Spur of the Moment – Origin of the SN Plumas Street-B Street Spur

Birney 68 and Birney 70 pose for railfans at the Bridge St.-Plumas St. intersection in this east view from the last day of streetcar operations in Marysville-Yuba City, Feb. 15, 1942. Birney 68 occupies the Sacramento Northern, SN, mainline Bridge St. track, the subject of the previous updates in this series. Birney 70 sits on a spur that headed south down Plumas St. This update will focus on the origins of this spur leading to the identification of its feeders to various Yuba City industries.

L305-05-Louis Bradas, Jr. Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 69140sn, (Image 1 of 28)

The streetcar schedule from 1940 on the left indicates the Birney cars traveled between C St. in Marysville to Cooper Ave. in Yuba City, the latter terminus visualized in the previous presentation. The undated map on the right, however, shows a loop configuration following Bridge St., Plumas St., B St., and 2nd St., traversing the Feather River via a two-track bridge. This was the configuration of the original Marysville & Yuba City Street Railroad obtained by the Northern Electric Co., NE, in 1906. A detail follows.

L305-10-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, Jim Harrison Coll., 201894sn, l, 58365, r, (Image 2 of 28)

According to Harry Demoro’s “Sacramento Northern”, the loop configuration of the streetcars continued until about 1920. The depiction of the NE bridge over the Feather River having two tracks suggests the map is before the 1907 NE bridge was built. Rosenberg Bros. fruit packing house dates to the building’s ground breaking featured in the San Francisco Call, Volume 85, Number 149, Apr. 28 1899. The presence of the Sierra Lumber yard precedes its acquisition by Diamond Match Co. in 1907 as revealed in Kent Stephens, “Matches, Flumes and Rails.”

L305-15-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 58365, (Image 3 of 28)

In this 1909 Sanborn map of the loop, the broken green line has been added to indicate the streetcar path. This path passed five important businesses served by the Southern Pacific, SP: Diamond Match Co., Rosenberg Bros. Fruit Packing, California Fruit Canners Assoc., Farmers Cooperative Grain Warehouse, and Yuba City Milling Co. The orange strip in the overview insert and the enlarged figure acknowledges the gap in B St. not covered by these maps.

L305-20-Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, Sanborn Maps Collection, Nov. 1909, (Image 4 of 28)

This northwest view down the NE tracks on B St. toward Plumas St. shows the Farmers Cooperative Grain Warehouse in the foreground, and Rosenberg Bros. to the west. The gap in between is occupied by the SP mainline and sidings, the far west one supporting two boxcars along the Rosenberg facility. The undated photo shows no streetcar tracks serving either of these facilities.

L305-25-American Photo Co. Photo, Robert L. Stein Coll., Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives,179663sn, (Image 5 of 28)

This undated northeast view shows the Central California Canneries facility with the spur that the NE built along the building’s east side. The boxcar in the distance indicates its owner as the NE Railway, the successor to the NE from 1907 until 1918. Central California Canneries was merged into California Packing Corporation (CalPak, or known by its primary product, Del Monte) in 1916.

L305-30-American Photo Co. Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 179659sn, (Image 6 of 28)

Another view of the Canneries from the NE Railway period with a boxcar sporting the railway name.

L305-35-American Photo Co. Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 179660sn, (Image 7 of 28)

On to Bridge St. west of Plumas St., the street serving as the southern border of the NE freight yard. This 1909 Sanborn map is included here to indicate that the southern side of Bridge St. west of Plumas St. was devoid of any industry, occupied by the Bridge Elementary School and private houses.

L305-40-Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, Sanborn Maps Collection, Nov. 1909, (Image 8 of 28)

This undated view of Union Oil Co. raises questions about its location. Although photos of electric railways omit overhead wire if over exposed, wire is only seen above the tracks splitting off in the foreground. Appreciation to Sutter County Museum for providing the location from the 1924 Directory as “cor E sta Bridge cor Plumas (Y C).” None of the maps found show Union Oil at this location, or anywhere in Yuba City for that matter.

L305-45-American Photo Co. Photo, Robert L. Stein Coll. Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 179662sn, (Image 9 of 28)

With no additional images found dated before 1936, the next part of the presentation will focus on maps, the one shown here from May 26, 1906. This date corresponds to one and one-half months prior to the NE acquisition of the streetcar line on July 12, 1906. A detail follows.

L305-50-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 64580sn, (Image 10 of 28)

A detail of the 1906 map shows that the NE route had been added to it at some point in red. Note the presence of the baseball park in the space soon to be populated by industry.

L305-55-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 64580sn Detail, (Image 11 of 28)

This map was dated after the NE acquisition, Oct. 20, 1906, with the NE route again added in red. A detail follows.

