The Oakland waterfront was a real busy place in it’s hayday. Several ports and ferry terminals connected Oakland to San Francisco and to the rest of the world.
This massive railroad wharf and ferry pier, located at the foot of Seventh Street, was acquired and extended by the Central Pacific Railroad in 1868 to transport freight to San Francisco. It served as the western terminus of the first Transcontinental railroad when it was completed in 1869, where it connected to ferries that carried commuters and cargo between the Long Wharf and San Francisco. Part of the wharf was filled in between 1879 and 1882, creating a mole. It remained in service until 1958. Oakland history room
The ferry “Garden City” taking on passengers at the Oakland Municipal Wharf, foot of Franklin St. ca. 1900
Mole Ferry Slip Depot Oakland CA 1882
Ferry Boat entering the Key Route Slip Oakland California
“This 1901 view, looking north from Alameda, takes in the Oakland waterfront west of the Webster Street Bridge. The estuary is lined with storage yards for lumber, coal, and building materials. Oakland’s city-owned wharves adjoin the bridge, and on the far left a ferryboat is docked at the foot of Broadway.” Pacific Gateway, Woodruff Minor, p. 15 Image courtesy of the Oakland History Room, Oakland Public Library.
“A rare glimpse of the busy Southern Pacific Railroad’s busy waterfront terminal in Oakland, California, where trainloads of passengers would be loaded onto giant railroad-operated ferries for a short trip across San Francisco Bay and into the San Francisco Ferry Building. Prior to the construction of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in the late 1930s, this was the way train passengers got from one side of the bay to the other. Use of the facility actually traces back to the late 1860s when the Central Pacific Railroad began transporting freight cars across the bay from what was then known as the Oakland Long Wharf, located at the western end of Seventh Street. The area around the pier was filled in in the early 1880s, and the Southern Pacific Railroad, which had taken over the Central Pacific Railroad, expanded and enclosed the facility into the scene pictured here. Use of the Oakland Mole declined after completion of the Bay Bridge, but some service continued there until about 1957. The Oakland Mole was demolished in the mid-1960s to allow for an expansion of the Port of Oakland cargo facilities. This postcard was published by the Newman Post Card Co. of Los Angeles, although it says it was printed in Germany. It features the longtime Southern Pacific slogan of being ‘On the Road of a Thousand Wonders.’ “
The Oakland Long Wharf, later known as the Oakland Pier or the SP Mole was a massive railroad wharf and ferry pier in Oakland, California. It was located at the foot of Seventh Street. The pier began as a smaller ferry pier extending from Oakland Point westward into San Francisco Bay. In 1868, the Central Pacific Railroad acquired this pier and immediately began extending and improving it and renamed it the Oakland Long Wharf. This wharf was used by the CPRR for transporting freight cars over to San Francisco starting in 1871. Part of the wharf was filled in between 1879 and 1882, thus creating a mole. Local commuter trains also used the pier, while the transcontinental railroad trains used another wharf in nearby Alameda until 1876 when they were shifted to the Oakland Long Wharf. Thereafter, ferries carrying both commuters and long distance travelers operated between the Long Wharf and San Francisco. Beginning on January 15, 1939, electric commuter trains from East Bay points no longer ran to the Long Wharf (by then known as the SP Mole or, officially by the Southern Pacific, as Oakland Pier). Instead, they operated over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge to the Transbay Terminal in San Francisco. However, regular passenger trains continued to run to Oakland Pier until 1958, when the last Southern Pacific ferryboat service from the Ferry Building in San Francisco to Oakland Pier was discontinued. After that, service from San Francisco was by bus over the Bay Bridge to Oakland’s 16th Street Station. After the Central Pacific’s operations were consolidated under the Southern Pacific, the Long Wharf was improved and the terminal buildings at the end of the pier rebuilt. Throughout its existence, progressively greater portions of the bayshore tidelands were filled in. The pier remained in service until 1958. It was demolished in the 1960s to make way for an expansion of the burgeoning Port of Oakland’s container ship facilities. Today, the only thing that remains of the SP Mole is the pier’s switchman’s tower which was restored as part of a small commemorative park.
1889 engraving of the approach to the Oakland Ferry Mole
Ferry Jeffries, Western Pacific Mole, Oakland. This is the Western Pacific Railroad Mole that served as a passenger terminal until the early thirties and then continued as a freight ferry transport point until the 1970s/1980s
The Key Route (later called Key System) was a privately owned company which provided mass transit in the cities of the East Bay. It was formed in 1903 by Francis M. Smith by merging Alameda County’s independent street railways into a conglomerate of streetcars, interurbans, and ferries, which were served by the Key Pier. It operated until 1960, when the system was sold to AC Transit.
The Mole was a dock halfway out Oakland’s Long Wharf used by Southern Pacific ferries to connect with the Key System. The Key System, formed in 1903, was a network of commuter rail and bus lines connecting cities and neighborhoods in the East Bay to San Francisco by way of the Mole.After completion of the Bay Bridge, use of the Mole declined but continued until about 1957. It was demolished in the mid-1960s to allow for an expansion of the Port of Oakland cargo facilities.
The Southern Pacific Company’s Bay City ferry plies the waters of San Francisco Bay in the late 19th century.
Point Richmond Ferry Terminal was operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and a big piece of the pier can still be seen today. Zoom in to check out all the cool details of the pier:
I have always found the history of Milwaukee Railroad to be very intriguing. Hard to describe what it is, but the combination of heavy industrialization and the glory days of US railroads make Milwaukee an interesting spot for historical research. Also Milwaukee have an old history of brewing alcohol and the railroads played a key part in sustaining the breweries, which adds to the lure. Here are some of the pictures I found from my extensive ninja googling.
Atmosphere
Beer Line May 6 1948
From Holton Bridge to Brewer’s Hill
Humboldt Yard 1966
Humboldt yard 1976. One of my favorite photos of all time. Look at all the interesting details, the water towers, electric poles, run down track and rolling stock.
Just won these babies on Ebay. They will be a real treat to detail and weather. Western Pacific used these old F units from the 1950’s all the way to Western Pacifics end in 1982. So I can really go all the way with the weathering and make them stand out really well.
Intermountain Western Pacific Railroad FT N-scale
On a westbound WP freight this old F-7A leads on Altammont pass, CA in December 1974.
Soaking up the warm California sun at Western Pacific’s engine facility in Stockton is a trio of EMD F7As, with 915-D in the foreground. Built by EMD in January 1950, the 915-D would eventually be renumbered to just 915 in July 1975, and sold for scrap on April 6, 1979.
Hi my name is Andreas Grewin and I work as an Interactive Art Director in Stockholm, Sweden. This site represents one of my interest during my past time. With this site I really want to show the world and the people around me what a amazing and creative hobby this is.
My work sponsors this site with hosting and support. They are called Webbyrå Galax and can be visited on that link.
Hi my name is Andreas Grewin and I work as an Interactive Art Director in Stockholm, Sweden. This site represents one of my interest during my past time. With this site I really want to show the world and the people around me what a amazing and creative hobby this is.
