While local geography and the Southern Pacific Railroad’s fierce defense of its “home turf” weren’t conducive to railroad line proliferation on the Peninsula, a number of small branches and short-haul lines (along with a small handful of longer-haul lines) nevertheless shared it with SP’s mainline and its cut-offs. Northern California’s other two “big names,” Santa Fe and Western Pacific, also maintained industrial trackage within the City proper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A few notes about this list:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also known as: Peninsula Corridor*, Monterey Line, Coast Line, Peninsula Subdivision
(San Bruno – San Francisco after 1907: Ocean View Line, Daly City Branch, San Bruno Branch)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Constructed: 1863-1864
Dates of operation: 1864-present
Operators: San Francisco & San Jose Rail Road (1863-1870), Southern Pacific Railroad (1870-1996), California Department of Transportation (passenger, 1980-1992), Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (passenger, 1992-present), Union Pacific Railroad (freight, 1996-present), Bay Area Rapid Transit District (passenger, 1996-present)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
*The modern term “Peninsula Corridor” includes the Bayshore Cutoff (see below) instead of the original segment from San Bruno to San Francisco, which was cut in the Forties and later partially reused by BART.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also known as: Bay Shore Railway, Coast Line, Peninsula Corridor, Peninsula Subdivision<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Constructed: 1904-1907
Dates of operation: 1907-present
Operators: Southern Pacific Railroad (1907-1996), California Department of Transportation (1980-1992), Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (passenger, 1992-present), Union Pacific Railroad (freight, 1996-present)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also known as: Dumbarton Line, Dumbarton Rail Corridor
Constructed: 1907-1910
Dates of operation: 1910-1982 (as through line), 1982-20?? (as spur serving remaining industries)
Operators*: Southern Pacific Railroad (1910-1996), Union Pacific Railroad (1996-20??)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
*Required by stipulation of its construction to be open through toll to trains from all railroads. Evidence has not come forth that any other railroad operated its own trains over it, with the possible exception of Western Pacific during World War I. Right-of-way owned by San Mateo County Transit District since 1994; remaining extant tracks are idle except for switching moves at Redwood Junction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also known as: Permanente Branch
Constructed: 1906-1908
Dates of operation: 1908-1960? (full line), 1960?-present (as branch)
Operators: Southern Pacific Railroad (1908-1996), Peninsular Railway (191?-19??), Union Pacific Railroad (1996-present)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also known as: Ocean Shore Northern Division
Constructed: 1905-1907
Dates of operation: 1907?-1920
Operators: Ocean Shore Railroad<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also known as: N\/A
Constructed: 193?-1939
Dates of operation: 1939-1958
Operators: Interurban Electric Railway (1939-1941), Sacramento Northern Railway (1939-1941), Key System (1939-1958)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also known as: 40 ‘San Mateo’ line
Constructed: 1891-1902
Dates of operation: 1892-1949
Operators: San Francisco & San Mateo Electric Railway (1892-1902), Market Street Railway Company (1902-1944) San Francisco Municipal Railway (1944-1949) <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also known as: SFO Extension (south of Colma)
Constructed: 19??-2003
Dates of operation: 197?-present
Operators: Bay Area Rapid Transit District<\/p>\n\n\n\n
*Not an official name. BART does not appear to have names for its individual stretches of railroad, referring instead to the services that run on them… which created a conundrum when figuring out what to call it here, because no less than four lines currently operate over the route that branches off at Oakland and terminates at Millbrae\/SFO. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
**While the line begins roughly following the Ocean View Line at Glen Park, its alignment differs significantly between Glen Park and Daly City. From San Bruno southwards, the line is immediately adjacent to the Peninsula Corridor except for the short branch to the airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also known as:
Constructed: 18??
Dates of operation:
Operators: Southern Pacific Railroad<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also known as:
Constructed: 189?
Dates of operation: 189?-190?
Operators: Southern Pacific Railroad<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also known as: “The passenger main” (unofficially)
Constructed: 1891-1892?
Dates of operation: 1892-1907 (original “loop”), 1907-1942 (loop via Bayshore Cutoff), 1942-1971 (as dead-end branch from South San Francisco), 1971-c.2010 (all remaining trackage)
Operators: Southern Pacific Railroad<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also known as: Belt Line, Belt Railroad, San Francisco Belt
Constructed: 1890-????
