Steam & Excursion > Long Before Drones, You Had Do Some Climbing For These Shots!

The railfans of years gone by would be amazed at the technology that we no have available to capture our favorite train scenes in photographs.  While our predecessors in this hobby had many more interesting steam powered trains to capture on film than we have today, they had to really work at getting their photos.

Here is a good example of what I am referring to.  The year is 1949 and Bay Area railfan W. Sievers has decided he wanted to record on film the overall view of the famous Oakland Pier on San Francisco Bay.  In an era where camera wielding drones were not even imagined in comic books, Sievers was left to look for the tallest perch he could climb to in order to capture these spectacular view.  That perch turned out to be the top of the tanks on the roof of the Albert Warehouse that sat right next to the Oakland Pier tracks.

In his first view, Sievers aimed his camera west towards the still-new Bay Bridge. Here he caught the train activity around the Pier's terminal buildings and train sheds.  He next turned his camera East to record the maze of yard tracks surrounding the Oakland Pier Tower.

Given the technology available for the day, these 2 photos show the lengths that dedicated railfans like Sievers would go to simply to record railroad history for us to enjoy today.

Martin



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 05/18/19 03:31 by LoggerHogger.

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Thanks for that picture, I drive over that beauty every day and I never get tired of the view.

Posted from Android

Outstanding effort and results.

Two different times he climbed up to the top?  First picture late afternoon arriving California Zephyr, and the second picture mid-day sun and shadows.

Railpax71 Wrote:
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> Two different times he climbed up to the top?
>  First picture late afternoon arriving California
> Zephyr, and the second picture mid-day sun and
> shadows.

Missed that at first glance, but I think you are right about the timing. Sun on the water in the first shot would indicate later afternoon along with the Zephyr. Maybe he climbed up and spent the day.

These are fantastic finds Martin.

Nathan

Posted from iPhone

What's the car/engine on the CoSF at the
left edge of the pic? Doesn't look like an E2 --
can it be a HEP-bgge car? Didn't think
CoSF used those that late.

(Looks like it is a 1938 HEP-bgge-dorm.)



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/18/19 16:27 by timz.

I was wondering about the two trains between the CZ and COSF...I nominate SP trains 14 and 12, the Beaver and the Cascade.

AA

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA

Other, important SP departures later that evening would be the Owl, LA bound, the Klamath, Portland bound, the Gold Coast, Chicago bound, and the Oakland Lark, LA bound.  Still to arrive are the San Joaquin and Oakland Daylights, and the SF Overland.  Oakland Pier was a very busy station in '49, but, I think, by then, had lost it's title of "busiest station on the west coast" after the commuter train to ferry runs were discontinued.

AA

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA