San Francisco and San Jose Rail Road
Encyclopedia
The San Francisco and San Jose Railroad was a railroad incorporated on August 18, 1860 and consists of 49.5 miles (80 km) of track running the San Francisco Peninsula
San Francisco Peninsula
The San Francisco Peninsula is a peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area that separates the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. On its northern tip is the City and County of San Francisco. Its southern base is in Santa Clara County, including the cities of Palo Alto, Los Altos, and Mountain...

 from San Francisco, California
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...

 to San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...

. The president of the company was listed as Timothy Dame with company headquarters in San Francisco.

History

The San Francisco and San Jose Railroad began grading and construction of the line on July 15, 1861 using redwood ties and 50-pound-per-yard (25 kg/m) rail.

The line was opened for service on October 17, 1863 between San Francisco and Menlo Park
Menlo Park, California
Menlo Park, California is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, in the United States. It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, and Stanford to the south; Atherton, North Fair Oaks, and Redwood City...

, the first railroad track system in the state. On January 16, 1864 the rest of the line from Menlo Park to San Jose was opened. The railroad only survived 7 years and was consolidated on October 12, 1870 into 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....

.

The first full-sized steam locomotive produced in the state of California, an American 4-4-0, was built for the SF&SJRR by the Union Iron Works
Union Iron Works
Union Iron Works, located in San Francisco, California, on the southeast waterfront, was a central business within the large industrial zone of Potrero Point, for four decades at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries.-History:...

 in San Francisco. It was appropriately named the "California". Its inaugural run was August 30, 1865, during which it set a speed record of 67 mph (107 km/h).

History timeline

1861-1863
Railroad line was constructed


1864-1870
Railroad operated by San Francisco and San Jose Railroad


1870-1980
Southern Pacific operates passenger and freight services


1980-1987
Southern Pacific hands over commute services to Caltrans
California Department of Transportation
The California Department of Transportation is a government department in the U.S. state of California. Its mission is to improve mobility across the state. It manages the state highway system and is actively involved with public transportation systems throughout the state...

, which is rebranded as Caltrain
Caltrain
Caltrain is a California commuter rail line on the San Francisco Peninsula and in the Santa Clara Valley in the United States. The northern terminus of the rail line is in San Francisco, at 4th and King streets; its southern terminus is in Gilroy...



1987-1991
Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (PCJPB), formed in 1987, runs CalTrain. Southern Pacific continues to operate freight


1991
PCJPB purchases line from Southern Pacific


1991-present
PCJPB contracts out to Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...

 to operate Caltrain
Caltrain
Caltrain is a California commuter rail line on the San Francisco Peninsula and in the Santa Clara Valley in the United States. The northern terminus of the rail line is in San Francisco, at 4th and King streets; its southern terminus is in Gilroy...

. Southern Pacific (bought by Union Pacific
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....

 in 1996) operates freight via trackage rights
Trackage rights
Trackage rights , running rights or running powers is an agreement whereby a railway company has the right to run its trains on tracks owned by another railway company....


The route today

Today the tracks are owned by the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, also known as Caltrain
Caltrain
Caltrain is a California commuter rail line on the San Francisco Peninsula and in the Santa Clara Valley in the United States. The northern terminus of the rail line is in San Francisco, at 4th and King streets; its southern terminus is in Gilroy...

, that operates commuter rail over the route. Union Pacific maintains trackage rights over the line for freight traffic.

See also

  • List of defunct California railroads
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