Part 4 – Cayuga Park, Ocean View, and Daly City

In this update, images of the former South Pacific, SP, San Bruno Branch will start at the underpass of San Jose Ave. Cayuga Park, a 3.8 acre public space at Cayuga and Naglee Aves. debuting in Apr. 1951, takes center stage in this review. In 2023, the park has many artistic touches from its metal gates, mosaic steps and hundreds of wooden figurines by city gardener Demetrio Braceros. BART’s elevated presence above the park provides a clue to the location of the former SP line. See https://hoodline.com/2016/08/great-explorations-cayuga-playground/

L282-05-Stuart Swiedler Photos, (Image 1 of 45)

This detail from previously presented “Looking southwest from Niagara Ave. along San Jose Ave. showing Alemany Blvd. crossing San Jose Ave.” shows the San Jose Ave. overpass of the SP in the foreground to Lakeview Ave., the latter running along the top right, and the border of Cayuga Park, top left, on Mar. 31, 1953. At this time there is a single track with no sidings or spurs.

L282-10-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3326-14, (Image 2 of 45)

This was not the case earlier as revealed in this 1938 Harrison Ryker aerial detail, here rotated 63 degrees clockwise, where a spur, black arrow, connects the branch line to a lumber yard.

L282-16-David Rumsey Map Collection, David Rumsey Map Center, Stanford Libraries, (Image 3 of 45)

The San Francisco, Sanborn Map Company, 1915 Vol 9, left, indicates the presence of the Spring Valley Lumber Yard, totally replaced by the ca. 1940 house building explosion as seen in the San Francisco, Sanborn Map Company, 1915-Mar 1950 Vol 9., right. The yard was owned by the Spring Valley Water Company, who controlled water rights in San Francisco from 1860 until the City bought them out in 1930. See https://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=Spring_Valley_Water_Company

L282-20-Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, Sanborn Maps Collection, (Image 4 of 45)

Only a single track appears between Ottawa and Naglee Aves. in the San Francisco, Sanborn Map Company, 1915 Vol 9, left, and the San Francisco, Sanborn Map Company, 1915-Mar 1950 Vol 9., right. The Ocean Shore Railroad, blue arrow, operated from 1905-1920 according to “When Steam Ran on the Streets of San Francisco” by Walter Rice and Emiliano Echeverria, Harold E. Cox, Publisher., 2002. The right-of-way was converted to Alemany Blvd. by 1926. See https://www.outsidelands.org/oceanview.php

L282-25-Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, Sanborn Maps Collection, (Image 5 of 45)

Description, left: Looking southwest along San Jose Ave. showing Alemany crossing San Jose Ave. and Junipero Serra Blvd. running along the top of the picture. Description right: Looking west along Alemany Blvd. showing the Alemany-San Jose intersection, the Alemany-Junipero Serra Blvd. Braid and the Junipero Serra Blvd-Stanely Drive separation. Both aerials are from Mar. 31, 1953. Inserts to the side of each image are enlargements showing a train on the tracks.

L282-30-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3326-13, left, -14, right, (Image 6 of 45)

Starting south of the underpass of San Jose Ave., a north view from 1942 is shown here. The houses on the right or south flank are absent in Ryker’s 1938 aerial. Credit: Robert H. McFarland Photo, Robert H. McFarland Collection via David Gallagher

L282-35-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 193902sp, (Image 7 of 45)

Further south in 1942, the track curved along the houses on the north ends of streets from Ottowa Ave. to Naglee Ave., this view overlapping with the previous image. Credit: Robert H. McFarland Photo, Robert H. McFarland Collection via David Gallagher

L282-40-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 193903sp, (Image 8 of 45)

Now reaching Cayuga Park on Mar. 31, 1953, this was a popular spot with railfan photographers. It had a distinctive set of trees, in particular one tall one. The last house before the mound, red arrow, had a very distinctive roof pattern, better seen from directly above in the insert from the 1938 Ryker aerial. Refs: Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3326-12; Insert, David Rumsey Map Collection, David Rumsey Map Center, Stanford Libraries

L282-45-Multiple Attributions, (Image 9 of 45)

This undated northeast view taken by Ralph Demoro is a rare shot of a diesel on the San Bruno Branch north of Daly City, here SP 1314. Panning left to right, north to south, there is the mound of earth, the house at the end with the distinctive roof, the big tree, and in the distance, Balboa High School. As will be seen shortly, the image is probably from 1946.

