Nostalgia & History > San Ramon Branch - part 2

Here's another set of Bob Campbell photos taken on the San Ramon Branch in the 1970s. Here is the Walnut Creek depot in June 1972. - Bob Campbell photo. - Tony J.

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Alco S6 SP1245 at Walnut Creek in June 1972. Bob Campbell photo. - Tony J.

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Alco S6 SP1234 at Las Juntas (old SN crossing) in 1971. Bob Campbell photo. - Tony J.

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Alco S6 SP1234 at Walnut Creek in 1971. Bob Campbell photo. - Tony J.

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Recently upgraded GP9E SP3332 is pulling the one a year weed killer train at San Ramon, heading towards Walnut Creek in Feb. 1972. Bob Campbell photo. - Tony J.

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SP2632 was the first SW1500 to go on the San Ramon Branch, shown here at Walnut Creek in June 1972. Bob Campbell photo. - Tony J.

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Alco S6 SP1251 with the first train to run on the relocated tracks in Walnut Creek in August 1972. Bob Campbell photo. - Tony J.

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SP1251 again at Walnut Creek after the old SP depot has been moved in August 1972. Bob Campbell photo. - Tony J.

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Alco S6 SP1251 with the first train to Danville on the new route through Walnut Creek, crossing Newell Ave. The weeds on the left is the old mainline and it would be removed within a week. Bob Campbell photo. - Tony J.

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SP1215 East on Walnut Creek's new line with the Head Brakeman getting a tan on the way to Alamo in July 1973. Bob Campbell photo. - Tony J.

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Where's "Rotten Cotton" at in these photos.

"Rotten Cotten" couldn't hold the job back then. The "GoldustTwins" and Al (?) were the regular crew.

>Where's "Rotten Cotton" at in these photos.

Nice views of the new and old lines through Walnut Creek, and the moving of the depot, the new ramp and the ribbon rail. Just to the right of the one view crossing Newell Ave was the old Dumor Dairy location.

Ok, now here's a real wayback moment. At that time, my parents had a Ford station wagon just like the one waiting at the crossing, right down to the blue color and fake wood decal for the Town and Country option. Never know for sure, but close...

My less than memorable restaurant career included a few weeks in the spring 1977 working at the Walnut Creek Railroad Station and Dining Car. Kind of ended the mystique of the place for me, but it was interesting to explore the building as it was back then.

For years, the private grade crossing signs for the old right of way remained in the middle of the Navalets Nursery as it expanded there.



Gotta say, these views and the Radum/Pleasanton/Livermore stuff would all make a great slide program somewhere!

Conductor was usually Al Brown with Freddie Young as a regular helper. With the SW1500's, went you went through the two ancient truss bridges you had to pull in the sun visors to clear. One of them is in the state museum now with a steamer sitting on it.

There were four such bridges.

First was just south of Monument Blvd crossing in Concord, and that's still in place today as part of the Iron Horse Trail.

Second was just south of Ygnacio Valley Rd crossing in Walnut Creek, also still in place as part of the Iron Horse Trail.

Third was just north of S Main Street crossing in Walnut Creek and it was removed not long after abandonment of the branch.

Fourth was in Danville and that's the one in Sacramento in the CSRM.

Why did they go to the trouble of moving the Walnut Creek depot instead of just tearing it down? By the time it was moved I would think they had no more use for it. Was it sold already?

Well, funny you should ask...

The depot was recognized as a historical structure early on in the flood control project. It was never placed in a protected status, however.

At one time (as I was told by senior club members, sadly now deceased), there was actually a plan in place for the Walnut Creek Model Railroad Society to assume ownership of the structure from the SP. Using funds from the flood control mitigation (compensation for the loss of the building they owned -- a shed from the Hercules Power works), the depot was to be moved to the new Heather Farms community park. That plan was droppped when it was estimated that the costs for such a move would have exhausted all of the groups monies, leaving nothing for a layout, let alone repairs to the building. The WCMRS eventually did construct a new building and layout on property leased from the city. Interestingly enough, that location is in the same part of the city (the northwest corner) as the relocated Kaiser cement operation.

I'm not certain as to how or when John Herrington (Assistant Secretary of the Navy and Secretary of Energy in the Reagan administration) accquired the building from the SP, but it was moved after he did. IIRC, the restaurant was opened and operated by the Rusty Duck/Rusty Scupper/Rusty Pelican chain. At least that's what my paycheck said. They operated it until the mid 80's. It later became Mastersons and the the Devil Mountain Brewery -- complete with beer production on site.

Herrington reclaimed operation of the property after the brewery failed, and opened Vic Stewart's in the late 90's.

Cool pix Tony. You take a look at Walnut crick today and its a sprawling metropolis now.

Question to Pullman:

The December 1970 issue of Pacific News indicated that the model railroad club was in the Walnut Creek depot itself and had been for 22 years. Was the magazine wrong about this? (it does seem unlikely to me that the SP would allow a model railroad club to have a layout in a working depot)

The WCMRS was located in a building (that had been a packing shed at Hercules before the club bought it and moved it) adjacent to the SP station. It sat roughly south west of the depot.

Here is a view of the building from the Sixties. The observation car addition was the main public entrance on the north side of the building. The club still has both markers (actually switch lanterns converted to electricty) and the drumhead.

http://www.wcmrs.org

The Society organized in 1948 and built a 4'x8' layout for the Walnut Festival. The building was placed in the mid Fifties and saw four or five layouts constructed inside. The last was almost completed before it was torn down in 1971.

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