Double Piedmont Avenue Stations
As Clyde Sunderland or one of his associates scouted potential routes for Highway 580 through Oakland on July 10, 1951, it was hard to resist one shot at a veritable institution of Bay Area transportation, the Key System Piedmont Ave. station. The image has been rotated to allow Piedmont Ave. and Howe St. to run left-to-right, or northeast-to-southwest.
L186-05-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 2218-12, Detail 7, (Image 1 of 29)
Two years later, Apr. 8, 1953, the pilots obtained more exacting oblique images of this iconic structure, here seen in a northeast view.
L186-10-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3300-12, (Image 2 of 29)
A closer northeast view of the southwest-facing side of the station and the bustling Piedmont Ave. neighborhood, Apr. 8, 1953.
L186-15-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3300-36, Detail , (Image 3 of 29)
Swinging the plane one hundred eighty degrees, now a view of the northeast-facing side of the station, also Apr. 8, 1953.
L186-20-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3300-37, Detail, (Image 4 of 29)
Transportation photo historian John Harder proposed the idea of a transition moment in time for this area supplying this northwest-directed image from Ralph Demoro. A time when the old coexisted with the new, Jan. 3, 1937, reflecting plans to open the Bay Bridge to train service. Some background pictorial history is provided to aid the discussion, so compare this image to the next one ...
L186-25-Ralph Demoro Photo, Courtesy John Harder, (Image 5 of 29)
... back in time to 1912, when, as Harre Demoro wrote in “The Key Route”, “the Key Route erected a picturesque station complete with a fireplace that had key-shaped andirons.”
L186-30-Sappers Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 12291ks, (Image 6 of 29)
Opening day of the San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose Railway’s second route, the Piedmont Branch or 40th St.-Piedmont line, on June 1, 1904. Note how sparsely populated the area was. This event, coupled to the 1906 earthquake, would be the catalyst for tremendous growth for this locale for the next half century.
L186-35-Sappers Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 51703ks, (Image 7 of 29)
Next, two roof-top views of the original station area, starting here with a northwest view from either 1932 or 1936 based on the license plate on display. By this time, the line was extended down Piedmont Ave. to Oakland Ave. in Piedmont, the so-called “Piedmont Extension” beginning in 1924.
L186-40-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 20439ks, (Image 8 of 29)
This complementary south view is from an even year in the early to mid-1930s, and features the palm trees planted under Borax Smith’s direction.
L186-45-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 20440ks, (Image 9 of 29)
The new modern-look train shed was in operation on Jan. 3, 1937 when the first new articulated “Bridge Unit” went on public display at 41st and Piedmont Ave.
L186-50-Ralph Demoro Photo, Courtesy John Harder, (Image 10 of 29)
Now three views of C-line trains heading through the shed toward San Francisco, beginning with this 1956 northeast view of west-bound Unit 155.
L186-55-Harre Demoro Photo, Courtesy John Harder , (Image 11 of 29)
Next a northeast view of passengers boarding Unit 173. The bus, its black license plate, and the cars in the surrounding lot suggest circa 1945.
L186-60-Courtesy John Harder, (Image 12 of 29)
Unit 173 has begun its journey to the 40th street cut in this continuation of the prior image.
L186-65-Courtesy John Harder, (Image 13 of 29)
This southwest view from Feb. 16, 1937 documents the shuttle car component of the Piedmont Extension, here no. 956 dressed in white, alongside interurban car 588. Demoro noted that a one-man, 900-type streetcar was typical for this service that evolved starting in 1931 until the availability of the bridge in 1939. Service in the 1920s had employed coupling and uncoupling of cars.
L186-70-Courtesy John Harder, (Image 14 of 29)
Now several shades darker, it is a good bet that this northeast view of 956 with Unit 183 was taken in 1938 with bridge service to begin in Jan 1939.
L186-75-Courtesy John Harder, (Image 15 of 29)
After the WWII, the presence of Key System streetcar no. 271, as in this southwest view, meant a BAERA-sponsored excursion, as the organization purchased the car in 1946. The Leigh-type cars were the first on the 40th St-Piedmont route, and 271 is the only Key Leigh-type car remaining in existence, today at the Western Railway Museum at Rio Vista Jct.
L186-80-Leon Bonny Photo, Courtesy John Harder , (Image 16 of 29)
Bus availability also played a role in the overall transportation scheme of the area as no. 928 awaits rail-transported passengers to take them to Montclair sometime in the late 1940s in this southwest view. Recall that SN service ceased to service that locale in 1941.
L186-85-Key System Photo, Courtesy John Harder, (Image 17 of 29)
Until 1948, Piedmont Ave. was served by the Key no. 10 streetcar line, which shared tracks with the interurban C-line and its shuttles to the east up to Pleasant Valley Junction. This northeast view from June 1946, and the ones that follow, will highlight the businesses connected to the station and the surrounding area and will feature views of the streetcars in action.
L186-90-Peter Kyhn Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 132353ks, (Image 18 of 29)
Now to a southwest view from 1940 linking the previous image’s documentation of Longs Drugs. Here the view is onto 40th St.
L186-95-Key System Photo, Courtesy John Harder, (Image 19 of 29)
On to Piedmont Ave., with a southwest view of streetcar 801 on line no. 10 from 1940.
L186-100-Leon Bonney Photo, Courtesy John Harder, (Image 20 of 29)
Same scene, but more to the south, as car 955 heads to Pleasant Valley Junction in June 1946.
L186-105-Peter Kyhn Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 132348ks, (Image 21 of 29)
Turning one hundred eighty degrees to the northeast, car 928 services a line of prospective riders in front of the station.
L186-110-Waldemar Sievers Photo, Courtesy John Harder, (Image 22 of 29)
One final northeast view, this one of car 956 in a shuttle role about to enter the shed in 1938.
L186-115-Waldemar Sievers Photo, Courtesy John Harder , (Image 23 of 29)
The streetcars were gone in late 1948, and the C-line had its last evening, Apr. 19, 1958, shown here at the station in a southwest view.
L186-120-Oakland Tribune Photo, Courtesy John Harder, (Image 24 of 29)
A color image is always helpful to jar the memory, this one toward the northeast near the end of service.
L186-125-Louis L. Stein Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 120420ks, (Image 25 of 29)
Archived as Aug. 1959, but more like 1979, Ted Wurm returned to show the final stage of removal of the Key System track to create a parking lot for the pharmacy. Thank you to Neal Parish for the correction.
L186-130-Ted Wurm Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 34738ks, (Image 26 of 29)
Fortunately, key reminders of the buildings past were left intact for the rest of the 20th century. Southwest view, ca. 1960s.
L186-135-Louis L. Stein Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 120340ks , (Image 27 of 29)
Even better, in the 21st century, a mural was painted at the site of the former Key System station, here in progress by Rocky Baird on Nov. 20, 2004. The eventual destruction of this mural is too depressing to elaborate upon.
L186-140- John Harder Photo, Courtesy John Harder, (Image 28 of 29)
Back to the transition moment in time and so much history revealed in this one northeast view. Key interurban car 568 is set for San Francisco awaiting transfer of passengers from the shuttle. The Bridge Unit 165 on view now displays “B”, as it is now Jan. 4, 1937. Acknowledgement and appreciation to John Harder for making this presentation possible, both conceptually and photographically.
L186-145-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 20445 , (Image 29 of 29)
