Nostalgia & History > History of the Santa Fe Terminal Railway?

Does anybody have any history on this line? My only understanding is that it predated the AT&SF in the Bay Area (1900?).
Thanks.

I don't know about a "Santa Fe Terminal Railway" but there was a Santa Fe Terminal Company that was formed to develope a terminal facility at China Basin in San Francisco. Here is what Gustafson and Serpico wrote on pg. 16 of "Coast Lines Depots, Valley Division":

"The Santa Fe Terminal Company (of California), incorporated February 24, 1899, was assigned the work of establishing terminal facilities on the west side of the bay in the way of reclaiming and developing work in China Basin. This company, under the moniker of the SF&SJV [San Francisco & San Joaquin Valley], had purchased thirty lots around Spear Street near the China Basin tract. The property was formally deeded to the Santa Fe on March 28, 1899. Until the China Basin wharf could be made operational, the freight facilities at Spear Street were put into effect."

The above passage is sort of confusing, referring to two different properties, Spear Street and China Basin (the Santa Fe started using a wharf at Spear Street for cross-bay barge operations on April 30, 1900 while the use of China Basin began in June 1902). And if there was a company "under the moniker of the SF&SJV," it wouldn't really be "this company;" i.e., the Santa Fe Terminal Company.

Page 189 of the book described the Santa Fe construction activities at China Basin starting in 1901, including the construction of a new barge slip in 1904. The authors wrote: "The Santa Fe Terminal Company of California contracted the China Basin work to the Lantry-Sharp Company, who handled yard construction and track preparation up until January 16, 1905, when all work was then placed under the charge of the Santa Fe Engineering Department."

Another confusing passage. Does this mean Lantry-Sharp stopped being the contractor after Jan. 16, 1905 or was this referring to only a change in the management of the project (from the Santa Fe Terminal Co. to the Santa Fe Engineering Dept.)?

John Sweetser

JohnSweetser Wrote:

> The above passage is sort of confusing, referring
> to two different properties, Spear Street and
> China Basin (the Santa Fe started using a wharf at
> Spear Street for cross-bay barge operations on
> April 30, 1900 while the use of China Basin began
> in June 1902). And if there was a company "under
> the moniker of the SF&SJV," it wouldn't really be
> "this company;" i.e., the Santa Fe Terminal
> Company.

Probably meant "auspices" rather than "moniker." California's Railroads says SFT was acquired by Santa Fe in 1902 (a year after the SF&SJV?), and ceased to exist as a separate corporate entity in 1912.

SFT had, so far as I can tell, just one locomotive, Baldwin 0-4-0T #1 built 1899. According to Gustafson & Serpico, it was accidentally dumped off the ferry slip into the bay in May 1900, fished out, reboilered, and later passed to Santa Fe as their 2419. It spent most of its Santa Fe career as the roundhouse goat at Needles, CA, later carrying number 02419 and 9419. In 1948, it was rebuilt as an exhibition locomotive with a tender, balloon stack, and fake oil headlamp. It was given the number 5, and the name "Little Buttercup." See: http://atsf.railfan.net/atsfpres/atsf5.jpg (stack removed and in the cab for transportation). The locomotive today resides somewhere deep in the bowels of the Sacramento Shops awaiting some action by the California State Railroad Museum.