Glenside – Overlooked by the Lens

Dudley Thickens documented many portions of the SN taking images from the rear of moving trains. His view of the Glenside Dr. grade crossing circa 1940 looking north contrasts greatly with what exits in 2020, right panel.

L24-02-Dudley Thickens Photo, Courtesy BAERA, W. Railway Museum Arch., 159940sn and Stuart Swiedler , (Image 1 of 24)

A detail of the ca. 1940 north view of the Glenside Dr. reveals the trestle at the first crossing of Las Trampas Creek heading north through Lafayette. The trestle was replaced by a bridge for the Lafayette-Moraga Trail. Now for the details.

L24-03-Dudley Thickens Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 159940sn, (Image 2 of 24)

Glenside was originally a part of the Moraga Rancho. In the early 1950s it was sold by the Moraga Company to developers. The 1934 map suggests that the SN flag stop was moved north by 1941, but there is only photographic evidence for the existence of the latter.

L24-05-Courtesy California Board of Equalization, 862 7 2A , (Image 3 of 24)

The images show the transformation from pear and walnut orchards to homes. Glenside Drive, blue arrow, once part of Walnut Way, the precursor to St. Mary's Road, green arrow. The yellow arrow marks the SN, the red arrow the Glenside Dr. south grade crossing, the pink arrow the first SN crossing of Las Trampas Creek, and the white arrow the Glenside Dr. north grade crossing.

L24-10-Courtesy Moraga Historical Society, EBMUD and Contra Costa County Historical Society, (Image 4 of 24)

Full annotations for L24-10; 1929, Aerial Mosaic of the Moraga Rancho, the Moraga Company, from the collection of the Moraga Historical Society, Moraga, CA; 1939, USDA AAA Western Division Laboratories, BUT-BUU-280-100, Courtesy East Bay Municipal Utility District; 1958, Contra Costa County Planning Department, Segment C-18, Courtesy Contra Costa County Historical Society, 13533.

L24-15-Courtesy Moraga Historical Society, EBMUD and Contra Costa County Historical Society, (Image 5 of 24)

The first crossing of the creek, marked by the white arrow in both 1939 and after its removal in 1958, past the southerly SN crossing of Glenside Drive, there are no known existing ground images of the right-of-way other than L24-02. Scenes inside Las Trampas pool can be seen at http://www.lastrampaspool.com/old_pic_s_and_history_of_las_trampas.html

L24-20-Courtesy East Bay Municipal Utility District and Contra Costa County Historical Society, (Image 6 of 24)

Soon after 1958, District 17 Fire Station on St. Mary's Road, and the Lafayette Christian Church at the south grade crossing of Glenside Drive were added to the the Glenside residential community. The image from the coffee hour after the first church service from the latter in the early 1960s is a rare image of this area during the mid-20th century.

L24-25-Arthur O'Dell Studio Photo, Courtesy Lafayette Christian Church, (Image 7 of 24)

The tour begins corresponding today to the bridge of the Lafayette-Moraga Trail that replaced the trestle at the first crossing of Las Trampas Creek, north view, top, and south view, bottom. The SN followed the creek from St. Mary’s College, and crossed it four times until parting ways just west of the present Olympic Blvd-Interstate 680 intersection.

L24-30-Stuart Swiedler Photos, (Image 8 of 24)

SN 1012 heads toward Oakland on the trestle at the first crossing of Las Trampas Creek, north view, Jun. 22, 1940. This was the first of two mile marker 22 creek crossings in the Glenside area, mile 22.25.

L24-35-Wilbur C Whittaker Photo, Courtesy Arnold Menke and Garth Groff , (Image 9 of 24)

Knowing detailed features of the remaining three SN crossings of the creek places this post-WWII north view with SN 660 at the first crossing of Las Trampas Creek. The little speck of hills just to the left of the train tells us it is summer or early fall in the East Bay hills.

L24-40-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 70086sn, (Image 10 of 24)

After crossing the creek, this detail from a southeast view from Dec. 31, 1946 provides the major roads, the SN right-of-way, yellow arrows, the north intersection of Glenside Drive and St. Mary's Road, orange arrow, and the location of the SN Glenside flag stop, north grade crossing of Glenside Drive and concrete overpass of Las Trampas Creek, red arrow. More on this flag stop next.

