A Trip Through Montclair Village by Train

From the Montclarion, the topic of the day, Nov. 25, 1959.

L33-05-Courtesy Oakland History Room, Oakland Public Library , (Image 1 of 23)

Finding a parking spot is no less serious fifty years later. A view south on the Montclair Railroad Trail from its origin near Mountain Boulevard is a reminder of a time when a solution to leaving the car at home was readily available.

L33-10-Stuart Swiedler Photo, (Image 2 of 23)

The Montclair station platform provided access to central Montclair. Dissecting the details of this circa 1940s image will pinpoint its exact position and reveal the evolution of the surrounding area as it became a commercial center.

L33-15-Paul Smith Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 58229sn, (Image 3 of 23)

This aerial north view from Mar. 10, 1957 documents the extent of development of the commercial district just 10 days after the abandonment of the SN west of Lafayette. The district is bordered by the SN overpass of Mountain Boulevard, upper left, to the trestle over Snake Road, lower right.

L33-20-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 5398-1 Detail , (Image 4 of 23)

A complementary southeast view to L33-20 from Sep 23, 1953 provides additional details related to catenary pole position and physical landmarks along the right-of-way. The SN overpass of Mountain Boulevard is along the bottom border, center, while that of the trestle over Snake Road is at the top border, center. Note the block signal to the east of the track, south of the overpass.

L33-25-Public Works Photos, Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey, Oakland City Planning Department, (Image 5 of 23)

Central Montclair prior to 1930 was open country as can appreciated in this east view 1929 aerial. For orientation, the Mountain Boulevard overpass is marked by the blue arrow, the Snake Road trestle is in white. The real estate office and observatory seen at the top of hill can be viewed at http://californiaimages.blogspot.com/2010/06/real-estate-office-overlooking.html. Ref. detail of negative F-144.

L33-30-Fairchild Aerial Surveys Photo, Courtesy Oakland History Room, Oakland Public Library, F-144 , (Image 6 of 23)

Montclair received its name in 1920 from a contest conducted by the Oakland Real Estate Board and advertised by the Realty Syndicate. This west view of the San Francisco-Sacramento Railroad Company Montclair platform is from circa 1923. Note Eston Cheney has already begun to spell out the family name on pictures.

L33-32-Eston Cheney Photo D-6558, Vernon Sappers Collection, BAERA, WRM Archives, 25478sn, (Image 7 of 23)

Close-up view of the platform from L33-32, west view circa 1923.

L33-33-Eston Cheney Photo D-6558, Vernon Sappers Collection, BAERA, WRM Archives, 25478sn, (Image 8 of 23)

The original Mountain Boulevard overpass was replaced in 1936 by this steel overpass, north view circa 1950 with SN 670.. The high walls of this structure will become an important landmark. See Landmark “Completing the Landvale Link - Broadway Terrace Mystery 1936” for close-up images showing replacement of the original structure marked by the blue arrow in L33-30.

L33-35-Tom Gray Photo, Courtesy Tom Gray, (Image 9 of 23)

Now on the overpass, this southeast view from June 13, 1944 shows a SN 661-led freight in full throttle heading to Lake Temescal. Note the presence of the block signal behind the first catenary wire pole on the right or west.

L33-37-Railroad Negative Exchange, Courtesy Charles Smiley, (Image 10 of 23)

SN 1008 is at the block signals southeast of the Mountain Boulevard overpass in this May 31, 1940 southwest view. The nearest block signals to this were at the Thornhill shelter and south of the Snake Road trestle. The view down below to the west, right, should be Mountain Boulevard, but at which intersection?

L33-38-Ted Wurm, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 65031sn, (Image 11 of 23)

An aerial view of central Montclair from Aug. 2, 1939 and accompanying map circa 1935. On the map, the red dot marks the position of the train. The question is whether the intersection in L33-38 is where the arrow points to a unnamed road that later was converted to the north entrance to Pay Less Grocery, or is it Medau Place? See L33-25 for relation to Pay Less. Ref for detail of aerial: BUT BUU-289-45.

L33-39-USDA AAA Western Division and Oakland History Room, Oakland Public Library , (Image 12 of 23)

The walls of the Mountain Boulevard overpass, as well as a block signal and an unreadable sign, can be seen from within this train in this northwest view from Dec. 25, 1936. The position of the sign does not correspond to any known station or platform from the inception of the railroad through 1936.

L33-40-Dudley Thickens Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 58326sn, (Image 13 of 23)

Using the landmarks in L33-40 and taking into account the catenary pole positions in the aerials, the exact position of the platform of the Montclair flagstop from this northwest view, 1939, can be placed at the end of La Salle Avenue. More problematic is this young lady with the flowers, possibly unhappy or with great anticipation for what is on the next train ...

L33-45-Ray Raineri Collection, Courtesy Ray Raineri, (Image 14 of 23)

This north view circa 1938-40 of SN 1010 provides more visual confirmation that the flagstop corresponded to the third catenary pole along the hillside once the poles shifted to the east side of the track going north to south from Mountain Boulevard. The two utility poles with the x bracing to the east of the track are an additional landmark in this section.

L33-50-Paul Smith Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 58223sn, (Image 15 of 23)

SN 1014 and 1021 have reached the Snake Road trestle and mile marker 12 as it heads toward Melin Cut in Shepherd Canyon. All the landmarks back to the Montclair flagstop sign are visible in the north view from 1939.

L33-55-Charles Savage Photo, Courtesy Tom Gray, (Image 16 of 23)

With the end of the passenger era in 1941, the commercial district of Montclair accelerated its expansion after WWII. This southeast view of MW 302 from 1948 captures the homes occupying Lucas Avenue between Medau Place and LaSalle Avenues, since gone and replaced by a parking deck after SN abandonment.

L33-60-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 58224sn , (Image 17 of 23)

The arrangement of the catenary poles tells us that Fred Matthews was standing at the site of the former Montclair flagstop platform when he captured this north view of SN 605 in Feb, 1951. Note the addition of the home on the hillside relative to its absence in the similar image taken in 1938-40 in L33-50.

L33-65-Fred Matthews Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 58227sn, (Image 18 of 23)

That same home can be seen in the background of this north view of an excursion with SN 1005 from 8/10/52, otherwise very similar to the 1939 image of the same spot in L33-55 where the house is absent. Notice, however, the growth of trees in this image obscures the home way above on the hill seen in L33-55.

L33-70-Arthur Lloyd Photo, Courtesy Arthur Lloyd, (Image 19 of 23)

Images of freight from the same vantage point, here with caboose 1605, became popular in the 1940s after termination of passenger service. North view, circa 1940s.

L33-75-Charles Savage Photo, Courtesy Tom Gray, (Image 20 of 23)

Turning to the northwest, views of the Snake Road trestle from the 1950s clearly show the extensive post WWII growth that occurred in the commercial district. May 2, 1954 excursion with MW 302 several months prior to the fire that would rob this car of its motor.

L33-80-Roy Proffer Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 58884sn, (Image 21 of 23)

A less revealing view of the same excursion as in L33-80, but now in color ...

L33-85-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 58232sn, (Image 22 of 23)

The concept of taking the train to the Montclair Village commercial district will remain a distant memory. Looking up La Salle Avenue to the east, SN 652 pulls the last freight in the rain along these tracks, Feb. 28, 1957.

L33-90-EK Muller Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, neg. 45014sn , (Image 23 of 23)