Origins of the Chabot School Berm

The SN berm or shelf adjacent to Chabot Elementary School served to separate the school from the spur and maintenance yard, as well as begin the railway’s climb out of Rockridge to the tunnel in Shepherd Canyon. The berm’s west end was at the Patton St. grade crossing, red arrow, and the east end at the overpass of Chabot Rd., green arrow. Northeast view, Apr. 8, 1953.

L76-05-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3301-15, Detail, (Image 1 of 22)

Starting from the west, the berm began after the Patton St. grade crossing was passed at the Rockridge flag stop, and provided the elevation gain to cross over Chabot Rd. Northeast view, Aug. 25, 1949.

L76-10-Vernon Sappers Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 68143sn, (Image 2 of 22)

The berm itself was preceded by a large trestle that was constructed about 1911. Northeast view, 1925.

L76-15-Harry A Mitchell Photo, Sappers Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, , (Image 3 of 22)

Here the trestle is pictured in a southwest view during construction in 1911. This panorama, produced by four individual images, will be examined more closely in the next three panels.

L76-20-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 70096sn, (Image 4 of 22)

The right portion shows the entire trestle up to the steel overpass. Upper Broadway is decades away, its position approximated by the rock quarry on the hillside. An assist to Craig Sundstrom for identifying the round structure in the upper right as a 127,000 gallon reservoir for the Charles Butters Estate to the southeast of the trestle.

L76-25-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 70096sn, Right Detail, (Image 5 of 22)

The middle portion shows the Chabot Rd. overpass and Charles Butters property to the southeast of the structure. The latter was slated to become a park in 1911, but it provided space for the spur and an Oakland, Antioch and Eastern corporate yard, and later contributed parts to upper Broadway and eventually Highway 24. Note the Rockridge Park advertisement and two homes on the hill.

L76-30-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 70096sn, Middle Detail, (Image 6 of 22)

Craig Sundstrom observed that L76-30 anticipates a moment in history in terms of the “two homes on the hill”, Charles Wells’ Red Gate Estate designed by Julia Morgan, and J.C. Babcock’s house at 6114 Ocean View. Based on the Oakland Tribune, both were brand new in 1911, but they sit on the dividing line between what survived the 1991 Firestorm and what didn’t. A complementary east view from Apr. 11, 1968 shows the survivor, 6114, green arrow, and Red Gate, red arrow, later to be consumed by the flames.

L76-35-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 14629-2 Detail, (Image 7 of 22)

The left side or east portion of the panorama shows two Rock Ridge Terrace development advertisements and Golden Gate, or as some called it, Hays Ave. to the top of what is today upper Rockridge.

L76-40-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 70096sn, Left Detail, (Image 8 of 22)

An east view from 1915 of the completed trestle and the Leroy Tract, future site of the Claremont Annex School, the original name for Anthony Chabot Elementary School.

L76-45-Louis L. Stein Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 72614sn, (Image 9 of 22)

For dating purposes, a southwest view of the trestle from Chabot Rd. in 1925. Note Brookside Ave. in background, above trestle.

L76-50-Harry A Mitchell Photo, Sappers Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, , (Image 10 of 22)

Next an undated southwest view down Chabot Rd., showing the west portion of the trestle to the left, homes along Patton St., and the intersection of Chabot Rd with Roanoke Rd., right edge.

L76-55-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 72621sn, (Image 11 of 22)

Images establish that the trestle was converted to a berm after the school was completed in 1927. Full references: upper, Louis J Bradas, Jr. Collection, Courtesy BAERA, 68177sn; lower, HJW Geospatial Inc, Pacific Aerial Surveys Photo, Oakland CA.

L76-60-Courtesy East Bay Regional Park District and BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, (Image 12 of 22)

Documents and drawings establish that in 1926, EBMUD needed a place to dump material unearthed from constructing the main water source to the area, the 3.4 mile Claremont Tunnel. The tunnel was completed in 1929, the portal residing at EBMUD’s site on Rockridge Curve. In addition to filling in the trestle, other parts of the area were elevated. Although never utilized, the berm was approximately 35 ft. across to accommodate two tracks.

L76-65-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 4633, (Image 13 of 22)

Now to examine the competed berm. SN 652, with SN 660 adding a push from the rear of a freight, begins the climb on the Chabot Elementary School berm in this west view on August 25, 1956.

L76-70-Fred Matthews Photo, Courtesy Anonymous Donor, (Image 14 of 22)

MW 302 and MW 301 head toward 40th and Shafter Ave. in this north view from an inspection trip on May 1941. Note the overhead wire in the foreground for the spur that had previously served the maintenance yard.

L76-75-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 70083sn, (Image 15 of 22)

An even better look at the spur-side of the berm in this ca. 1940 northeast view of one of the longest documented freights on the south end headed by three motors SN 660, SN 603, and SN 604. Although the number of boxcars was not documented, an image of the rear of this train can be seen at “Patton Street Beat and the Rockridge Flag Stop”, image L54-35.

L76-80-Paul Smith Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 68162sn , (Image 16 of 22)

SN 660 aides SN 652 and freight heading up the 4.5 percent grade on Aug. 25, 1956 in this northeast view. Roanoke Rd. and the homes above it on Hillcrest Rd. can be appreciated on the left or northeast, with the EBMUD Claremont Laboratory to the east in the distance. By this time the spur had been reduced to a short segment off Patton St. to allow motors to be switched out from the rear of freights.

L76-85-Fred Matthews Photo, Courtesy Anonymous Donor, (Image 17 of 22)

Next, views from the school side. A fence was built to separate the school from the berm, here shown in an undated south view.

L76-90-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 72613sn, (Image 18 of 22)

An east, complementary view of the same fence out to Chabot Rd. from circa 1940.

L76-95-Paul Smith Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 107999sn, (Image 19 of 22)

Finally the Chabot Rd. overpass, MW 302, west view, May 13, 1948.

L76-100-Arthur Lloyd Photo, Courtesy Arthur Lloyd, (Image 20 of 22)

This southwest image of the back half of the last freight, Feb. 28, 1957, allows an appreciation for the girth of the berm. And, yes, this string of freight with Birney car 62 is being kept in place by rear motor SN 653, while SN 652 pulls the front half in the light rain up the 4.5 percent grade to the spur at Lake Temescal.

L76-105-Moreau Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 90572sn, (Image 21 of 22)

Here the berm waits in a post-abandonment, northeast view, Jun. 2, 1957. On Dec. 17, 1957, the Oakland Tribune reported that the city had purchased the four acres comprising the berm and spur area of the SN for $11,000 an acre from the Western Pacific to increase recreational area. The date the berm was removed, and whether residual trestle was found is not known.

L76-110-Vernon Sappers Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 68832sn, (Image 22 of 22)