Comparative Aerial Views of the Concord SN Depot Area

To prepare for ground-level images documenting the evolution of the SN Concord depot area, first a set of aerial views as reference. The objective is to understand the transition from the SN era, left circa 1930s, to the BART era, right 2015, both presented here in a west view.

L130-05-Courtesy Contra Costa County Historical Society 2744 and Google Earth, (Image 1 of 10)

Robert Campbell, Sr.’s westerly-oriented drawing of the key structures at the SN depot during the SN era is an excellent guide to interpret the images that follow.

L130-10-Robert A Campbell, Sr Drawing, C Beach Collection, BAERA, WRMA, 611178sn, (Image 2 of 10)

Back to SN passenger era, here in this westerly-facing oblique circa 1930s, the SN depot and substation are marked by yellow and red arrows, respectively, to aid in location of other structures listed in L130-10.

L130-15-Courtesy Contra Costa County Historical Society 2744, (Image 3 of 10)

This north view from 1946 shows the addition of a structure, blue arrow, to the north side of the depot obscuring the north-facing side of the depot. This appears to correspond to changes made in the freight-only era starting in 1941.

L130-20-Sappers Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 81980cv, (Image 4 of 10)

March 3, 1947 and RL Copeland took this east-facing image documenting the post-war housing boom in Concord. Next for a detail.

L130-25-RL Copeland Photo, Courtesy Contra Costa County Historical Society 7378, Detail, (Image 5 of 10)

A detail from L130-25, an east-facing view from Mar. 3, 1947, provides one of the best views of the main industrial spur and yard east of the station.

L130-30-RL Copeland Photo, Courtesy Contra Costa County Historical Society 7378, Detail, (Image 6 of 10)

The area north of the depot is best appreciated in this 1953 south view. Not much has changed since the 1940s around the depot.

L130-35-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 98604sn, (Image 7 of 10)

A southeast view circa 1956 shows the continued growth of post-war Concord. A detail follows. Ref: brk00017184_24a

L130-40-Clyde Sunderland Photo, Courtesy of The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, (Image 8 of 10)

Despite the housing boom, little has changed in this detail from L130-40 of the SN depot, a southeast view circa 1956. Ref: brk00017184_24a

L130-45-Clyde Sunderland Photo, Courtesy of The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, (Image 9 of 10)

This northeast view shows the SN right-of-way, orange arrows, from Monument Blvd. to the north. The land to the east of the SN has been partially cleared for the BART overhead structure construction, green arrows. With limited freight service beyond building BART as of this Mar. 3, 1969 image, no structures or spur tracks related to the SN operation pre-1964 remained near the depot.

L130-50-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 15606-37, Detail , (Image 10 of 10)