L305-60-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 64581sn, (Image 12 of 28)

The puzzling item in this detail of the previous Oct. 1906 map is the truncation of the streetcar line part way down B. St., something not to evolve until after 1920.  The addition of the spur track to the cannery is shown, and the baseball park had been moved to accommodate the new owner of the railway. Note Armsby Preserving Co., turquoise arrow. Its owner, J.K. Armsby, created CalPak by merging his company with Griffin and Skelley, Central California Canneries, California Fruit Canners Association, and the Alaska Packers Association.

L305-65-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 64581sn Detail, (Image 13 of 28)

Ahead to a similar map, this one dated Mar. 1909.

L305-70-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 57333sn, (Image 14 of 28)

The detail of the 1909 map shows land in the main yard leased to the Sutter Almond Growers Assoc., a spur to Rosenberg Bros., and the outline of one to the Farmers Cooperative Grain Warehouse, now labeled Farmers Union Warehouse. The NE is now in direct competition with the SP. Note here that the original streetcar line is not truncated on B St.

L305-75-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 57333sn Detail, (Image 15 of 28)

Next, to create some confusion, this undated drawing of spurs to the cannery and warehouse are from a different direction than shown on the previous maps.

L305-80-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 25, (Image 16 of 28)

On the other hand, this drawing of the spur to Rosenberg Bros. from Aug. 1910 matches the orientation of the track as shown on the previous maps.

L305-85-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 31, (Image 17 of 28)

To provide closure to the timing of the events truncating the streetcar route, these three documents are provided. The document on the left provides details to the truncation and change in the route in August, 1918. The center document verifies that the Railroad Commission agreed to the change by the end of 1919, with a diagrammatic representation of the new route on the right.

L305-87-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum, 39445, l, 41141, c and r, (Image 18 of 28)

In terms of understanding the growth of rail customers along the previous streetcar route, this drawing from Apr. 4, 1938 provides the established businesses as well as the most accurate spur alignments. The red dot marks the second part of Diamond Match Co., this portion having rail connections to the SP as shown.

L305-90-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 28, (Image 19 of 28)

The industrial tenants on the Bridge St. side of the main yard are shown in this map from July 6, 1924. In contrast to the agricultural-oriented, Plumas-B Sts. corridor, here heavy industry and petroleum products predominated.

L305-95-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 27, (Image 20 of 28)

A follow-up from Nov. 17, 1928 essentially shows no significant tenant changes, but the addition of track to increase warehouse space to the north shown in yellow, and a proposed driveway that will evolve into Jones St., will greatly expand the businesses moving into the area.

L305-100-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 22563, (Image 21 of 28)

Aside from the images shown earlier from the NE days, the earliest photo taken of a SN train alongside a business with its identifying sign in Yuba City is this southwest view from the Silleman brothers from 1936 of SN 420 and caboose 1607 and the Richfield facility off Bridge St.

L305-105-Silleman Bros. Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 168357sn, (Image 22 of 28)

The next big wave of photography in the area was the influx railfans to document the last day of streetcar service on Feb. 15, 1942. This north view up the business district on Plumas St. shows Birney 70 making the turn onto the street from the depot on badly maintained freight track on that day. The trip would proceed one back to A St.

L305-110-Wilbur C. Whittaker Photo, Vielbaum Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives,132742sn, (Image 23 of 28)

Based on the 1909 Sanborn map, the trip down Plumas St. should reveal houses on the northeast side of the street. The 1927-1945 Sanborn map shown on the right indicates that those residences were still present in 1942. As to the southwest side of the street, the aerial from 1941 on the left shows that Bridge Elementary School dominated that side. Consider too that the railfans who took the images that follow were in no position to aim to the southwest to battle the afternoon sun.

L305-115-c-7490_455, Courtesy of UC Santa Barbara Library Geospatial Collection, l, Sanborn Map Co., Courtesy Sutter County Museum, r, (Image 24 of 28)

Next to a northeast of Birney 70 about to pass the second residence on the north side of Plumas St., the first house’s presence obscured by the Birney in this northeast view from Feb. 15, 1942.

L305-120-Arthur Lloyd Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 129852sn, (Image 25 of 28)

As Birney 70 inches its way down Plumas St., the first residence on the north side of the block is now in view to the right of the pole in the left side of this northeast view from Feb. 15, 1942.

L305-125-Louis Bradas, Jr. Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 69124sn, (Image 26 of 28)

Birney 70 has now reached A St. where the ride was terminated. The northeast view down A St. indicates it is residential as well. Again, the date is Feb. 15, 1942.

L305-130-Wilbur C. Whittaker Photo, Moreau Coll., Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 219899sn, (Image 27 of 28)

One deeper view into A St. with conductor George Rutan posing by Birney 70 in this northeast view on Feb. 15, 1942. All of the residential property shown in the past several images does not exist in 2023 where the area is a commercial zone. Next time, a close look at all the rail spurs to the businesses along the SN right-of-way in 1957.

L305-135-Moreau Coll., Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 174838sn, (Image 28 of 28)