San Francisco and the Bay Area, is a California metropolis consisting of nearly 8 million people and dozen cities like Oakland, San Jose, Santa Clara, Berkeley, Palo Alto, Mountain View, San Mateo, Richmond, Fremont, Hayward, Antioch, Santa Rosa, Sunnyvale, Vallejo among others . Browse maps, pictures and histories of abandoned railroad lines in the state of California. The State Belt: San Francisco's Waterfront Railroad. The San Francisco route map for free. Several were later rebuilt at the Pine Bluff Shops during the 1890's. New eastern span is a 1400 foot single anchored suspension bridge To improve operations, Fordyce upgraded the infrastructure through the use of heavier rail. While it never operated a substantial branch line network the Cotton Belt did reach the following points during 1887: by acquiring the three-foot Kansas & Gulf Short Line service was extended from Tyler to Lufkin (As previously mentioned, Major James Douglas, helped construct this railroad; originally projected to the Gulf of Mexico at Sabine Pass, Texas it was never built beyond Lufkin.) As well as the LRT San Jose. #12 was renumbered 412 in 1938. Add to cart. The San Francisco route map for free. Less than two years later, on May 7, 1873, the act was amended to increase capitalization to $3 million and the route was changed to, "...run north from Tyler by way of Gilmer, Pittsburg, Mt. Fordyce remained president for a few years until philosophical differences with the younger Gould caused him to leave the company on October 31, 1898. During a grand ceremony held on August 12, 1883 Colonel Paramore drove a silver spike on the new bridge spanning the Arkansas River at tiny Rob Roy, Arkansas which signaled the railroad's completion between Gatesville, Texas and Bird's Point, Missouri via Waco, Texarkana, Pine Bluff, and Malden. You will be hard pressed at finding a better online resource regarding diesel locomotives than Craig Rutherford's TheDieselShop.us. The Belt Railroad Engine House and Sandhouse is bounded by Lombard, Sansome and the Embarcadero in San Francisco. Sanborn Map, Kansas City, Vol. These structures are also San Francisco Landmark 114. Your clothes should be casual to smart casual. By browsing our website, you agree to the, Distance, travel time and transfer information. The San Francisco Belt Railroad was a short-line railroad along the Embarcadero in San Francisco, California. Street View] Suspension bridge over San Francisco Bay on I-80 connecting San Francisco, Yerba Buena Island, and Oakland. It grew considerably during its last decade as a separate corporate entity when it was assigned Rock Island's "Golden State Route," purchased by SP in 1981. In 1989, he took a job opportunity to work with Railtex at the Georgia South Western where he was responsible for the locomotive and freight car fleet. Map of the Abandoned Rails of California. Large numbers at edges of page refer to page with adjoining area. All photos and videos, copyright individual owners/organizations. Here, an interchange would be established with the narrow-gauge Cairo & St. Louis (a future component of the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio) for through service into St. Louis. Industrial Sites Rail Maps of the U.S. Union Pacific Railroad Map. **** Ex-New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio (Erie). Richard Wallin photo. The need for the services of the State Belt just kept decreasing. Such as Cabel Car, Metro, BART Bay Area Rapid Transit. Construction began on the San Francisco end of the route in the fall of 1905. Alas, in 2013 the site closed by thankfully Don Strack rescued the data and transferred it over to his UtahRails.net site (another fine resource). There, they met Colonel James W. Paramore who owned the successful St. Louis Cotton Compress Company. An official, 1939 system map of the Cotton Belt Route (St. Louis-Southwestern Railway). Overtime, however, the use of the railroad dwindled as Oakland surpassed San Francisco as the major Bay Area shipping port. It colloquially became known as the "Cotton Belt Route" after St. Louis interests utilized it as an outlet for cotton shipments between Texas and the Gateway City. He immediately improved the company's well-being by raising revenues, which allowed employees to be paid on-time. The city is located on a end of a hilly peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and the Bay of San Francisco. But many remnants of the Belt and its operation remain to be seen in San Francisco. Thanks to John Kirkland's book, "The Diesel Builders:  Volume Three, Baldwin Locomotive Works" and Joseph Strapac's work, "Cotton Belt Locomotives," for help in compiling these rosters. Much of the growth was accomplished through new construction except for the May, 1881 acquisition of the small Little River & Arkansas Valley Railroad which operated 27 miles between New Madrid and Malden, Missouri. Like most of the industry, it suffered immensely under the government through deferred maintenance and poor management. Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps. David Hawkins collection. *    Ex-Blytheville, Leachville & Arkansas Southern. In 1947 Cotton Belt's public relations department released a compact but comprehensive booklet detailing its corporate heritage. Unlike his father, who was hated throughout the industry for his shady and manipulative business practices, Edwin did well at the helm. In the north is the famous Golden Gate Bridge and south leads to San Jose are the Silicon Valley which is surrounded by mountain ranges. This lasted until 1993. Into the early 20th century the Cotton Belt continued to grow, again through a series of branches: it picked up the bankrupt Stuttgart & Arkansas River Railroad on January 3, 1901 which ran from a connection along the main line at Stuttgart, Arkansas to nearby Gillett; for a time, its western terminus was extended beyond Gatesville to Hamilton by leasing the Stephenville, North & South Texas Railroad on July 1, 