St. Mary’s Road to the Station

This section will survey the area between the south or west entrance of St. Mary’s Road to the SN station. This map from 1934 shows the presence of a long spur off the mainline as the right-of-way entered the college border.

L38-05-Courtesy California Board of Equalization, SBE 862 7 2 - 001, (Image 1 of 13)

This detail of a southeast view circa 1950 shows St. Mary’s Road in the foreground, and the SN right-of-way dividing into two tracks at the lower right, as it heads for the station. An earlier aerial from 1937 did not reveal any longer spur than the one seen here. The full image of this detail may be viewed in the Moraga Mainline section.

L38-10-A Harris and Associates Photo, from the collections of the Saint Marys College of California , (Image 2 of 13)

The next three images provide a southwest, ground-level view of an oncoming train during the passenger era. First, here at the track divide from circa 1940, SN 1006 leads a 4 car train into the campus.

L38-15-Paul Smith Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 54017sn , (Image 3 of 13)

SN 1006 negotiates the curve circa 1940. The high peak to the right of SN 1006 is Round Top, the 1,763 foot extinct volcano in Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve. Begun as Round Top Regional Park in 1936, it is one of the first three parks of the East Bay Regional Park District. Note the disrepair and abrupt end of the spur track.

L38-20-Paul Smith Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 60066sn, (Image 4 of 13)

One week to go before termination of passenger service, and SN 1014 delivers a passenger to St. Mary’s. School trains also delivered students and faculty to Mount Diablo High School, and, for a few months to Acalanes High School. The train was designated as train 12 in the east direction, and train 27 on the way back to Oakland. Southwest view, Jun. 22, 1941.

L38-25-Dudley Thickens Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 60289sn , (Image 5 of 13)

By 1952, the catenary over the spur had been removed as seen in this northeast view. The chapel and some of the original structures from 1928 fill out this panoramic view.

L38-30-Norman Smith Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 52969sn , (Image 6 of 13)

SN 661 has almost reached the grade crossing where the remnants of the spur track remain visible. Relative to L38-30, an additional original campus structure to the southeast and more of the hills are featured in this circa 1952 image.

L38-35-Norman Smith Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 55574.6sn, (Image 7 of 13)

Another image of SN 661, this time with SN 603, east view, Feb. 11, 1950, with the chapel in full view below the catenary poles and wires of the spur track.

L38-40-Alvon J. Thoman Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 7278sn, (Image 8 of 13)

Within a few feet of the station, this early 1950s southeast view would be difficult to place if not for the catenary poles and wires from the spur track, along with a large peak, St. Mary’s Peak, up against the left edge of the image. Note the absence of any additional parts of the college itself.

L38-45-Tom Buckingham Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 54308sn, (Image 9 of 13)

On its way to Walnut Creek, SN 661 halts in front of the station in this 1952 southeast view, this time highlighting the undeveloped hills to the south, and the boarded up station.

L38-50-Reginald McGovern Photo, Courtesy Reginald McGovern, (Image 10 of 13)

Within one year of operation remaining, the regularity of excursions intensified in 1956, here with a south view. Many of these images captured other aspects of the surroundings, such as the open field between the right-of-way and St. Mary’s Road.

L38-55-Arthur Lloyd Photo, Courtesy Arthur Lloyd, (Image 11 of 13)

Excursions generally focused on capturing a picture with the train pulling into the station, but not obscuring it. Not so with this east image of SN 653, WP open car and Salt Lake and Utah parlor car 751 from Jul. 6, 1956, where a greater emphasis is placed on the hills and athletic fields to the east of the station.

L38-60-Richard Kampa Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum, 60053sn, (Image 12 of 13)

SN 652 takes the last load of freight, including Birney car 62, on the final day of SN operation of the section west of Lafayette, Feb. 28, 1957. The remnants of the light rain that fell that day are visible.

L38-65-from the collection of the Moraga Historical Society, Moraga, CA, (Image 13 of 13)