Nostalgia & History > Sacramento Northern "Redwood Peak" Tunnel

From around 1913 to February-1957, electric trains of the Sacramento Northern operated thru the Oakland Hills and then disappeared into a 3700-foot tunnel into Contra Costa County. Everyone today attempts to figure out WHERE it was located. Today it's impossible. The West Portal opening was in the vicinity of todays Saroni and Gunn Drives at Shephard Canyon Road. In the 1960's a friend of mine and I waded thru knee-deep water thru the "Cut" that was right before the portal and physically touched the TOP of the concrete opening. That shows how much dirt had slid down from above over the years since the last train operated.

The following three photos show what an engineer on the SN saw, as he approached that historic area.

Photos courtesy of Roger Heller and W.T. Larkins.

KRK

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Maybe KRK can confirm or deny the story that I heard:

I do know that the west portal area has been completely regraded and houses built everywhere. I was told that the top of the concrete portal is in one house's backyard and is used as concrete bench. I don't know if the current owners even know what that concrete is. Of course this story may be totally false.

Looks like it must have been very pretty there. Has the tunnel collapsed in sections? B

The west portal of the tunnel completely disappeared between the time I first saw it in 1962 and 2002. We inspected the backyard during the Grand Key Tour of 2002 and there was no portal, or part of a portal, visible at all. The property owners in 2002 knew about it; they gave permission for a bus load of people to stomp through their yard in search of the portal.

---jcs


BNSF6400 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Maybe KRK can confirm or deny the story that I
> heard:
>
> I do know that the west portal area has been
> completely regraded and houses built everywhere.
> I was told that the top of the concrete portal is
> in one house's backyard and is used as concrete
> bench. I don't know if the current owners even
> know what that concrete is. Of course this story
> may be totally false.

BNSF6400 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Maybe KRK can confirm or deny the story that I
> heard:
>
> I do know that the west portal area has been
> completely regraded and houses built everywhere.
> I was told that the top of the concrete portal is
> in one house's backyard and is used as concrete
> bench. I don't know if the current owners even
> know what that concrete is. Of course this story
> may be totally false.

Back in 2004, 'Sam Lewit' of the Train Video Depot made the following comments:
Sam Lewit [Jan 16, 2004 at 10:26 PM]

"Yes it is Saroni. In fact the road is practically crosses a few inches from the top of the portal. I've been in this backyard several times, and there is nothing left to see. There has been a house here for about 10 years. When I went into the backyard (w/owners permission) about 5 years ago, I did see a small rusted vent stack type thing coming out of the ground, and a tiny bit of the concrete portal top, but that was it. On my last visit there about 2 years ago, the backyard had been re-landscaped, and there is absolutely no trace left."

During Day 1 of the Grand Key Tour in June-2002, we visited the people's backyard with their permission.
There is definitely nothing left to see!

KRK

I got in the Oakland side in the late 80's early 90's? They were getting ready to build the homes that obliterated the entrance and the contractor poked a hole in the top of the seal. We went in on a rainy night and it went just a couple of hundred feet and was flooded. We came back the next night with rafts and floated maybe 700'or 800' and it was caved. The east side might still have potential to get in. I remember reading something about it slid and the county sealed it but it looks like they put drains in. If someone were adventurous and had a torch it still might be accessible. I have photo's of the trip somewhere, I'll dig them up.

doge_of_pocopson Wrote:
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> Looks like it must have been very pretty there.
> Has the tunnel collapsed in sections? B

"Jim" adds this comment for us:

Jim [Mar 22, 2006 at 11:27 PM]

"I grew up here and still live in this area. I can remember when the trains still ran here. After the railroad was shut down the end of the tunnel was blocked off with a concrete wall. This wall was broken open and kids (including myself) went in there. The house that was built over the tunnel at the northwest corner of the intersection of Gunn Dr and Shepard Canyon was damaged when this part of the tunnel caved in. The people that were living there at the time made the contractor buy it back. The city fixed the road and the contractor fixed the house by building heavy concrete beams under it. The contractor lived in it for several years before selling it again. In the garage of this house there is a trap door that goes underneath to inspect the condition of the tunnel."

If this TRAP DOOR thing is true, it could be kind of neat, but spooky. Maybe a giant wine cellar, huh ?

KRK