Shipyard Railway
Encyclopedia
The Shipyard Railway was an electric railroad line, rapidly constructed during World War II
to transport workers to and from the Kaiser Shipyards
located in the city of Richmond, California
.
The Shipyard Railway was funded by the United States Maritime Commission
and was built and operated by the Key System
, a local transit company in the East Bay
of the San Francisco Bay Area
. The Key System also provided commuter rail service between San Francisco
and the East Bay over the Bay Bridge.
The Shipyard Railway ran from a specially constructed depot at 40th Street and San Pablo Avenue in Emeryville
, up San Pablo Avenue northward (along the Key System
's No. 2 San Pablo Avenue line streetcar tracks) to Grayson Street in Berkeley
then two blocks west to Ninth Street, then a far stretch north along Ninth (along the recently abandoned Interurban Electric Railway
's No. 5 Ninth Street line's tracks), across a bridge over Codornices Creek
, then diagonally northwest across Albany Village, a federal housing project for war workers, then up and over a specially constructed trestle above the main line of the Southern Pacific Railroad
and the Eastshore Highway, thence continuing northwest along the bayshore in Richmond, and terminating in a loop line serving the four massive shipyards of Kaiser.
The line was built from scrap and available materials, as the war made regular construction materials unavailable. The rails were reused from abandoned streetcar lines. The railroad across the Bay Bridge no longer needed overhead wire
, as the Key bridge units operated over the bridge using a third rail
and both the Southern Pacific (IER) and Sacramento Northern Railway
had discontinued service. For the trestle over the Southern Pacific Railroad, bridge beams were fashioned out of used Southern Pacific turntables
, and timbers were reused from those ferry
moles
no longer in use due to the Bay Bridge.
The United States Maritime Commission
searched and found obsolete New York City "El" elevated cars
awaiting scrap. These wood-bodied cars had been built in 1890 for the New York City IRT Second Avenue Line
, initially pulled by steam locomotives and equipped with traction motors and controls prior to 1900. The cars were configured for high-level platforms
and third rail
, and were roughly adapted to street operation from overhead wire. The Key System did not possess enough pantographs
for every car, so they placed one on each married pair
of cars. This too proved challenging, as the old wood roofs could not support the weight of a pantograph. Some high level platforms were built, and the Key System's newest cars, "Bridge Units", were operated on the line while a limited number of New York cars were equipped with makeshift steps to street level. These cars became the symbol of the Shipyard Railway.
At the end of World War II, the Shipyard Railway was offered to the Key System, but they declined, viewing the line as unprofitable. Service ended on September 30, 1945, and the line was quickly dismantled.
Shipyard cars #561 and #563, a married pair, are preserved at the Western Railway Museum
. #561 is restored and is believed to be the oldest operational electric car in the United States. #563 is under restoration.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
to transport workers to and from the Kaiser Shipyards
Richmond Shipyards
The four Richmond Shipyards, located in the city of Richmond, California, United States, were run by Permanente Metals and part of the Kaiser Shipyards, and were responsible for constructing more ships during World War II than any other shipyard in the country. The shipyards are part of the Rosie...
located in the city of Richmond, California
Richmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...
.
The Shipyard Railway was funded by the United States Maritime Commission
United States Maritime Commission
The United States Maritime Commission was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and replaced the U.S. Shipping Board which had existed since World War I...
and was built and operated by the Key System
Key System
The Key System was a privately owned company which provided mass transit in the cities of Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, Emeryville, Piedmont, San Leandro, Richmond, Albany and El Cerrito in the eastern San Francisco Bay Area from 1903 until 1960, when the system was sold to a newly formed public...
, a local transit company in the East Bay
East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)
The East Bay is a commonly used, informal term for the lands on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay, in the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States...
of the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. The Key System also provided commuter rail service between San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
and the East Bay over the Bay Bridge.
The Shipyard Railway ran from a specially constructed depot at 40th Street and San Pablo Avenue in Emeryville
Emeryville, California
Emeryville is a small city located in Alameda County, California, in the United States. It is located in a corridor between the cities of Berkeley and Oakland, extending to the shore of San Francisco Bay. Its proximity to San Francisco, the Bay Bridge, the University of California, Berkeley, and...
, up San Pablo Avenue northward (along the Key System
Key System
The Key System was a privately owned company which provided mass transit in the cities of Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, Emeryville, Piedmont, San Leandro, Richmond, Albany and El Cerrito in the eastern San Francisco Bay Area from 1903 until 1960, when the system was sold to a newly formed public...
