Nostalgia & History > Traction Action: middle of SF Bay

The photo shows an eastbound Key System E-train at the Yerba Buena Island station on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. This was the first stop after departing San Francisco. Unit 182 will eventually end up at Domingo Avenue on the Oakland-Berkeley line, between two tennis courts just below the landmark Claremont Hotel. Trains ran across the lower deck of the bridge from January 15, 1939 until April 20, 1958. When the station stop at YBI began, is something I will need to research.

Just behind the photographer is the YBI tunnel that connects the suspension span of the bridge to the west with the cantilever span to the east. At the time of the photo the lower deck had three traffic lanes on the north side (trucks and buses), a collision wall, and a double track railroad on the south side. The overhead wire for the SP's Red Trains is gone and painting scaffolds are in place which dates the photo after 1941. Key used third rail for power pickup. When the bridge was rebuilt after train service ended, the two decks each had five traffic lanes, upper deck west, lower deck east.

A huge section of the cantilever span is now gone as Caltrans removes the old bridge. It has been replaced by a new span just to the north. The tunnel remains and connects to the new Bay Bridge. Manholes for track workers are still notched into the south side of the tunnel wall evidence of the rail operation.

A stairway accessed the station platform from under the bridge. The US Navy operated their own transportation service on the island for sailors and Marines connecting the Key System to Treasure Island naval station. Military presence is no more except for the Coast Guard station and buoy maintenance facility on YBI along with Vessel Traffic Service atop the island. Military had special fares to the island.

Track here was first rate compared to the beat up rail off the bridge used by the Key System. They didn't spend much on maintenance. No wayside signals; trains here ran on cab signals. Pot lights marked the switch positions of emergency crossovers at five locations on the bridge. The expansion joints on the suspension bridge side of the tunnel were interesting to the railfan rider in the front seat.

---

Wow! What a rare view! Thank you

I always assumed the total width of the lower deck
was constant along its length-- but did they widen
it at the station to allow that platform?

The 182 is at Rio Vista Junction, currently out of service with a bad traction motor(s). The third rail on the outside of the tracks shows that the battery lights weren't used for this stop, as was mentioned in another thread. I'd date this picture to the early to mid 1950s, probably on a weekend or holiday because there is no truck traffic visible on the left.

It appears that this wide spot is not on the steel bridge but rather on the concrete abutments that lead from the bridge to the tunnel under the island.
The designers would have a little more flexibility for a few hundred feet here.

Here's the 182 later in life as EtoinShrdlu mentioned. Photo taken in 2004 at the Western Railway Museum.
The YBI photo appears to have the tan roof after Key repainted the National City Lines white roofs on certain units.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/22/14 23:58 by stash.

---

What are the two little shaded lights above the front door?

Each could show a different color and each route had a specific color to use, including SP electrics when they ran. Tower men used them to ID trains.


whistlepig Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What are the two little shaded lights above the
> front door?