How the Battle Over East 8th St. Was Won

The state of industrialization in Pittsburg has been covered in the History Section under “Charles Hooper's Empire from the Air”, and the right-of-way in “The Many Faces of Pittsburg - East 8th Extension”. This list of the biggest industries east of the Pittsburg city line ranked by payroll was included in a 1928 map.

L224-05-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 41000, (Image 1 of 19)

The two leading industries were served by the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific, SP, but the Western Pacific, WP, was eager to gain access as well. According to Demoro’s “Sacramento Northern”, they would do so by gaining control of the San Francisco-Sacramento Railroad, SF-S, on August 1, 1927. Although Interstate Commerce Commission, ICC, approval did not come until Oct. 26, 1928, the SF-S started the process to gain access to the east in late 1927.

L224-10-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 41000, (Image 2 of 19)

By Dec. 1927, a track plan to enter the industrial center was drawn up by the SF-S. Once access along East 8th St. could be secured, then negotiation with the Santa Fe over track crossings and trackage rights, and with the Columbia Steel Corporation and Redwood Manufacturing on their rail yard designs, could commence.

L224-15-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 40998, (Image 3 of 19)

No doubt the WP and SF-S realized the progress Columbia Steel had made in the 1920s through bringing on a rolling mill, right panel, in 1920, then a merger the following year, followed by expansion and land acquisition, and several years later, the news in this clip, left panel. Maybe they also knew that United States Steel was interested in acquiring the whole operation, which they did on Oct. 31, 1929.

L224-20-Courtesy BAERA, WRM Archives, 40998, l, and Contra Costa County His. Society, 7898, r, (Image 4 of 19)

First, permission was needed to lay track down the center of East 8th St. to Harbor St. This will be referred to as “the extension” in the legends that follow. Meeting that goal had several obstacles.

L224-25-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 40998, Detail, (Image 5 of 19)

The area to the east of the SN station, blue arrow, to be extended through was densely covered with trees, as shown in this northeast view circa late 1920s, orange broken line. Newspaper accounts of the struggle to gain access to this land follows. Ref: API 578_31_BOX 71 thru 74

L224-30-George Russell Photo, Courtesy the California State Lands Commission, Detail, (Image 6 of 19)

Once the SF-S was under their control, the WP wasted little time to apply to the city for the extension. They had even acquired the right-of-way from the Hooper Co. Beyond the city council decision, protestations from those living along East 8th St. were to become an issue. The Oakland Tribune of Nov. 23, 1927 noted that a petition had been signed by property owners on East 8th St. and other taxpayers on the east side for the WP to use the Santa Fe tracks at the western entry to the city.

L224-35-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 40095, (Image 7 of 19)

It was clear from the meetings within the city council that concessions would be required by the WP. It was at this point that the Santa Fe and SP delivered their objections to the extension. As noted in the left column, the option for the WP to negotiate for existing trackage rights from the Santa Fe existed, considering that the SP tapped into the Santa Fe tracks at a single point along the periphery of the city.

L224-40-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 40095, (Image 8 of 19)

According to the SF Chronicle of Jan. 7, 1928, the city council approved the extension with the blessing of industrial interests. The real fight would come in April, when review by the Railroad Commission would ensue, and by the continuing objections made by residents and the competing railroads.

L224-45-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 40095, (Image 9 of 19)

One year later, an unfavorable ruling by the Interstate Commerce Commission, ICC, put the chances for the extension in peril.

L224-50-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 40095, (Image 10 of 19)

With prospects dimmed, in stepped the ghost of Charles Appleton Hooper, the entrepreneur who ignited Pittsburg’s industrial ascent. The May 24, 1928 SF Chronicle reported that the C.A. Hooper Co. filed suit against the city to lay claim to the 1.4 acre strip of land on East 8th St. The city attorney had upheld the claim that the city did not own the land. The company had allowed the city to use the area for parking through sufferance only, and if successful in the suit, it would grant the extension to pass through the land.

L224-55-From Press Ref. Library, Vol. 2, Int. News. Service 1915 via Google Books, (Image 11 of 19)

The June 11, 1929 Oakland Tribune documented the initiation of construction of the extension at 7 A.M., with 150 men, two clam shell shovels, and a pole setter. The article noted that the railway had been granted the franchise by both the Railroad Commission and ICC by June 3. East view, 1929. Ref: Smith’s Studio located at 368 Railroad St., Pittsburg CA

L224-60-Smith's Studio Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 159971sn, (Image 12 of 19)

The Oct. 17, 1929 Oakland Tribune reported that the project had been stalled by the delay in an agreement with the Santa Fe. The extension down East 8th St. had been ready for months. The plan eventually adopted is shown in the left panel, and the agreement was noted in the Oakland Tribune of Nov. 19, 1929. The letter on the right, as well as documents from Redwood Manufacturers’ Co., indicated further nuances over changes to the overall track layout and construction.

L224-65-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 40998, (Image 13 of 19)

The original proposed plan of SN entry into the industrial area shown previously did not include crossing the Santa Fe tracks. So why was this necessary? Northeast View, Mar. 3, 1946, with the negative marked “Mr. Hughes” - could it be ...?!!!

L224-70-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 69197sn, (Image 14 of 19)

Inspection of this northeast view from Mar. 3, 1946 shows that the first Santa Fe track crossed by the SN connected to the Santa Fe mainline, as well as to the Johns Manville spur, places the Santa Fe did not want the SN to have access to. The track to which the SN connected to permitted access to the steel plant and Redwood Mfg. Co., or REMCO, customers of the SN, Santa Fe, and SP, and nothing more.

L224-75-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 69197sn, Detail, (Image 15 of 19)

A close-up, southeast view of the SN-Santa Fe crossing in 1957.

L224-80-E.K. Muller Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 96946sn, (Image 16 of 19)

A close-up, southeast view of the SN-Santa Fe connection in 1957.

L224-85-E.K. Muller Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 96945sn, (Image 17 of 19)

This freight customer list from 1957 suggests that the East 8th St. extension made little impact to the Santa Fe-SP domination of the industrial center east of the city limit based on the number of customers served. However, the SN output serving REMCO and Columbia-US Steel was an extremely positive financial contribution to the WP’s bottom-line.

L224-90-WP Circular no. 167, Courtesy Bruce Eldridge, (Image 18 of 19)

Examining the location of the arrangement of track between the SN and Santa Fe in 2016 left little evidence of this piece of SN history from the previous century. Southeast view, left, northeast view, right.

L224-95-Stuart Swiedler Photos, (Image 19 of 19)