L282-50-Ralph Demoro Photo, Courtesy John Harder, (Image 10 of 45)

Tom Gray was busy on July 21, 1956 chasing the excursion train led by SP 2345 for the Northern California Railroad Club “A Day in San Francisco, A Railfan Tour of the SP Switching Limits”. This northeast view captures the house with the distinctive roof pattern on the left edge, and also includes the fence for the new park on the south edge.

L282-55-Tom Gray Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 147627sp , (Image 11 of 45)

One more view to the north side of the tracks, SP 2669 on the way to the Muni shops and yard with a gift, a trolley bus to be part of the nos. 1006-1015 series. According to streetcar historian Grant Ute, no. 1007 arrived on Aug. 8, 1948, and no. 1015 arrived on Aug. 18, 1948, providing a window for when this image was taken.

L282-60-Leon Bonney Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 197698Muni, (Image 12 of 45)

A candidate for an iconic image of the branch line from Walt Sievers is this northeast view just short of Cayuga Park in 1951 of SP 2669 with mainly gondolas. Diamond Heights, left, and Bernal Heights, right, provide a background to James Denman Middle School, left, relative to Balboa High School, right.

L282-65-Waldemar Sievers Photo, Courtesy John Harder, (Image 13 of 45)

To extend the previous scene to a panorama, another candidate from Arthur Lloyd, a documentation of SP 2652 with freight shifts the view more to the west on July 16, 1943 …

L282-70-Arthur Lloyd Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 119031sp, (Image 14 of 45)

…and even further west, seconds later.

L282-75-Arthur Lloyd Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 119032sp, (Image 15 of 45)

Back one year to 1942, and the view turns back to the southwest at the level of Alemany Blvd. and Naglee Ave., with this southwest view of San Bruno Mountain as a backdrop, the open land preserved today as a result of a merger between 1978 and 1980 of the county and state park systems. See https://www.mountainwatch.org/our-programs Credit: Robert H. McFarland Photo, Robert H. McFarland Collection via David Gallagher

L282-80-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 193900sp , (Image 16 of 45)

To finish off this section, Walt Sievers took a second photo to document the back end of SP 2669 and freight heading south in 1951. In view is part of a Cayuga Park structure, bottom left, and the big tree. The sight of those white tent-like structures seen just above the locomotive will serve as a segue to the next aerial views.

L282-85-Waldemar Sievers Photo, Courtesy John Harder, (Image 17 of 45)

Description: Looking west, from a short distance east of San Jose Ave. along Alemany, showing the Alemany-Junipero Serra Braid, the Stanley Dr.-Junipero Serra interchange and Route 56 branching towards the Pacific Ocean. Next to investigate those white tent-like structures in the foreground.

L282-90-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3326- 3 , (Image 18 of 45)

The area between Farragut and Sickles Aves. had several track sidings for the branch line, but no obvious spurs dedicated to a single business. San Francisco, Sanborn Map Company, 1915 Vol 9, left, and Sanborn Map Company, 1915 - Mar 1950 Vol 9, right, indicate the tent structures were part of Hans Plath Nursery. Searches on the internet revealed H. Plath Union Nursery as early as 1900 at 510 Wyoming Ave., in the left panel along Winnepeg Ave., but later listed at 210 Lawrence Ave. after construction of Alemany Blvd.

L282-95-Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, Sanborn Maps Collection, (Image 19 of 45)

The Harrison Ryker aerial from 1938 of the same area is provided here. South of the tracks, De Wolf St. would survive the highway build, but north of the tracks, all the houses on San Jose Ave.’s south side would be eliminated, and the northeast-bound lanes would be revised in a twisted alignment to allow for positioning of a highway off-ramp.

L282-100-Courtesy Google Earth, (Image 20 of 45)

The northeastern-most switch track at the level of Farragut Ave.-Broad St. is seen here in 1942. The houses to the north will be seen in the next aerial.