Dates of operation: 1891-1991*
Operators: Board of State Harbor Commissioners (1887-1969), Port of San Francisco (as San Francisco Belt, 1969-1973), Kyle Railways (as San Francisco Belt, 1973-1991*)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
*1991 was when the tracks were formally abandoned. All freight customers had vanished by the mid-Eighties and the line sat mostly idle after that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also known as: Quint Street Lead
Constructed: 190?-19?? (to Islais Creek), 1915? (across Islais Creek)
Dates of operation: 190?-1984? (north of Islais Creek), 1915?-present (south of Islais Creek)
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway (1902?-1984), Southern Pacific Railroad (19??-1996), Union Pacific Railroad (1996-present)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also known as: N\/A
Constructed: 1907-1909?
Dates of operation: 1909?-1986
Operators: Western Pacific Railroad (1909?-1982), Union Pacific Railroad (1982-1986)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also known as: Redwood Harbor Lead, Chestnut Street Lead
Constructed: 1914-191?
Dates of operation: 191?-present
Operators: Redwood Harbor Company (191?-19??), Southern Pacific Railroad (19??-1996), Union Pacific Railroad (1996-present)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also known as: San Francisco Belt Railroad
Constructed: 19??
Dates of operation: 19??-present
Operators: Kyle Railways\/Port of San Francisco (as San Francisco Belt Railroad, 19??-1993), LB Railco\/San Francisco Bay Railroad (c.1992-present)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also known as: South San Francisco Land & Improvement Company Railway
Constructed: c. 1891
Dates of operation: 1891-present
Operators: South San Francisco Land & Improvement Company (1???-1907), Western Meat Company (1907-1940), Southern Pacific Railroad (1940-1996), Union Pacific Railroad (1996-present)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also known as: N\/A
Constructed: c. 1940
Dates of operation: 1940?-1974?, 1990-2005
Operators: U.S. Navy (1940?-1974?), Golden Gate Railroad Museum (1990-2005)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also known as: 9 ‘Valencia’ line, F ‘Market’ line
Constructed: 1859-1860
Dates of operation: 1860-present
Operators: Market Street Railway Company (1860-1944), San Francisco & San Jose Rail Road (Valencia Street only, 1866-1870), Southern Pacific Railroad (Valencia Street only, 1870-1872), San Francisco Municipal Railway (1944-present)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also known as: 16 ‘Third-Kearny” line, 29 ‘Kearny-Broadway-Six Mile House’ line, T ‘Third Street’ line (as rebuilt)
Constructed: 1865-1867 (0riginal), 2007 (rebuilt)
Dates of operation: 1867?-1941 (original), 2007-present (rebuilt)
Operators: Potrero & Bay View Railroad (1867?-1895?), Market Street Railway Company (1895?-1941), San Francisco Municipal Railway (2007-present)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also known as: 7 ‘Haight-Ocean’ line
Constructed: 1883?
Dates of operation: 1883-1948
Operators: Park & Ocean Railroad (1883-1916?), Market Street Railway Company (1916?-1944), San Francisco Municipal Railway (1944-1948)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also known as: Cliff House & Ferries Railroad, Ferries & Cliff House Railroad, 1 ‘California’ line
Constructed: 1885-1888
Dates of operation: 1888-1949*
Operators: Cliff House and Ferries Railway Company (1888-1902), Market Street Railway Company (1902-1944), San Francisco Municipal Railway (1944-1949)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
*The famous section along the cliffside from Sea Cliff to Sutro Heights only operated until 1925, when it was destroyed by a landslide and rerouted over city streets instead of being rebuilt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some industries along the Peninsula operated spurs or tracks on their own facilities. The complete list of all of these “captive” railways is unknown, but a few are provided below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Function: Harvesting salt from evaporation ponds
Operated: 19??-2001
Interchanged with: None (isolated tramway)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Function: Intra-facility movements
Operated: 18??-1959?
Interchanged with: None (isolated tramway)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Function: Intra-facility movements
Operated: ????
Interchanged with: Southern Pacific<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Function: Receiving and sorting railcars
Operated: c.1910-c.1965
Interchanged with: State Belt<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Function: Receiving and sorting railcars
Operated: ????
Interchanged with: State Belt<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Function: Receiving and sorting railcars
Operated: 1919?-19??
Interchanged with: State Belt<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These railroads weren’t on the Peninsula – so why are they mentioned here? We felt that these railroads deserved mention because either the disjunct land they laid on (such as islands) or else the railroads themselves were under Peninsular jurisdiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Constructed: 1915-1917
Dates of operation: 1917-1949
Operators: City & County of San Francisco (1917-1935), Sierra Railway of California (1935-1949)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Constructed: 1877
Dates of operation: 1877 – present
Operators: U. S. Lighthouse Service (1877-1939), U. S. Coast Guard (1939-1965?), U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (1969-present)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Constructed: 193?
Dates of operation: ????
Operators: A. D. Schader<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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