's No. 2 San Pablo Avenue line streetcar tracks) to Grayson Street in Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
then two blocks west to Ninth Street, then a far stretch north along Ninth (along the recently abandoned Interurban Electric Railway
East Bay Electric Lines
The East Bay Electric Lines were a unit of the Southern Pacific Railroad which operated a system of electric interurban-type trains in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area...
's No. 5 Ninth Street line's tracks), across a bridge over Codornices Creek
Codornices Creek
Codornices Creek , long, is one of the principal creeks which runs out of the Berkeley Hills in the East Bay area of the San Francisco Bay Area in California. In its upper stretch, it passes entirely within the city limits of Berkeley, and marks the city limit with the adjacent city of Albany in...
, then diagonally northwest across Albany Village, a federal housing project for war workers, then up and over a specially constructed trestle above the main line of the Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
and the Eastshore Highway, thence continuing northwest along the bayshore in Richmond, and terminating in a loop line serving the four massive shipyards of Kaiser.
The line was built from scrap and available materials, as the war made regular construction materials unavailable. The rails were reused from abandoned streetcar lines. The railroad across the Bay Bridge no longer needed overhead wire
Overhead lines
Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point...
, as the Key bridge units operated over the bridge using a third rail
Third rail
A third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost...
and both the Southern Pacific (IER) and Sacramento Northern Railway
Sacramento Northern Railway
←The Sacramento Northern Railway was originally a electric interurban railway linking Chico in northern California to the California capitol of Sacramento The original name of the line was the Chico Electric Railway, or CERY. CERY was sold after a few months of operation to the Northern Electric...
had discontinued service. For the trestle over the Southern Pacific Railroad, bridge beams were fashioned out of used Southern Pacific turntables
Turntable (railroad)
A railway turntable is a device for turning railroad rolling stock. When steam locomotives were still in wide use, many railroads needed a way to turn the locomotives around for return trips as their controls were often not configured for extended periods of running in reverse and in many...
, and timbers were reused from those ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
moles
Mole (architecture)
A mole is a massive structure, usually of stone, used as a pier, breakwater, or a causeway between places separated by water. The word comes from Middle French mole and ultimately Latin mōlēs meaning a large mass, especially of rock and has the same root as molecule.Historically, the term "mole"...
no longer in use due to the Bay Bridge.
The United States Maritime Commission
United States Maritime Commission
The United States Maritime Commission was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and replaced the U.S. Shipping Board which had existed since World War I...
searched and found obsolete New York City "El" elevated cars
New York City Subway rolling stock
The New York City Subway is a large rapid transit system and has a large fleet of rolling stock.-Overview:As of June 2011, there are 6,292 cars on the NYCT roster. Train assignments can be found here: A typical revenue train consists of 8 to 11 cars, although shuttles can be as short as two, and...
awaiting scrap. These wood-bodied cars had been built in 1890 for the New York City IRT Second Avenue Line
IRT Second Avenue Line
The IRT Second Avenue Line, also known as the Second Avenue El, was an elevated railway in Manhattan, New York City, United States, operated by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company until city takeover in 1940...
, initially pulled by steam locomotives and equipped with traction motors and controls prior to 1900. The cars were configured for high-level platforms
Railway platform
A railway platform is a section of pathway, alongside rail tracks at a train station, metro station or tram stop, at which passengers may board or alight from trains or trams. Almost all stations for rail transport have some form of platforms, with larger stations having multiple platforms...
and third rail
Third rail
A third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost...
, and were roughly adapted to street operation from overhead wire. The Key System did not possess enough pantographs
Pantograph (rail)
A pantograph for rail lines is a hinged electric-rod device that collects electric current from overhead lines for electric trains or trams. The pantograph typically connects to a one-wire line, with the track acting as the ground wire...
for every car, so they placed one on each married pair
Married pair
A twinset or twin unit is a set of two railroad cars or locomotives which are permanently coupled and treated as if they were a single unit. A twinset of cars or coaches can also be called a twin car.-USA:...
of cars. This too proved challenging, as the old wood roofs could not support the weight of a pantograph. Some high level platforms were built, and the Key System's newest cars, "Bridge Units", were operated on the line while a limited number of New York cars were equipped with makeshift steps to street level. These cars became the symbol of the Shipyard Railway.
At the end of World War II, the Shipyard Railway was offered to the Key System, but they declined, viewing the line as unprofitable. Service ended on September 30, 1945, and the line was quickly dismantled.
Shipyard cars #561 and #563, a married pair, are preserved at the Western Railway Museum
Western Railway Museum
The Western Railway Museum, in Solano County, California is located on Highway 12 between Rio Vista and Suisun. The museum is built along the former mainline of theSacramento Northern Railway...
. #561 is restored and is believed to be the oldest operational electric car in the United States. #563 is under restoration.