L24-45 RL Copeland Photo, Courtesy Contra Costa County Historical Society, 7348, (Image 11 of 24)

A walk northwest from the creek crossing on Jan. 13, 1957 would have been interrupted by the last excursion train on this section. SN 1005 and Salt Lake and Utah parlor car 751 pose at a driveway entrance where Glenside Dr. loops back on the right-of-way, between the pink and blue arrows in L24-10.

L24-50-Dudley Thickens Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 64577sn, (Image 12 of 24)

From the back of a freight heading to central Lafayette circa 1952, this view looks back to the southeast at the area in L24-50. The location of the driveway and the Glenside Dr. loop are in clear view.

L24-55-Reginald McGovern Photo, Courtesy Reginald McGovern , (Image 13 of 24)

Further northwest, SN 1012 negotiates the gentle curve between Olivera Ln. and the Glenside loop on Mar. 19, 1939, northwest view. During that time period, the right-of-way was surrounded on both sides by walnut and pear orchards.

L24-60-Charles Savage Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 10023sn, (Image 14 of 24)

Walking further toward central Lafayette, past Vía Los Colorados, and then turning back one-hundred eighty degrees to the southeast reveals SN 1019 pulling two-car train 28 on May 15, 1940. The crossbuck in the background marks the Via Los Colorados grade crossing.

L24-65-Art Alter Photo, Moreau Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 81724sn, (Image 15 of 24)

A southeast undated view from the passenger era shows an approaching train south of the Glenside flag stop sign just south of the Glenside Dr. north grade crossing. Glenside Dr. is obscured on the left by the row of trees. The crossbuck for Via Los Colorados can be seen in the background just to the right of the rear of the train.

L24-70-Esacaille Photo 402, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 56224sn, (Image 16 of 24)

SN 1016 has reached the north grade crossing of Glenside Drive at the end of the passenger service era on the south end, June 30, 1941, southeast view. Glenside Drive continues on the right, soon to terminate at St. Mary’s Road.

L24-75-31-V Du Brutz Collection, Roy Covert Photo, Courtesy BAERA, WRM Archives, 80344sn, (Image 17 of 24)

This detail of L24-75 serves two purposes. First, to show the train is packed with rail fans on this last day of scheduled passenger service, and second, to show the details of the hills to the southeast, a view obscured today by vegetation.

L24-80-V Du Brutz Collection, Roy Covert Photo, Courtesy BAERA, WRM Archives, 80344sn, Detail, (Image 18 of 24)

SN 1012 waits northwest of the grade crossing at the concrete bridge that served to cross the sinuous Las Trampas Creek, June 22, 1940. As with the first crossing, this too was marked within mile 22, but closer to 23, as the only image of that marker, the lower fractional numeral is not known. The concrete bridge serves the same purpose today for the Lafayette-Moraga Trail.

L24-85-Wilbur C Whittaker Photo, Courtesy Arnold Menke and Garth Groff, (Image 19 of 24)

Inching closer to central Lafayette, a southeast view of SN 1022 as two-car train 28, May 22, 1940, sitting on the concrete overpass.

L24-90-Art Alter Photo, Moreau Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 81726sn, (Image 20 of 24)

Turning one-hundred-eighty degrees, SN 1014 leading two-car train 17 picks up passengers on route to Oakland, 1941, northwest view.

L24-95-Sappers Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 82717sn, (Image 21 of 24)

Ending this segment of SN right-of-way, SN 652 brings the last ever train past the north Glenside Drive grade crossing, The sign to the right of the mail boxes reads Arroyo Ct., so there is no other place this could be.

L24-100-EK Muller Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 77378sn, (Image 22 of 24)

With the abandonment hours away, there was no time to stop at Glenside, as SN 653 brings up the rear of the last freight, northwest view, Feb. 28, 1957.

L24-105-EK Muller Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 77379sn, (Image 23 of 24)

SN 660 at the most southerly Las Trampas Creek crossing at mile 22.25, north view, circa 1950.

L24-110-Robert P. Townley Photo, Courtesy Robert P. Townley, (Image 24 of 24)