A 1950s Trip Through the Main Yard - East Bay Hills Project

A poorly maintained freight spur serving a Richfield Oil site and an isolated PFE reefer car set the stage for this mysterious picture circa 1950. Photojournalist Ted Benson, however, saw Table Mountain in the background and assigned this photo to Oroville. But where?

L166-05-Holmes Bros. Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 96926sn, (Image 1 of 33)

This review will feature the main yard of the SN at Oroville starting from the WP interchange on the east, no. 5 on the map, and heading west, no. 4, to the connection at High Street between 3rd and 4th Aves. with the SN Oroville main line.

L166-10-Courtesy Butte County Public Works and Stuart Swiedler, (Image 2 of 33)

This diagram from March 1911 of the yard served by the Northern Electric is flipped clockwise relative to L166-10 such that north is now to the right. This is a reminder that early in the 20th century this was a busy place mainly related to lumber and ballast. The period to be reviewed moves forward primarily to the early 1950s.

L166-15-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 50, (Image 3 of 33)

These four north-directed panels will help in orienting the main yard. For later use, the colored arrows mark sections where railway right-of-way impacted the current footprint. Ref: US Dept. of Agriculture Photo, Detail AAX-91-42, Sept. 27, 1937, Courtesy the National Archives; Cartwright Aerials BUT 3-197 1962-06-28, Courtesy Bill Calmes; 1911 Diagram Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 50; Courtesy Google Earth

L166-20-Multiple Attributions, (Image 4 of 33)

For completeness, corresponding north-directed aerials from 1937 and 1962 are shown to detail the more southern reaches of the yard that will not be discussed in this review. Ref: US Dept. of Agriculture Photo, Detail AAX-91-42, Sept. 27, 1937; Cartwright Aerials BUT 3-197 1962-06-28

L166-25-Courtesy the National Archives, l, and Courtesy Bill Calmes, r, (Image 5 of 33)

No ground images have been found of the SN-WP interchange track. The mound there today, the yellow arrow in L166-20, seen in this east view from Veatch St., does not support a track and there is no corresponding connection to what is today the Union Pacific, UP, right-of-way seen along the background of this image. Returning to L166-20, the profile of the mound does not match that seen for the functional ones in the 1937 or 1962 aerials.

L166-30-Stuart Swiedler Photo, (Image 6 of 33)

Further west, a more revealing set of images of the SN path through the yard starts with this east view from Dec. 1949 of SN 405 and freight along the canning operation of Stokely Van Camp, previously Sunny Cal, and initially Hearst Canning in early 1900’s. Today it is Pacific Coast Producers, who purchased the Oroville facility from Stokely in 1971.

L166-35-Richard W. Holmes Photo, James C. Holmes Coll., Courtesy BAERA, WRM Archives, 102845sn, (Image 7 of 33)

The next three images show SN 405 along the Stokely facility on Mar. 3, 1951 starting with this north view.

L166-40-Moreau Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 89634sn, (Image 8 of 33)

Taken moments earlier, SN 405 along the Stokely facility on Mar. 3, 1951, northwest view.

L166-45-Moreau Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 89633sn, (Image 9 of 33)

Finally this color shot, with SN 405 along the Stokely facility on Mar. 3, 1951, northwest view.

L166-50-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 117417sn, (Image 10 of 33)

Reg McGovern produced many fine images in the early 1950s by the canning factory starting with this northeast view of SN 405 positioning a reefer at a loading dock.

L166-56-Reginald McGovern Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 117396sn, (Image 11 of 33)

SN 405 appears to have the reefer in position at the loading dock at the canning facility in this northeast view, early 1950s.

L166-60-Reginald McGovern Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 117400sn, (Image 12 of 33)

Mission accomplished as SN 405 has completed its delivery, northeast view, early 1950s.

L166-65-Reginald McGovern Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 117399sn, (Image 13 of 33)

Further west of the canning facility, this northwest view of SN 405 and refrigerated PFE car shows some of the track, overhead wire and the utility pole that will aid further discussion. Northwest view, early 1950s.

L166-70-Reginald McGovern Photo, Courtesy Janet McGovern, (Image 14 of 33)

SN 405 is heading northwest with Mr. Chapman, motorman, in Mar. 1950. Southeast view.

L166-75-Richard W. Holmes Photo, James C. Holmes Coll., Courtesy BAERA, WRM Archives, 102841sn, (Image 15 of 33)

Next, two right-of-way images toward the northwest circa 1950. The first shows the two tracks from the canning facility combining on the right side of the image, while the track from the southerly-directed spur joins later to the west. The track divides right after that. Note SN 405 with freight, the motor just entering the Pomona Ave. grade crossing. See next image for a clearer view.

