Steam & Excursion > Steam engines in Oakland area 1985-6

I was wondering if I can get some info on a few steam engines that I saw years ago when our ship pulled into the Bay area. I remember being on a bus and looking down off of a bridge viaduct and seeing some steam engines on display in a park area down below the bridge ramp?.. I think the bus was headed to Mare Island Naval Base or another base in the Oakland area? Could knowledgable folks please supply what locomotives these were and what happened to them? ..............Thanx,.......Pat

That was probably Harrison RR Park in Oakland. It was right next to the freeway and the ramps going to and from Alameda, and the Alameda Naval Air Station.  Ships were berthed at NAS Alameda, including air craft carriers. The park still exists, but the city of Oakland donated the equipment to well known preservation groups. The steam engine was returned to service at least (sorry, I can't remember which of the two  SP 2400 it is and who has it. If I guess I will insult the group if I get it wrong . SP 2467 or 2472 . Right?)

The park is in Chinatown, so a small temple shaped building was built in the park. The equipment has been gone for many years, but it was not till just a couple years ago that the section of ballast where the short sections of tracks once stood was removed and grass planted.


Edit: It was the SP 2467, it was restored to service by the Friends of the 2467 and is currently on display at the CA State RR Museum in Sacramento.  The passenger cars went to other preservation groups for restoration at Niles Canyon and Western Rwy Museum near Rio Vista.  By my time, that was all that was in the park. It is mentioned that other locomotives were there, but they were gone by the end of the 60's.

Google Harrison Railroad Park and SP 2467.

Gary



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 05/20/16 22:17 by SN711.

SN711 Wrote:
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> That was probably Harrison RR Park in Oakland. It
> was right next to the freeway and the ramps going
> to and from Alameda, and the Alameda Naval Air
> Station.  Ships were berthed at NAS Alameda,
> including air craft carriers. The park still
> exists, but the city of Oakland donated the
> equipment to well known preservation groups. The
> steam engine was returned to service at least
> (sorry, I can't remember which of the two  SP
> 2400 it is and who has it. If I guess I will
> insult the group if I get it wrong . SP 2467 or
> 2472 . Right?)
>
> The park is in Chinatown, so a small temple shaped
> building was built in the park. The equipment has
> been gone for many years, but it was not till just
> a couple years ago that the section of ballast
> where the short sections of tracks once stood was
> removed and grass planted.
>
>
> Edit: It was the SP 2467, it was restored to
> service by the Friends of the 2467 and is
> currently on display at the CA State RR Museum in
> Sacramento.  The passenger cars went to other
> preservation groups for restoration at Niles
> Canyon and Western Rwy Museum near Rio Vista.  By
> my time, that was all that was in the park. It is
> mentioned that other locomotives were there, but
> they were gone by the end of the 60's.
>
> Google Harrison Railroad Park and SP 2467.
>
> Gary

Thanx Gary! That is it! I thought there were more than one locomotive there, but I'm probably mistaken. I also remember now that it was at Alameda where our ship moored! Thanx Again!.................Pat

It was probably the PLA equipments stored on the Ooakland Terminal before they moved to Niles.

If you could have gotten off that bus and gone down to street level, here's what you would have seen. I took this of the SP 2467 in 1964.

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Westbound Wrote:
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> If you could have gotten off that bus and gone
> down to street level, here's what you would have
> seen. I took this of the SP 2467 in 1964.

Hi Again!... One other question about Oakland. In 1965 I visited some friends in Oakland and while driving around I happened to find a severely dilapidated Pacific(4-6-2) in a scrapyard. It was in the industrial part of town (I believe). It was definately in REAL BAD SHAPE! Any ideas what this one was? Might have just been a "late scrapper". I don't recall the number, but it looked to be S.P.

I have no idea what locomotive it might have been, but there were only a couple of large scrap yards years ago (that I remember). Schnitzer Steel down by SP's West Oakland Yard and the Lerner Company along Alameda Ave along the estuary near Fruitvale Ave. Both were served by SP. There may have another one between High St and 50th Ave, near the huge PG&E gas tank.

Gaty

Posted from iPhone

SN711 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have no idea what locomotive it might have been,
> but there were only a couple of large scrap yards
> years ago (that I remember). Schnitzer Steel down
> by SP's West Oakland Yard and the Lerner Company
> along Alameda Ave along the estuary near Fruitvale
> Ave. Both were served by SP. There may have
> another one between High St and 50th Ave, near the
> huge PG&E gas tank.
>
> Gary

Thanx Gary! Looks like that one is lost to time...
>
> Posted from iPhone

Actually there are a lot of people on here from that era in the SF Bay Area (before my time) that might know. Maybe post that question in the Nostalgia & History section.

Gary

SP 121 one of the cars in the display at Harrison Park with 2467.

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