Breach of Contract. This was finally settled in December 1945 for $750,000. The IER Board filed its Certificate of Dissolution as part of its August 3, 1949 meeting and the Railway ceased to exist.

And what of the IER fleet? The Bridge Authority owned 52 cars (30 motors and 22 trailers). After cessation of IER service, these were initially taken to the Key Pier and stored. The cars were sold for continued use (with all motor cars de-motorized) to the following locations: Aberdeen Proving Grounds (until 1954); the Ogden Army Depot (through 1947); the Red River Army Depot (until the end of 1954); by the Gulf Shipbuilding Company for use between Mobile and Chickasaw (through 1945); and for Los Angeles-San Diego military service on the Santa Fe (until 1947).

AT&N X-210 – Memphis, TN

One of the 10 de-motorized IER cars that had been originally bought by Gulf Shipbuilding for use on “The Gulf Arrow” service between Mobile and Chickasaw later (after 1945) found its way into the Alabama Tennessee & Northern (AT&N) work car fleet. Used as a kitchen car, this car reportedly survived until 1970. Some sources assign this car directly in the Frisco work car fleet with the number 102292. The AT&N was absorbed into Frisco in 1971, but neither car/identity shows up on surviving rosters. No longer requiring the double-stream entry/exit platform to swallow crowds, the car has had the inner set of doors plated over and steps removed as part of its work train reassignment.

Of the 94 cars to which SP retained title, all but eight were requisitioned by the United States Maritime Commission. Cars from this group ended up in: Portland, OR (shipyard service to/from Vancouver, WA via the SP&S); San Diego (AT&SF military service fleet); two cars were retained by the USMC at PE-Torrance Shops and from there one each went to Ft. McClellan, AL and to Bremerton, WA; and SP retained two and used them as temporary office space. Three of the SP cars were scrapped by Hyman-Michaels in South San Francisco circa 1941.

Ex-IER Trailer – near Gresham, OR – June 11, 1956 – George Krambles Photo

The ACF order of 1911 originally was for 60 cars, of which 30 were to be trailers. It was later increased to 125 cars, increasing the quantity of each type of car (motor, trailer and combine) received. Over time, SP/IER rebuilt 10 of the 400-series trailers to motor cars. All but one of the trailers (404) retained its square end windows through to the end of service. After the end of IER operations, 15 of the trailers migrated north to Oregon for use on Portland-Vancouver (WA) shipyard service. Which SP/IER car this may have been has been lost to history, but it is indicative of how the cars got scattered by the USMC.

The bulk of the SP-held cars (54) made their way to Los Angeles and initially were used by the USMC and later by Pacific Electric (PE). These were the famous PE “blimps” where they joined ranks with the 19 similar ex-Northwestern Pacific cars. In 1953, PE sold its operation to Metropolitan Coach Lines (and the surviving blimps went with the property). In 1958, the operation was sold to Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority and the remaining blimps finished out their operating days (last day for the LA-Long Beach rail operation was April 9, 1961) under that banner.

PE 498 – EB Oneonta Junction, South Pasadena – March 1950 – S Goodrick Photo

Arriving in Los Angeles in 1943 as IER 627, this car was renumbered to USMC 27 to avoid a conflict with PE’s Hollywood-type car 627. Its identity was changed to USMC 302 in 1944 and then it became PE 4702 in 1946. PE’s Torrance Shops began a major modernization program on both the ex-NWP and former IER “Blimps” and the 4702 was rebuilt into PE 498 on August 15, 1947. PE’s employee magazine carried a feature article on this work under the title “Remodeled Luxury Liners,” noting that $7,500 per car was being spent. Work included new seats, reflector-type lighting, a drop ceiling, and vestibule doors replacing the sliding gates. The 498 retained its PE number during Metropolitan Coach Lines days, but when the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority took over, it was assigned number 1546. It made exactly one trip with that number (a May 25, 1959 fan trip) and was sold to the Orange Empire Trolley Museum in 1961.  

Acknowledgements:  this article would not be possible without HW Demoro’s “The Key Route – Part One: (Interurbans Special 95 – 1985), RS Ford’s “Red Trains in the East Bay” (Interurbans Special 65 – 1977), RS Ford’s “Red Trains Remembered” (Interurbans Special 75 – 1980) and IL Swett’s “Cars of the Pacific Electric – Volumes II and III” (Interurbans Specials 36 and 37 – 1965). In addition, the assistance of Phil Gosney and Greg Sommers in researching the post-IER careers of the rolling stock is gratefully acknowledged. The work of each of the original photographers (where known) is also sincerely appreciated.