1913. The link between the piers of the Port of San Francisco and the railroads that carry its cargoes to market and to ship is the State-owned State Belt Railroad.Any San Franciscan who drives the Embarcadero with any frequency has had to pull up now and then and wait for the black and white Diesels pulling a string of freight cars. It began as the State Belt Railroad in 1889, and was renamed when the city bought the Port of San Francisco in 1969. "The Belt Line is part of San Francisco's history," said Bill Kaufman, a retired Contra Costa schoolteacher who is fascinated by the railroad. While the St. Louis Southwestern survived as a corporate entity for another sixty years it essentially operated as an arm of the SP, moving every type of freight imaginable. The trains no longer run along the Embarcadero, but the historic streetcars of the F-Line run along the Embarcadero from Aquatic Park to the Ferry Building and then up Market Street to The Castro. ... Kansas City, Wyandotte & Northwestern Railroad; Marion Belt & Chingawasa (sic) Railroad; Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad; Missouri Pacific Railroad; St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad; Union Pacific Railroad; and Wichita & Western Railroad. The website contains everything from historic (fallen flags) to contemporary (Class I's, regionals, short lines, and even some museums/tourist lines) rosters, locomotive production information, technical data, all notable models cataloged by the five major builders (American Locomotive, Electro-Motive, General Electric, Fairbanks-Morse, and Baldwin), and much more. At its peak this system linked Gatesville and Hamilton with spurs reaching Stephenville and Camanche. With no relief in sight the company formally entered receivership on January 23, 1884. Many were pulled up in the 1970's and 1980's although others were removed long before that. This tactic usually worked but Gould found a true fighter in the colonel who countered by announcing an extension not only towards St. Louis but also the Mexican border at either Laredo or Eagle Pass. While this was under way, Gould gained control of the StLIM&S and immediately ended the through traffic agreement. This gave rise to its nickname, the "Cotton Belt Route," a moniker which persevered through the modern era. Fordyce subsequently achieved the presidency while Paramore's involvement ended. This was further expounded by heavy rains during the fall of 1883. The building is now private office space, and is not open to the public. Such as Cabel Car, Metro, BART Bay Area Rapid Transit. As a state owned enterprise, the railroad asserted several unsuccessful claims to immunity from federal regulation. This ownership lasted only briefly as later that year Kansas City Southern picked up Rock Island's interest. Two years later, on October 15, 1900, it worked out an agreement with the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern (Missouri Pacific) for trackage rights directly into St. Louis Union Station. Union Pacific Map. At the height of the State Belt Railroad, 67 miles of track were in service. Printing, delivery and service by Spreadshirt. You should give 10% tip on top of the taxi fare. Just over a year later, on April 1, 1885, Samuel Fordyce took over for W.R. Woodard as receiver. The railroad ceased operation in 1993. The need for the services of the State Belt just kept decreasing. But many remnants of the Belt and its operation remain to be seen in San Francisco. The state provided further aid by granting a 200 foot right-of-way and a five-mile swath for the procurement of construction materials (lumber, dirt, gravel, etc.). Edmondson also created rail maps in additional cities, including the Washington, DC–Baltimore region. In 1969, the City of San Francisco finally acquired title to its Port and to the State Belt; they soon contracted with Kyle Railways in 1973 to operate the railroad. This corridor also included a branch from Commerce to Sherman (Dallas was reached directly in May of 1903 via a short spur from Addison). This was filmed at the Bay Area Prototype Modelers meet http://www.bayareaprototypemodelers.net/♥ Rate Comment Subscribe This book explores the history of the railroad that served San Francisco’s piers for over a century. It became the St. Louis Southwestern in the early 1890's and then went through a series of owners before Southern Pacific gained control during the 1930's. For hiking and outdoor activities, you can find good places along the beaches where you will get views of the Golden Gate Bridge. It filed an application with the ICC in July of 1930 to acquire control. It was never particularly successful and most of the trackage was abandoned between October of 1934 and January of 1941. Pleasant, and Clarksville to some point on the Red River." The Los Angeles Rail Map includes the public transportation system, as well as many major landmarks and points of interest. At first, he sought to build the T&StL from Texarkana to Waco and would utilize the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern (StLIM&S) to reach St. Louis. Northern from Market Street are the nostalgic cabel cars. After the main line was re-gauged the rest of the 19th century focused on expansion across the Southwest. Unfortunately, the colonel was never able to complete his Lardeo extension but had successfully established a true competitor against Gould's dominating presence. David Hawkins collection. He saw great potential in the railroad's ability to handle large volumes of cotton for his business between Texas and St. Louis. As well as the LRT San Jose. The information includes original numbers, serials, and order numbers. ... Coast Railroad used the ferryboat Sausalito, with two tracks on its main deck, to transfer cars from Sausalito to San Francisco. The little pike only operated for two years before it was clear the 190,720 acres in land grants and attempts at local subscription would not be enough to reach the Red River.