Crossing Walnut Creek in Walnut Creek

Leaving off at Walden Rd. in the last update, the Iron Horse Trail crosses into Walnut Creek. Aside from this circa 1979, post-abandonment south view from that road, no ground images during railroad operation from this tranquil spot to Ygnacio Valley Rd. were found.

L238-02-Courtesy Planning Division, City of Walnut Creek, (Image 1 of 29)

For most of the journey south to the present city limit at S. Main St. at Rudgear Rd., the locations of the trail and surviving railroad station have either strayed from the original railroad route, or have been marginalized to allow measures to control flooding and auto traffic through the town.

L238-05-Courtesy Google Earth, Annotated, (Image 2 of 29)

One mystery is the flag stop Larkey, referenced in Irma Dotson’s “San Ramon Branch Line of the SP” as milepost 46.5, absent additional information or Board of Equalization, BOE, verification. That milepost would position the reputed stop to the north of Walden Rd., red arrow, and closer to that road than to the Contra Costa Canal, blue arrow. Mar. 3, 1969, southeast view.

L238-10-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 15606-19, Detail , (Image 3 of 29)

Presented here is a west view from Aug. 8, 1966 of Walnut Creek, not including as far north as Walden Rd., right, or as far south as Rudgear Rd, left. The original intact railroad line is visible in the image. See the annotated version that follows.

L238-15-Herrington-Olson Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 133236cv , (Image 4 of 29)

The three colored broken lines represent the three sections to be covered in the next three updates. The trail and original track indicated by the red line, ending at Mt. Diablo Blvd. to the south or left, will be the subject of this update, including the bridge over Walnut Creek at Arroyo Way, violet arrow. Other markers in the image include the intersection of Main St. and Mt. Diablo Blvd., salmon circle, Broadway and Mt. Diablo Blvd., white circle, and the SP Walnut Creek Station, blue arrow.

L238-16-Herrington-Olson Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 133236cv , (Image 5 of 29)

This aerial from July 25, 1939 has been rotated 90 degrees, with Walden Way, the pre-1960 name for Walden Rd. to the right, or north, and the SP bridge over the Walnut Creek to the left, or south. The image should contain the railroad flag stop Oxley. See the annotated version next. Ref: Frame BUU-280-63

L238-20-U.S. Dept of Agriculture Photo, Western Div., Courtesy Contra Costa County Historical Societ, (Image 6 of 29)

According to the BOE map shown by Dotson, Oxley contained a 600 foot-long siding to the west, and two trestles within several hundred feet to the north, measuring 48 feet and 64 feet, respectively. From this 1939 image, the turquoise arrow marks one trestle opposite 2318 Westcliffe Ln. that survived at least to 1949 based on other aerials. The position marked by the red arrow will be discussed next. Ref: Frame BUU-280-61

L238-21-U.S. Dept of Agriculture Photo, Western Div., Courtesy Contra Costa County Historical Societ, (Image 7 of 29)

Searching the right-of-way in 2021 for any clues to corroborate the description of Oxley revealed only this drain opposite the Walnut Creek Intermediate School, shown here in a west view toward the south side of the Keys Condominium complex. Older maps show no sign of a creek or trestle here.

L238-25-Stuart Swiedler Photos, (Image 8 of 29)

Next, a west-oriented aerial from Mar. 3, 1969 from which a detail centering on the Oxley area to the north of Ygnacio Valley Rd. follows.

L238-30-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 15606-46, (Image 9 of 29)

A detail from the west-oriented aerial from Mar. 3, 1969 centering on the Oxley area is shown here. The major changes to the area that occurred in the early 1960s will be reviewed next.

L238-35-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 15606-46, Detail , (Image 10 of 29)

This detail from a northeast view taken above Highway 680 on Jan. 12, 1960 shows the 200k gallon water tank on the hill. Excavation of the area has already begun. Images earlier than 1939 were not available to date the tank’s placement.

L238-40-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 7226-10, Detail , (Image 11 of 29)

The water tank is marked in 1958, green arrow, when Ygnacio Valley Rd. was two lanes wide, red arrow. By 1963, the road was widened, and by 1965 the tank was gone. Ref: 1958 aerial Courtesy Contra Costa County Historical Society; 1963 aerial Courtesy Planning Division, City of Walnut Creek; 1965 aerial Courtesy U.C. Santa Barbara Library, Special Research Collections, cas-65-130_Frame 5-167, 05/14/1965

L238-45-Multiple Attributions, (Image 12 of 29)

Presented here is a detail from the west-oriented aerial from Mar. 3, 1969 centering on the widened Ygnacio Valley Rd. and location of the railroad grade crossing.

L238-50-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 15606-46, (Image 13 of 29)

The transition image from this juncture is shown here from 1962, an east view with the road widening process in progress.

