Western Railroad Discussion > A Tale of SP's Fruitvale Tower

Although it is gone now, Fruitvale Tower was manned 24 hours a day on the former Southern Pacific RR in Oakland. Only the 2 mainline tracks now pass there and a single track curves off toward Alameda, past the former Del Monte cannery. Even the signal bridge no longer has any signals. A few years ago there were 4 tracks: the west and east bound mainlines and the parallel so-called “electric 1” and “electric 2” tracks. These referred to their usage when overhead wires provided power to the old Red Train suburban cars. Long after the Red Trains were gone the “electric” tracks were used for locals and switching movements. In the area around Fruitvale Tower, the switchers called the tower by radio and the tower operator would align their routes using the power crossover switches. He also operated the Fruitvale Ave. gates and flashing warning lights by throwing a manual switch, although that system was later replaced by a modern train activated predictor circuit. Prior to when two-way radios were in operation, the calls from locomotives to the tower were done by whistle. Although no longer in use and forgotten by the engine crews, there was an old hand lettered sign on a simple piece of cardboard with each whistle signal (usually a combination of five different short / longs as I recall) hanging on the wall until the very end.

The wye track there lasted until the late 1980’s, but the east leg of the wye had been out of service for a number of years. I recall one pleasant spring afternoon around 1984 when I had stopped by the tower. That same afternoon the wye track at West Oakland was temporarily out of service for a few hours during some track repair. At that time, Southern Pacific yard crews would handle all Amtrak locomotive movements until the locomotive could be coupled to its train. The Amtrak locomotive for outbound train #710 (which was not due to depart for several hours and would leave Oakland via Berkeley and Martinez) came rolling down from West Oakland to a stop and its SP engineer called the tower to request a line-up for Alameda. This engine was traveling light and passenger service on the SP to Alameda had not existed for decades. The tower operator radioed back asking where they thought they were going. They replied that they knew there was a wye there and they needed to wye their engine, then return to Oakland, and thus would have it turned for its later departure. The tower operator enlightened the crew that they would not be wying their engine at Fruitvale; that although the track and switches were still there, the east leg of the wye had not only been out of service for years, but where the east leg curved through a lumberyard, several stacks of lumber had been deposited on top of the rail, plus a chain link fence without gates had been built across the track in 2 places! And so our yard crew, having had a pleasant springtime interlude out on the mainline, but within yard limits, now had to back their passenger engine some 5 miles to the diesel shop - where the next shift’s crew would turn it quickly at West Oakland a couple of hours later - and hope that few fellow railroaders had heard their embarrassing moment of fame.

X6332 west passing Fruitvale Tower in the early 60's. Yes Im top of a boxcar however I had a pass from the SP PR department allowing me to be on the property as well as on equipment.

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Hmmm, where is that Fruitvale Tower these days? Could've sworn it used to be right - where I was standing in these pics! Thanks for the great story "westbound" - I grew up in L.A. and never saw the Fruitvale Tower but in working only a few blocks away from this site I could imagine the whole set-up in your story like I was there. (see http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?f=1&i=214226&t=214226)

Alameda leg curve visible in the first shot and there is the signalless rusting bridge in the second shot.

-Ryan aka "espeeboy"
on the ex-WP Oakland Sub MP11.2

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It appears even Fruitvale has gone the crap route even an ex-SSW unit cant save it. Fruitvale was never the most photogenic location but the old tower and signal bridges that had a purpose gave it a little life.

Fruitvale station was opposite the tower. Both main line and SP electric surburban trains stopped there. When electric service across the Bay Bridge began a subsidiary was created to run the Red Trains called Interurban Electric Railway.

Here's a Dutton Avenue train at Fruitvale. In 1941 the electric trains were discontinued. The station remained a stop for main line trains until the end of Oakland-San Jose passenger service. The Coast Daylight had through cars between Oakland Pier and LAUPT and I believe the Lark did too.

Other stops on the Oakland-San Jose route were First & Broadway (now the site of Jack London Inn), and Newark.

Fast forward to the present, and Oakland-San Jose passenger service has returned with Capitol Corridor. Electric surburban service has made a come back in the form of BART. The landmark Monkey Ward building in the background is gone.

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Two images related to Fruitvale.

A map with the Fruitvale wye quite prominent and the routes of the SP, both steam and OA&B in the area. OA&B was the Western Div. Oakland, Alameda & Berkeley electric service.

Also an old wooden building still standing. You can bet that structure has witnessed a lot of rail traffic. Not just the SP, but the old California Railway than ran from Fruitvale up into the Oakland hills to Leona. Some of the old Calif. RR tracks are still on the ground east of Fruitvale. Some of the present day right of way for that long gone pike is shown here as a city street near High & MacArthur.
http://home.attbi.com/~premiergraphics/pages/photo11.htm

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