L166-80-Holmes Bros. Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 100249sn, (Image 16 of 33)

Taken prior to L166-80 based on the position of the moving freight and the isolated boxcars, this image shows the two crossbucks marking the south side grade crossings at Pomona Ave., yellow arrow, and 3rd Ave., orange arrow. The section in the foreground, left, corresponds to that marked by the green arrow in L166-20.

L166-85-Holmes Bros. Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 100248sn, (Image 17 of 33)

SN 405 appears in the strip of land between High St. and 3rd. Ave as it begins to approach the grade crossing of the latter with the crossbuck seen in this southeast view, Dec. 1949. Note High Street along the left edge of the image. This section corresponds to the white arrow in L166-20, and ...

L166-90-Richard W. Holmes Photo, James C. Holmes Coll., Courtesy BAERA, WRM Archives 102842sn, (Image 18 of 33)

... this corresponds to the land along this white fence, here seen in a south view in 2017.

L166-95-Stuart Swiedler Photo , (Image 19 of 33)

For completeness, SN 405 and freight have entered High St. in the acting of switching just east of 4th Ave. in this northwest view circa 1950.

L166-100-Holmes Bros. Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 100247sn, (Image 20 of 33)

The map denotes the segment of track that ran south along Veatch St., yellow rectangle, eventually crossing the latter, red arrow.

L166-105-Courtesy Butte County Public Works and Stuart Swiedler, (Image 21 of 33)

In 2017, there is no evidence of track crossing Veatch St. at this point, but the north view shown provides the location of the image shown in L166-05.

L166-110-Stuart Swiedler Photo, (Image 22 of 33)

This side-by-side reveals the location the scene captured in L166-05. Even by 1950, the track in the foreground ends prior to a street crossing, and an additional finding is that Richfield is missing from the late 1950s customer base in the Western Pacific Circular No. 167-E provided by Bruce Eldridge. By 1950, it appears this section served as a place to store PFE cars meant for the cannery.

L166-115-Holmes Bros. Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 96926sn, (Image 23 of 33)

Further confirmation via aerials that the building that stands today by Veatch St. is the building used by Richfield circa 1950. It is also present in an aerial from 1958 that has not been used here. Ref: Cartwright Aerials BUT 3-197 1962-06-28

L166-120-Courtesy Bill Calmes, l, Google Earth, r, (Image 24 of 33)

The presentation has only used images circa 1950, but not by choice. This 1938 image of SN 107 and portable substation no. 1 is the only image found of SN equipment in the main yard during the tenure of Swayne Lumber Co. period, 1917-1938.

L166-125-Silleman Bros. Photo, J. Holmes Coll., Courtesy BAERA, W Railway Museum Archives, 103028sn, (Image 25 of 33)

As to active switching between the SN and parent WP, this southerly circa 1950 image is the only one showing both a WP diesel and a SN motor.

L166-130-Reg McGovern Photo, Western Pacific Railroad Corporate Archives, Kenneth J. Meeker Coll., (Image 26 of 33)

A southerly view of SN 405 as in L166-130.

L166-135-Reg McGovern Photo, Western Pacific Railroad Corporate Archives, Kenneth J. Meeker Coll., (Image 27 of 33)

One image left, here of SN 405 and crew circa 1950, somewhere in the main yard, but where? Appreciation to Wayne Monger for bringing images from the Meeker Collection to light for this update.

L166-140-Reg McGovern Photo, Western Pacific Railroad Corporate Archives, Kenneth J. Meeker Coll., (Image 28 of 33)

Two additional aerial images are provided to aid identification of structures surrounding the SN main yard. First, this east view from Oct. 31, 1955.

L166-145- Copyright California Department of Transportation, 4610-4 , (Image 30 of 33)

A detail from L166-145, an east view from Oct. 31, 1955, the Stokely plant dominates the left center area of the image.

L166-150- Copyright California Department of Transportation 4610-4, Detail, (Image 31 of 33)

This west view, also from Oct. 31, 1955 is next.

L166-155- Copyright California Department of Transportation, 4610-8 , (Image 32 of 33)

A detail from L166-155, an west view from Oct. 31, 1955, the entire SN main yard and surrounding structures between the Oro Dam Blvd. East, left, to High St., right, can be seen.

L166-160- Copyright California Department of Transportation, 4610-8, Detail, (Image 33 of 33)