L238-55-Courtesy Contra Cost County Historical Society, 4932, (Image 14 of 29)

The City of Walnut Creek built this bridge over Ygnacio Valley Rd. in 1998. The traffic flow was the highest of any of the grade crossing of the former railroad. East view, 2020.

L238-60-Stuart Swiedler Photo, (Image 15 of 29)

Irma Dotson explains that the bridge crossing the Walnut Creek was replaced twice, the southeast view of the structure in the upper right replacing the original wooden beam structure in 1905, and the heavier bridge inserted in 1929, shown here in a north view taken by Tom Buckingham on May 4, 1947, lower right. The left panel shows the plaque that is no longer affixed to the bridge, this north view circa 1979.

L238-65-Courtesy Planning Division, City of Walnut Creek and BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, (Image 16 of 29)

The bridge was a popular photo shot for participants in the Mar. 30, 1952 Cal-Nevada Railroad Historical Society excursion, the only one of the three excursions heading north. Of the many that have been identified, Ralph Demoro’s image captured the most smoke from SP 1741.

L238-70-Ralph Demoro Photo, Courtesy John Harder, (Image 17 of 29)

Dudley Westler’s image from Mar 30, 1952 adds color, and also part of the water tank structures on the hill that would be removed by 1968, eventually replaced in part by the Castlewood Apartments in 1973.

L238-75-Dudley Westler Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Wetern Railway Museum Archives, 119455sp, (Image 18 of 29)

The bridge was also a good place to catch a diesel, here SP 2596 in a south view from one of the last Concord Local runs, Sept. 7, 1978. The bridge also became a point of two controversies. As discussed previously, the Army Corps of Engineers widened the Walnut Creek from Suisun Bay to this point in the 1960s to deal with flooding after farmland to the north was replaced with concrete and asphalt.

L238-80-Wayne Monger Photo, Courtesy Wayne Monger, (Image 19 of 29)

The 1960s work channelized the creek with concrete walls from Monument Blvd. to this point, seen in the left northeast image circa 1979. This had no impact on the railroad. In 1991-1992, the San Ramon Creek bypass structure seen in the right panel was added, this image from 2021. This concrete box could only be created once the rails were removed and the county secured ownership of the abandoned right-of-way at this location in the mid-1980s.

L238-85-Courtesy Planning Division, City of Walnut Creek, l, and Stuart Swiedler Photo, r, (Image 20 of 29)

These two north views of the right-of-way circa 1979 make two points. First, the track in this section was as straight as an arrow, and, second, the rail was on a ledge, sometimes adjacent to a drop off or mounded earth. There was was no parallel creek south of the bridge.

L238-90-Courtesy Planning Division, City of Walnut Creek, (Image 21 of 29)

Once the bypass was in place, the south entrance of the bridge aligned with the bypass and not the original right-of-way. The Iron Horse Trail to the south is merely a marginalized path to accommodate this large concrete structure to Newell Ave. You can read all about Walnut Creek’s creek history at http://www.friendsofthecreeks.org/articles/creek_history.shtml

L238-95-Stuart Swiedler Photo, (Image 22 of 29)

The right-of-way continued straight south for a bit and then began to curve to the right at the level of the Castlewood Apartments to the west, and Greenwood Condominiums to the east, as seen in these two south views circa 1979.

L238-100-Courtesy Planning Division, City of Walnut Creek, (Image 23 of 29)

Starting north of the bridge in Feb. 1978, the next three images will follow Dan Engstrom’s ride south on the Concord Local to deliver lumber at the Danville Station.

L238-105-Dan Engstrom Photo, Courtesy Dan Engstrom , (Image 24 of 29)

First the approach to the bridge, south view, Feb. 1978.

L238-110-Dan Engstrom Photo, Courtesy Dan Engstrom, (Image 25 of 29)

Now along the Castlewood Apartments, seen to the west, the Concord Local is about to negotiate the curve where Lincoln Ave. ended at the right-of-way in this south view in Feb. 1978.

L238-115-Dan Engstrom Photo, Courtesy Dan Engstrom, (Image 26 of 29)

Now south of Lincoln Ave., the train approaches Mount Diablo Blvd. in Feb. 1978, south view.

L238-120-Dan Engstrom Photo, Courtesy Dan Engstrom, (Image 27 of 29)

This composite north view circa 1979 shows the Mt. Diablo Blvd. grade crossing. The path of the original right-of-way was altered here in 1973, the details to be provided in the next update.

L238-125-Courtesy Planning Division, City of Walnut Creek, (Image 28 of 29)

This section would not be complete without an image of the last train over the Walnut Creek, Sept. 19, 1978. Thank goodness Wayne Monger was there to capture SP 2634 in this south view! Appreciation and acknowledgment to Andy Smith and Walnut Creek Planning for the photos and other key documentation, and to Dan Engstrom, Wayne Monger, and John Harder for images from their collections.

L238-130-Wayne Monger Photo, Courtesy Wayne Monger, (Image 29 of 29)