Nostalgia & History > "Bridge Yard" -- A Railfan Mecca for Lots of Tracks

Hi Everybody--
A little something different this time.  Please have your magnifying glass handy !!    "Bridge Yard" was the name of the large railroad yard for Interurban trains that existed near the Toll Plaza site for the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in Oakland, CA.

The Yard was quite large and was all laid with 90 pound rail.  It could be construed as a "Mecca" for railfans, "IF" there had been an easy way to get in and walk around, here and there !!   There were many, many tracks.   Many electrically operated switch machines.  (GRS Type 5A) ...
All kinds of GRS-Bungalows (Relay houses) ...  Dwarf signals--  wierd-looking semaphore and light-type signals on poles.  1200 volt DC
catenary as well as 600 volt DC catenary.   600 volt DC Third Rail ..  (Watch where you walk !)
A Key System Inspection Building (three tracks with pits) ...   A Southern Pacific Inspection Building  (three tracks with pits) ... An Oil House ..
All kinds of other misc little buildings...   A Wash Rack ... (keep 'em clean) ...  To give the rail historian or rail modeler an idea of just how it was all laid out---  let''s start on an adventure and look at a couple of photos---  then the BIG THRILL--  a RARE MAP of the whole darn place !!  (You guys knew I'd have a copy, huh ??)  The MAP will be presented in sections starting at the EAST end near the Subway under the SP Main and working WEST ......
Get ready, Gang--   Here we go.......

MAP 1.   BrdgYd1    (EAST end of Bridge Yard)

Map 2.   BrdgYd2

MAP 3.  BrdgYd3

Courtesy of KRK Archives
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MAP 4.   BrdgYd4

MAP 5.   BrdgYd5

Map 6.   BrdgYd6

Courtesy of KRK Archives

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Let's insert a couple of photos here ...

Photo 1.   BRIDGE YARD under construction.  Photo courtesy of John Harder.

Photo 2.   KEY SYSTEM Line Car # 1201 peeking out of the Key System Car Inspection Building.

Photo 3.   Key System Wash Rack area..

Photos 2 and 3 courtesy of KRK Archives.

Now continuing with the BRIDGE YARD MAP...

KRK

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MAP 7.  BrdgYd7

MAP 8.  BrdgYd8

MAP 9.  BrdgYd9

MAPS courtesy of KRK Archives.

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MAP 10.   BrdgYd10

This completes the presentation of the BRIDGE YARD MAP, in Oakland-- near the Bay Bridge Toll Plaza...

Hope you enjoyed it and could understand it.

Cheers.

KRK

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Keep them coming Ken. I think you have the most pics and prints I have ever seen.
Thanks

Nudge