L282-105-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 193901sp , (Image 21 of 45)

The yellow arrow points to the house on Mar. 31, 1953 viewed closest to the viewer in the last image from 1942. The houses to the northeast all match up as well. All were removed to accommodate the Highway 280 off-ramp.

L282-110-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3326-3 , (Image 22 of 45)

Going back to 1923, the switch is also seen, but the view is more to the east, revealing the structures to the south side of the tracks. The house seen to the left or east of the last nursery structure was present in 1938 as seen in L282-100, but missing in the previous aerial from 1953.

L282-115-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 75090sp, (Image 23 of 45)

Where San Jose, Sickles, Plymouth and Sagamore Aves. come together was the location of the Ocean View Station, milepost 6.3, the top of the grade for the branch line. This southwest view down San Jose Ave. shows two SP tracks crossing a single streetcar track, the latter reduced from two tracks on either side of the crossing. In the well-referenced essay “SP San Bruno Branch (old main line)” by Henry Bender, he notes the passenger depot shown here was built in 1881, qualifying the date as ICC guesswork, and retired on June 30, 1930. The Tellhouse was around from at least 1872, see https://www.outsidelands.org/oceanview.php

L282-120-SP Valuation Photo 273-V, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 75016sp, (Image 24 of 45)

Bender also mentions a “freight house, 34’ carbody” retired on Dec. 10, 1959. This detail view of the northeast side of the intersection shows a possible candidate, yellow arrow, with an internal control being the size of a boxcar, typically ranging from 50-60 ft. in length. Everything enclosed within the orange outline would be lost to the new highway. The red arrow shows the outline of a since removed second SP track across the intersection.

L282-125-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3326-3 , (Image 25 of 45)

The Ocean View area is seen here in a southwest view down San Jose Ave., center, from Mar. 31, 1953.

L282-130-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3326-13, (Image 26 of 45)

Another southwest view from Mar. 31, 1953, left, now versus 2022, right. It can be appreciated how Highway 280 is sandwiched between BART and the SP track.

L282-135-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3326-3, and Google Maps, (Image 27 of 45)

Next, a trip across the Ocean View intersection starting with this northeast view on the northeast side with SP 2665 and freight in Jan. 1947.

L282-140-Ralph Demoro Photo, Courtesy John Harder, (Image 28 of 45)

SP 2375 crosses the streetcar track on Oct 4, 1953 in Leon Bonney’s northeast view from the Northern California Railroad Club-Central Coast Railroad Club “A Day in San Francisco, A Railfan Tour of the SP Switching Limits”.

L282-145-Leon Bonney Photo, Courtesy John Harder, (Image 29 of 45)

An image of diesel SP 1314 was seen in L282-50, with a guess of a date of 1946 based on two images from that year also by Ralph Demoro of diesel SP 1318 taken after crossing and passing the intersection and the turret of 107 Sagamore St. in this northeast view …

L282-150-Ralph Demoro Photo, Courtesy John Harder , (Image 30 of 45)

… and seconds later. No images of trains between this point and Daly City were found in the post-WWI era on the branch line.

L282-155-Ralph Demoro Photo, Courtesy John Harder, (Image 31 of 45)

Back to Mar. 31, 1953 and southwest views, the left panel shows the section between Ocean View and the crossing of Alemany Blvd., bottom to top. As with the crossing at San Jose and Sickles Aves., the imprint of a second track across Alemany Blvd. remained. Description, right: Looking west from the San Jose Ave.- Alemany Blvd. Intersection showing the Alemany-Junipero Serra Blvd. braid and the Junipero Serra Blvd.-Stanely Dr. separation.

L282-160-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3326-3, left, 11, right, (Image 32 of 45)

San Francisco, Sanborn Map Company, 1915 Vol 9, top, and Sanborn Map Company, 1915 - Mar 1950 Vol 9, bottom, confirm that the right-of-way was two tracks west of the Ocean View crossing, with a siding, blue arrow, not designated to any specific business. Note the crossing of the branch line over the Ocean Shore Railroad, eliminated after 1920, the right-of-way transformed into Alemany Blvd. as previously noted.

