Havens Heaven – Setting the Stage

The sun shines from the heavens on Havens, at the junction of Park Blvd., now Shepherd Canyon Rd., and Paso Robles Dr., southwest view, Apr. 22, 1960. The image owes its existence not to mourn the loss of the SN from three years prior, but from a lawsuit to prevent the construction of Highway 77 in the canyon.

L62-05-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 7453-11, (Image 1 of 23)

The area to be covered in this update is shown here in Ted Wurm’s image of a school train on June 5, 1940, north view.

L62-05-Ted Wurm Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 33112sn, (Image 2 of 23)

An east view from what will soon be appreciated as the 1940s Havens flag stop area, here with block signals adjacent to the switch providing a passing track for traffic in and out of Oakland during the passenger era, and serving as a double-ended spur for freight storage thereafter.

L62-10-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 25462sn, (Image 3 of 23)

A closer look at L62-10, here showing the major landmarks near the shelter from the 1940s, east view. All of these components will be explained in more detail in the next several updates. Annotated version follows.

L62-15-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 25462sn Detail, (Image 4 of 23)

Annotated version of L62-15. Black arrow, shelter; turquoise arrow, home at 7150 Woodrow Drive; yellow arrow, telephone booth; red arrow, manual overhead wire maintenance cars.

L62-16-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 25462sn Detail, (Image 5 of 23)

Here, the eastern-end switch bringing the main line and passing track together in this west view. The presence of the parallel track to the south, or left, dead-ending at the overhead wire cars, the crossbuck, and grade crossing are additional features to those described previously. The image is undated, but the paved grade crossing at Paso Robles Dr. indicates the post WWII period, appreciating images of the crossing during the war have not been found.

L62-20-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 67547sn, (Image 6 of 23)

A passenger train approaches the bock signals and switch track signaling the approach to the Havens area. Note the absence of any sign of a parallel road. West view, June 6, 1940.

L62-25-Ted Wurm Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 33148sn, (Image 7 of 23)

SN 1014 slowly leads a three-car passenger train on the northern-most track to the derail device on this west view, ca. 1940.

L62-30-Roy Covert Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 161840sn, (Image 8 of 23)

SN 652 with boxcar, caboose, and SN 654 on the rear has reached the third track with overhead wire maintenance equipment in a rare Oakland snow, west view on Jan. 28, 1957. The rear of this train will be shown later.

L62-35-Fred Matthews Photo, Courtesy Anonymous Donor , (Image 9 of 23)

This southeast view of a SN 660-led freight approaching the shelter with a car on Park Boulevard is from Aug. 2, 1942. Consistent with the date during WWII is the presence of a hood over the motor’s headlamp.

L62-40-Arthur Lloyd Photo, Courtesy Arthur Lloyd, (Image 10 of 23)

SN 661 is just a few feet short of the grade crossing in this undated west view. The small numerals and stripe combination, however, place this image in the 1948-49 time frame. A good view of the overgrown extra track, siding or spur, whichever you prefer to call it.

L62-45-Dave Gumz Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 67527sn, (Image 11 of 23)

This undated northwest view shows three motors, SN 604, SN 603, and SN 660 pulling a single caboose past the shelter. Old maps do not show Paso Robles Dr. south of Park Boulevard, but the sign for the road is on the south side. Most images of Norman Smith date to early 1952, possibly of interest in dating the removal of the shelter. More later.

L62-50-Norman Smith Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 55579.7sn , (Image 12 of 23)

Another undated, northwest view at he grade crossing, this time with SN 670. Can’t tell if the shelter is there or not, but lots of building material adjacent to it. The plates on the car mark this as 1951-55, and, since from Norman Smith, probably early 1952.

L62-55-Norman Smith Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 55854.3sn , (Image 13 of 23)

Arthur Lloyd captured SN 653 just as it crossed the crossing in May, 1947. One of the earliest dated shots of a striped SN motor and a paved grade crossing.

L62-60-Arthur Lloyd Photo, Courtesy Arthur Lloyd, (Image 14 of 23)

Dating the creation of the grade crossing is another inexact exercise. The Oakland Tribune of Feb. 1, 1939 documents the first mention of creating the crossing to improve fire safety and access. Southeast view with SN 661, August 2, 1942, at the eastern switch for the passing track.

L62-65-Arthur Lloyd Photo, Courtesy Arthur Lloyd, (Image 15 of 23)

Another wartime, but undated view, this time northeast, with SN 606 pushing the freight up the 2% grade of the canyon past the phone booth and 7150 Woodrow Dr. City tax assessor records note that for this road, 7150 was present in 1930, 7151 in 1938, but pre-dated by the home at 7475 in 1929.

L62-70-Charles Savage Photo, Courtesy Tom Gray, (Image 16 of 23)

The passenger era adds or subtracts different dimensions to the area, such as the lack of a grade crossing, the sign advertising low prices for lots in Shepherd Canyon Park, and the absence of the railroad telephone booth. North view, 1940.

L62-75-Vernon Sappers Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 67538sn, (Image 17 of 23)

The sign on the station suggests better times, but Havens was never a success in terms of passenger revenue. From a real estate perspective, it was a failure for father Frank and son Wickham Havens. East view with SN 1003 and trailer, 1940.

L62-80-Waldemar Sievers Photo, Courtesy John Harder, (Image 18 of 23)

The shadows on the ground in this north view down Paso Robles Dr. from Dec. 24, 1956 indicate the grade crossing and overhead wire are intact, although not for long. Significant modifications to the area were in full force.

L62-85-Public Works Photos, Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey, Oakland City Planning Department , (Image 19 of 23)

Now to a south view across the grade crossing, also Dec. 24, 1956, soon to reveal more.

L62-90-Public Works Photos, Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey, Oakland City Planning Department , (Image 20 of 23)

SN 654 on the rear of the freight led by SN 652 shown earlier has reached the Paso Robles Dr. grade crossing in a rare Oakland snow, southeast view on Jan. 28, 1957.

L62-95-Fred Matthews Photo, Courtesy Anonymous Donor , (Image 21 of 23)

This east view of SN 1025 approaching the Havens shelter in 1940 shows a bit more detail of the real estate sign.

L62-100-Sappers Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 67916sn, (Image 22 of 23)

As SN 661 and freight head to the west in this east view from 1940, several issues remain unresolved concerning the track, road, and building arrangement of this area dating from the OA&E until 1957.

L62-105-Ted Wurm Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 25996sn, (Image 23 of 23)