Nostalgia & History > Traction Action in Oakland (Calif.)--The A-train

PHOTO1
A dose of history from Oakland, back in the day. Cochran & Celli was a familiar name among local Chevy dealers and they had property on 12th Street in downtown Oakland. That was before the "auto malls" when you actually could buy a car in the city. The A-line ran along 12th Street, 24/7; a busy route for the Key System. This scene of an eastbound train at the Harrison St. station.

PHOTO 2
Another eastbound A-train, this time at Fairfax Ave. heading to Havenscourt Blvd. If the trains were still operating they'd be on Bancroft Ave. in Oakland. Back then, I believe the name was Bond St. The Southern Pacific construction is apparent in looking at the rails and wire. SP's Interurban Electric Railway gave it up in 1941 and, after a connection was installed, Key System extended their A-line to east Oakland and along this track.

PHOTO 3
Havenscourt: end of the line. When SP ran their Seventh Street electric trains here, the route went considerably more distance; to Dutton Ave. in San Leandro. Key System filled in here for nine years, then went to buses. The Chevrolet plant, barely visible in the photo, continued as a freight customer for many more years after the electric trains. Chances are that's why the Key System only ran as far as it did, to avoid freight interference. SP freight moves came from Stonehurst (near 105th Ave.).

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John-- Thank you for posting views of my favorite KEY route... Regarding the connection that was made from the former IER trackage to the Key System, it was made at 46th Avenue & East 14th Street near the old MELROSE SP depot...

In your Photo # 1 by the old C&C dealership, I wonder who those three guys are in "white shirts" ?? Sailors, yellow cab guys, or C&C mechanics coming back from coffee ????

KRK

After studying all the "then and now" pictures, I've reached a conclusion.

It's all crap now! Sorry Photobob, I couldn't have come up with a better way to describe it that would be suitable for a "family" column.

Wish someone would post St. Louis area streetcar/street scenes like these.

Frisco1522 Wrote:
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> After studying all the "then and now" pictures,
> I've reached a conclusion.
>
> It's all crap now! Sorry Photobob, I couldn't
> have come up with a better way to describe it that
> would be suitable for a "family" column.
>
> Wish someone would post St. Louis area
> streetcar/street scenes like these.


This link might help:

http://www.davesrailpix.com/stl/stl.htm

Love those bobby sox

The guy in photo #2 looks like Otis from the Andy Griffith Show