L282-165-Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, Sanborn Maps Collection, (Image 33 of 45)

This 1923 west view shows the SP crossing over the former Ocean Shore Railroad by Crystal St. and Palmetto Ave. The tracks from the latter have already been removed. The sign denotes, ”Daly City One Mile.”

L282-170-SP Valuation Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 5091sp , (Image 34 of 45)

San Francisco, Sanborn Map Company, 1915 Vol 9, left, and Sanborn Map Company, 1915 - Mar 1950 Vol 9, right, confirm the continuation of the double-track to the San Mateo County border. Note the addition of another siding, blue arrow, just west of the hot houses.

L282-175-Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, Sanborn Maps Collection, (Image 35 of 45)

Back to the 1923 SP valuation photos, here showing the entry to Daly City at San Mateo Ave. The siding in this southwest image ends in the weeds. The annotation with this photo notes the sign beyond the curve indicating Colma in 1 mi., and the building at the southeast corner as no. 397 San Mateo Ave., verified by a 1915 Sanborn map. In 2022, the footprint of that house is dead center on the St. Charles Ave. overpass of Highway 280 to the BART station.

L282-180-SP Valuation Photo 302-V, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 75101sp, (Image 36 of 45)

The final curve into Daly City past the hot houses is shown here in a west view from Mar. 31, 1953.

L282-185-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3326-11 , (Image 37 of 45)

Finally, the last two aerials from the set of thirty from Mar. 31, 1953. Description, for both: Looking west, from Oriziba and Alemany, showing the Junipero Serra-Stanley Dr. interchange and the surrounding development.

L282-190-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3326-1, left, -2, right, (Image 38 of 45)

A detailed view of the agricultural operation on the final curve, west view, Mar. 31, 1953.

L282-195-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3326-2, (Image 39 of 45)

Further west, the red arrow points to 397 San Mateo Ave. and the northern boundary of Daly City with San Francisco, southwest view, Mar. 31, 1953. The final curve to John Daly Blvd., or more historically Los Banos Ave. and Knowles Ave., will be the site of the Daly City BART station, but as will be seen shortly, not coincident with the SP right-of-way.

L282-200-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3326-11, (Image 40 of 45)

The SP freight operation south of Knowles Ave. seen in a southwest view from Mar. 31, 1953 would survive the initial Highway 280-BART construction in the 1960s through to the mid-1970s, until the SP asked to abandon the section north of Baden in June 1976. The hopper cars can be seen lined up along Balboa Building Materials, a SP customer along with Quality Foods, Inc. until the line abandoned.

L282-205-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 3326-11, (Image 41 of 45)

Finally, to extend the observations from the previous update, a comparison of the locations of the SP right-of-way relative to BART is shown here from the underpass of the railroad of San Jose Ave., right, to the crossing of San Jose Ave. at Ocean View, left. The red line represents the SP route in 1938 superimposed on a 2002 aerial. The routes are close to one another after BART emerges from the underpass of San Jose Ave., yellow arrow, but quickly diverge until they are on opposite sides of Highway 280 at Ocean View, enclosed by the turquoise line.

L282-210-Courtesy Google Earth, Annotated by Stuart Swiedler, (Image 42 of 45)

The right-of-ways remain separate between Ocean View, right, until the end of the Daly City BART station, left.

L282-215-Courtesy Google Earth, Annotated by Stuart Swiedler, (Image 43 of 45)

The right border begins at the Daly City-San Francisco border, and the two routes cross at John Daly Blvd., just south of the station, this image rotated ninety-degrees clockwise. Further south, left, they remain parallel, as the two paths head to convergence near Colma, not shown on this aerial.

L282-220-Courtesy Google Earth, Annotated by Stuart Swiedler, (Image 44 of 45)

The first image used in the introductory update in this series is shown again here, the previous legend “if this southwest view from the abandoned San Mateo Ave. grade crossing of the Southern Pacific, SP, San Bruno Branch from Oct. 16, 1962 is unfamiliar ...” Well it should be, now being replaced by the southbound lanes of Highway 280. Appreciation to John Harder for providing several rare images, to Grant Ute for his help with Muni history, and Henry Bender for his review.

L282-225-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 9236-1, (Image 45 of 45)