Nostalgia & History > Mystery "Question" !

On August 11, 1964 a large number of historic railroad rolling stock was placed in a large metal building, owned by an "agency" of the State of California, for safe storage, until a "future museum" was eventually constructed in the ensuing years!
This ought to be a real good contest for all the "smarties" on here!

1. What State agency was involved ?

2. What was the common name of the "metal building" widely known to many !

3. Where was this building located ? When was it first built ?

4. How many pieces of historic railroad equipment were placed in this building ?

5. What were the names/numbers of each piece of equipment ?

6. Who was the "Owner" (at the time) of all of this historic equipment ?

This ought to be a challenge for folks like Westbound, Rob_l, Dr. Werkema, Inside Observer,
and the guy with the strange name: "EtoinShrdlu" .. (grin) Good Luck to All !!

Cheers.

KRK

KeyRouteKen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> On August 11, 1964 a large number of historic
> railroad rolling stock was placed in a large metal
> building, owned by an "agency" of the State of
> California, for safe storage, until a "future
> museum" was eventually constructed in the ensuing
> years!
> This ought to be a real good contest for all the
> "smarties" on here!
>
> 1. What State agency was involved ? Caltrans owned the building.
>
> 2. What was the common name of the "metal
> building" widely known to many ! Key Route Bridge Shop.
>
> 3. Where was this building located ? When was it
> first built ? Adjacent to the Bay Bridge Toll Plaza.
>
> 4. How many pieces of historic railroad equipment
> were placed in this building ? Depends on when.
>
> 5. What were the names/numbers of each piece of
> equipment ? Let's see... When I first went in the building, there were: Key System Bridge Unit that belonged to RLHS; SP Blunt end 10-6 sleeper now at Truckee, CA; Robert Dollar 2-6-2T #3 and Shay 2978; SF Muni White bus - one of the short buses used for Coit Tower service; and Western Pacific 4-6-0 94. Virginia & Truckee 2-6-0 #13 Empire had been stored there as well, but had already been moved to the Unit Shop at Sacramento.
>
> 6. Who was the "Owner" (at the time) of all of
> this historic equipment ? There were several owners. The Pacific Coast Chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society; and the San Francisco Maritime Museum Association to name two. It was all supposed to end up at Project X, the Hasslett Warehouse at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. But as we know, that never happened.
>
> This ought to be a challenge for folks like
> Westbound, Rob_l, Dr. Werkema, Inside Observer,
> and the guy with the strange name: "EtoinShrdlu"
> .. (grin) Good Luck to All !!
>
> Cheers.
>
> KRK

And it leaked. The roof and windows were shot. And the tide came and went from the service pits, too.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/14/12 13:03 by Pullman.

I thought they were in a pier at SF or in Oakland - the RLHS chapter of the area owned them,. included the basis of the collection in Sacto. now.

No, the R&LHS did not own the WP 94, or either of the Robert Dollar locomotives.

WP donated the 94 and the 334 to the Maritime Museum Association, not the R&LHS. That's a story for others to tell.

BAERA leased all four locomotives from them. They also had the title to the body of the former Market Street Railway car "San Francisco".

BAERA was eventually given title to all five pieces of equipment.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/14/12 13:16 by Pullman.

But didn't they (RLHS) own the V&T equipment?

Yes, they did.

The most amusing day I was at the building was when the RVJ steam department had informed the state that they intended to remove locomotives from the building.

We were all met by officers of the state police department. (Yes, California had a state police department.) And of course, we were all informed we were trespassing and that we would not be able to enter the building.

Certain folks at the State Railroad Museum, part of the Beaches & Parks Department, were under the mistaken impression that the state of California owned the WP 94 as well as the Robert Dollar locomotives. As I mentioned previously, they did not. Nor did they ever. They may have stored them along with other equipment collected by the R&LHS, but all three items were the property of the San Francisco Maritime Museum Association.

We had an ace up our sleeves that afternoon, however. A reporter and photographer from the San Francisco Chronicle. Who, of course, were allowed entry to the building. And who filed a nice story about how we had been denied entry, denied retrieval of our legal property. The power of the press worked as it should. When the truth of how BAERA had legally leased the locomotives from the rightful owners, those folks in Sacramento quietly went away.

The next time we came to move the locomotives, no state police.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/14/12 14:44 by Pullman.

Pullman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> We were all met by officers of the state police
> department. (Yes, California has a state police
> department.) And of course, we were all informed
> we were trespassing and that we would not be able
> to enter the building.

Just a side note, the seperate California State Police was disbanded some years ago, its officers, functions and duties were absorbed into the California Highway Patrol.

Your quiz was indeed a challenge to me. I could have only answered a couple of questions and then incompletely. But I see the correct answers were given only minutes after you posted this. We have some pretty sharp people on this site!

Westbound Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Your quiz was indeed a challenge to me. I could
> have only answered a couple of questions and then
> incompletely. But I see the correct answers were
> given only minutes after you posted this. We have
> some pretty sharp people on this site!

Hi Gary-- Yeah, ol' "Pullman" did pretty good.. Here are the precise answers to the entire quiz:

1. What State agency was involved ?

Toll Bridge Authority-- State of California

2. What was the common name of the "metal building" widely known to many !

Key System Inspection Building

3. Where was this building located ? When was it first built ?

East end of the Bridge Railway Yard, near the Grand Avenue overpass.
Built in 1938.

4. How many pieces of historic railroad equipment were placed in this building ?

Twelve

5. What were the names/numbers of each piece of equipment ?

Private car "Gold Coast"; Dollar Lumber 2-6-2 # 3; Virginia & Truckee 2-4-0 # 21 (J.W.Bowker); Virginia & Truckee # 12 (Genoa); Nevada Central 4-4-0 # 5; Nevada Central 2-6-0 # 6; TWO Nevada Central coaches; Key System Articulated Unit # 187; Northwestern Pacific 4-6-0 # 112; Virginia & Truckee 2-6-0 # 13; Dollar Lumber Shay # 2978.

Information gathered from the "Western Railroader" --1964.

KRK

6. Who was the "Owner" (at the time) of all of this historic equipment ?

Pacific Coast Chapter--Railway & Locomotive Historicaql Society......
But it was all "earmarked" for the San Francisco Maritime Museum.