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| PLAN | PHOTOS | EVENTS |
LINKS | CONTACT |
Celebrating The History Of Railroading
In California's San Joaquin Valley
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A
Railfan Trip To Tracy, January 1958
Photograph courtesy of Frank Maffei |
For
more than one-hundred years, Tracy, California,
served as one of the major centers of rail transportation in the western
United States. Beginning in the 1860s, transcontinental passenger and
freight trains heading to and from the San Francisco Bay Area passed
through the busy Tracy railyard.
According
to Southern Pacific
records, Tracy's freight yard set records for traffic
handled through its connections with Oakland, San Jose and San Francisco (via Niles Canyon), Martinez (via
the Mococo Line that parallels the Byron Highway), Los Banos (via the
Westside Branch) and Stockton, Fresno and Sacramento (via the Lathrop
branch), and on to Los Angeles, Portland, Ogden and points east. Into
the 1970s, passenger trains — including the San Joaquin Daylight
the overnight Owl — made daily stops at the busy Tracy depot.
The
designation and development of the "Bowtie" area (in the vacant
former railyards near the new Tracy Transit Station at Sixth and Central) as the
Downtown Tracy
Railroad Historical District , along with the creation of the San
Joaquin Valley Railroad Museum, affords the opportunity to attract countless
railroad enthusiasts of all ages to the city for a variety of activities
throughout the year, and would serve as a vital cog in the revitalization
of the downtown area.
Special
thanks to Frank Maffei for his generous permission to publish his classic
photograph of the January 1958 railfan trip to Tracy.
VIEW
"A TREASURE TROVE OF TRACY TRAINS"
A COLLECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN IN & AROUND
TRACY
Items
For Consideration:
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Creating and growing an active and passionate local railroad
historical society interested in developing a railroad-themed
historical district with vintage locomotives, passenger cars and
freight cars, as well as related facilities for maintenance and
administration.
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A downtown museum and visitor center with exhibits tracing the history of
railroading in Tracy and the Central Valley. A scale model railroad
display mirroring rail activity in the area, along with
railroad-related activities for kids of all ages, will also be a component
of the visitor center. |
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Weekend rail excursions from downtown Tracy on the former Southern
Pacific right-of-way to Midway (via the Altamont branch) or the
"Brewery" and "Holly Sugar" spurs in town — and
perhaps along the Mococo line (to Brentwood),
the Westside branch (via the California Northern to Los Banos) or the
Banta-Lathrop line (via the Union Pacific) — using borrowed or
leased power (perhaps from the California Northern, the California
State Railroad Museum or other tourist railroads). Click
here for a map of potential excursion routes. |
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An annual downtown Tracy Trainfest, attracting train enthusiasts
from throughout the western United States, with vintage railroad equipment
on display. |
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An annual railroad movie festival at the Grand Theatre Center For The
Arts, along with a railroad-themed art and photography competition. |
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The potential of attracting railroad-themed businesses to the
downtown area, including hobby shops, restaurants, antique stores, and
other related enterprises. In addition, the boost in traffic through the
Railroad Historical District, particularly on weekends, will increase the
number of potential customers for existing restaurants, cafes, stores and
shops. |
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The rebuilding of "Tracy's Locomotive," the venerable
#1293 Southern Pacific S-14 Class 0-6-0 switch engine now on display at
Dr. Powers Park near Tracy Boulevard, for use as the signature motive
power of the tourist railroad. |
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Rebuild the historic Altamont line through Ellis, Midway, Cayley and into the old town of Altamont, if possible.
(The line, which basically parallels Schulte Road, currently
ends alongside Patterson Pass Road at the Alameda-San Joaquin
County line, about eight miles from downtown Tracy.) This line follows the
original path of the transcontinental railroad from points east
into the Bay Area, and dates back to the 1860s. |
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If feasible, develop a trolley line from the Tracy Transit Station along
Central Avenue, then west on Tenth Street (perhaps as far as A Street),
for weekend tourist rides through the downtown district using vintage
equipment. |
DOWNLOAD
RAILTOWN TRACY INFORMATIONAL FLYER |
