Western Railroad Discussion > Nature closes in on the Santa Cruz Branch

Yesterday I drove up HIghway 1 past Santa Cruz to explore the northern portion of the Branch to Davenport.  I think this portion of the branch has seen its last train.  While it is intact, nature is taking is over.  I also drove by the Monterey Branch and it is pretty depressing.  When I was stopped in traffic in town I thought how nice if the cities along the way would have preserved the tracks into the tourist district for a trolley or some other similar rail contraption to reduce the auto traffic. 

Todd Clark
Canyon Country, CA
Trainorders.com

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Todd Clark
Canyon Country, CA
Trainorders.com

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Mighty sad looking, I remember it in better days.

Larry

Been There, Done That!

Clearing windblown sand from the SD&AE line in the desert
and brush along the route from MP 74 to MP 129.6!
also cleared the Coronado Line between National City and
the Salt Works at the south end of Chula Vista!

It sure doesn't take long before Mother Nature lets you
know who's in charge!

Mike

Todd --
Thanks for the excellent documentation of what has happened to the Davenport Branch (as the SP called it).  My, my....... Mama Nature always bats last!

The SP had to do frequent work to keep the sand and vegetation from taking over the branch. 

From what I understand, the cement plant (Cemex) in Davenport shut down permanently because their mine ran out of limestone for making cement.   That cement plant was the main reason the Santa Cruz Branch was built.  There were never enough other freight customers besides the cement plant to keep the line open, and there never will be.

But the people who live in watsonville and work in Santa Cruz and Scotts Valley need and derserve a much better way to get to and from work than having to drive their own cars, and the former SP branch would be a great place for a commuter line, which could easily have conneting buses, in much the same way that ACE -- the Altamont Corridor Express --does in Santa Clara at the Greatr America station.  

It is really, really too bad that we cannot seem to build good. frequent rail transit to various cities without also at the same time allowing mega-developments there that would ruin the area.  No one wants the Califoria coast to end up looking like Waikiki Beach in Hawaii, with big, ugly, blocky hotels on almost every foot of that formerly beautiful beach.

A sad sight indeed. Here's happier days in 1992. chris uk

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Need to fire up the snow plow.

What great photos. I have hiked along the railroad and always imagined how nice it would have been to see a train go by. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks Todd. I've walked and photographed many, many trains along this line between 1983-1995 and have always hoped the line would reopen again. When the LoneStar Cement plant was sold to Mexico interests they soon made the decision in January, 2010 to close the plant. They also owned 10,000 acres holding the nearby quarries and timberlands. The did try tp expand its mining of limestone, but environmental issues held up the bid. Eventually the company withdrew the proposal.

Yeah, I miss the Santa Cruz branch a bunch. If you ever get a chance to watch the DVD "SP Scrapbook", there is a in depth look at the branch during SP days.
They were running long trains with lots of power every M-W-F!

Thanks,TonyJ, for the info about Cemex and the Mexican interests.  I didn't know any of that.  Just had heard that the mine played out.  Iin any case, with Cemex gone, there is no freight left to justify keeping the line open -- unless political support for commuter service between Watsonville and Santa Cruz gets much bigger -- big enough to drown out the tiny but noisy "Trail Only" people.

Thanks, everyone, for the great photos of the line in use by the SP when Cemex ws open and going well.  Those were the days.....

I never did chase the Santa Cruz branch, and now wish I had.  By the time I could get down there on my own, it was UP, but still running.  Now, it's just some empty rails, with some fond memories of the trains I did get a chance to see there.

Nathan

Thanks Todd very sad 😭 ndeed. I am older than dirt and still remember the SP Line through Monterey to the Asilimare area. Thanks again

Wayne Crabb
San Gabriel, CA

Fiftyfooter Wrote:
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> Yeah, I miss the Santa Cruz branch a bunch. If you
> ever get a chance to watch the DVD "SP Scrapbook",
> there is a in depth look at the branch during SP
> days.
> They were running long trains with lots of power
> every M-W-F!

What a lucky happening!  I'm back here on TO since yesterday, and just getting used to what's going on here.  I so happens that last month I purchased that very DVD (used) from the only model rr shop left here in San Diego.  I took my time to getting around to looking at it., and I've really enjoyed it.  What are the odds that this should happen?   It a great DVD, no question about it, it's terrific!  I finaly got to be a serious railfan back then, and actually visited the Santa Cruz Branch in the '80's & 90s.  Haven't been back since, I'm certainly not pleased with the way it looks now.
just chatting,
John Tilton

The switch in the fifth picture appears to have a closing frog- why would they use one there?

Posted from Android

TT Wrote:
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> The switch in the fifth picture appears to have a
> closing frog- why would they use one there?
>
> Posted from Android

Spring Frog! The SP used those all over their system!

Mike