Gone but Not Forgotten: San Francisco’s Lost Railroad Landmarks

For as many relics of days past that remain in San Francisco, there are many more that have been lost to the sands of time. Not everything has the luxury of being preserved, and tragically, even some things which were set aside for future generations wither away. This page serves as a means to keep the memories of these lost railroad landmarks alive.

Contents

Southern Pacific No. 1294

San Francisco Zoo Playground

SP #1294 was dedicated “To San Francisco Children of All Ages” following retirement and installed as an interactive playground attraction at the San Francisco Zoo. Years of exposure to the elements took their toll and the engine was ultimately scrapped in 1981. Some parts were saved for sister SP #1296.

Southern Pacific Passenger Station

3rd & Townsend Streets

The elegant mission revival headhouse was constructed in 1915 for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. Originally intended as a temporary affair while SP sought a terminal closer to downtown, it stood until 1975. Not a single trace remains.

Muni Geneva Car Barn

San Jose & Geneva Avenues

Car barn used by Muni. Damaged by the 1989 earthquake and torn down, although the office section (see our surviving landmarks page) remains.

Mission Bay Roundhouse

Mariposa & Indiana Streets

Southern Pacific’s roundhouse for passenger engines (and switch engines stationed close to downtown). Home to the employee-operated Mission Bay Garden. Closed in 1960, both the roundhouse and garden were completely demolished soon after.

Transbay Terminal

SoMa

Constructed concurrently with the Bay Bridge as the terminus of the Bridge Railway, opening in 1939 and hosting interurban trains of the Key System, Sacramento Northern, and SP-owned Interurban Electric. Became a bus terminal with the removal of the Bridge Railway in 1958. Demolished c.2009 and replaced by the Transbay Transit Center.

Western Pacifc Tunnel and Tracks

Design District/Potrero Hill

WP ran trains from its pier through a tunnel under Potrero Hill (obscured by truck in distance) and across the Design District to a freight terminal. The wooden-braced tunnel caught fire in 1962 and collapsed, taking several homes on the hill above with it. The diagonal right-of-way has been mostly filled by buildings, but its outline is still clearly visible from the air.

Western Pacific Freight Terminal

7th and Brannan Streets

Later used as an event center called “the Concourse.” Entire parcel was leveled and replaced by a mixed use building in 2015.