Railroaders' Nostalgia > SP Bayshore Yard Office, San Francisco: 2016 update

Sigh... As near as I can tell, you are looking directly at what used to be the entrance to the SP Bayshore Yard Office at 200 Sunnydale Ave, Brisbane, last January. That pile of rocks on the left is the resultant concrete grindings from the demolition of the Schlage Locks plant next door. The remains of the old parking lot on the south side (trainman's room & crew callers' office) sits above the white K-rail to the left of the fenceposts, it appears. That monstrosity to the right (a tribute to the JPB's irresponsibilty with taxpayer money) is the lightly-used footbridge (with elevators at either end) that spans Caltrain's 4 track main.

You really didn't want to see this.

EO

1- January, 2016
2) - Better times (photo pirated from one of MDO's threads).

 

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And standing next to Jim Bays is SP "owned", if I recall her name correctly, "Lady".

That brings back good memories. I just did a fly-over with Google Maps and it's hard to believe all that, and Schlage Locks, is gone.

On the other side of the coin there was nothing more thrilling than riding with Jim Bays from one end of the yard to the other in the carry-all - a real "E-ticket" ride.
 

Actu8ally, Big Daddy is in front of the "new" (1970s era) yard office.

UPC gave us permission a couple years ago to pull up some rail still in the ground out there. The office foundation is out of camera to the left - I *think* you can see a piece of it  Second pic, I'm told that structure behind Andy and I was Jim Bay's office, although I don't know personally.  I met Mr. Bays once or twice, but never really "knew" him, like you rails did. We were pulling the "last spike", if you must know. Got about 300 feet of 90 lb/90 year old rail...

Unlike most of Bayshore, things have changed out there quite a bit, recently.  

Walter



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/24/16 10:46 by drumwrencher.

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Check out Bay Area abandoned ruins:  

http://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/The-Bay-Area-s-ruins-Tour-8-abandoned-sites-in-6864208.php

sphogger

drumwrencher Wrote:
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> UPC gave us permission a couple years ago to pull
> up some rail still in the ground out there. The
> office foundation is out of camera to the left - I
> *think* you can see a piece of it  Second pic,
> I'm told that structure behind Andy and I was Jim
> Bay's office, although I don't know personally.
>  I met Mr. Bays once or twice, but never really
> "knew" him, like you rails did. We were pulling
> the "last spike", if you must know. Got about 300
> feet of 90 lb/90 year old rail...
>
> Unlike most of Bayshore, things have changed out
> there quite a bit, recently.  
>
> Walter

Walter, I don't remember what the building in your picture was used for - signal or track departments, best guess.

It appears that you and Andy are prying up one of the two switching leads that were connected by a double crossover in the last years. Jim Bay's office was in the northeast corner of a much larger structure that would have been behind and a bit to the left of the photographer, as near as I can tell.

EO

If that's the West end of they yard, then it's the Top End switchmen's shanty.

EtoinShrdlu Wrote:
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> If that's the West end of they yard, then it's the
> Top End switchmen's shanty.

That's exactly what it is.  It probably had other uses after the Top End jobs were pulled off, but I can't say for sure.

I last worked Bayshore Yard around 1975 and never looked back.

hogheaded Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> drumwrencher Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > UPC gave us permission a couple years ago to
> pull
> > up some rail still in the ground out there. The
> > office foundation is out of camera to the left -
> I
> > *think* you can see a piece of it  Second pic,
> > I'm told that structure behind Andy and I was
> Jim
> > Bay's office, although I don't know personally.
> >  I met Mr. Bays once or twice, but never
> really
> > "knew" him, like you rails did. We were pulling
> > the "last spike", if you must know. Got about
> 300
> > feet of 90 lb/90 year old rail...
> >
> > Unlike most of Bayshore, things have changed
> out
> > there quite a bit, recently.  
> >
> > Walter
>
> Walter, I don't remember what the building in your
> picture was used for - signal or track
> departments, best guess.
>
> It appears that you and Andy are prying up one of
> the two switching leads that were connected by a
> double crossover in the last years. Jim Bay's
> office was in the northeast corner of a much
> larger structure that would have been behind and a
> bit to the left of the photographer, as near as I
> can tell.
>
> EO

I remember the big blue building. It was called the "yard office" by the machinists - but then, what do they know about the yard - Actually was there, once or twice. I wish I could remember the gal's name who, to me, anyway, had, I'll say it this way, "a firm grip" on running things in that office. Just a secretary, maybe yardmaster, I never knew, but she was always nice to me.

By double crossover, do you mean the puzzle? I don't know what that lead was, but about a hundred feet further "SP" west, it ended - wheel stops (we still have them - somewhere), unbroken concrete from there on, whatnot. I don't know if it ever went further, but the concrete was old, and been there a good long while... I bow to your memory, however.  I never noticed it back in the day... for clarity, if it did go further, it would have bumped right into the old diner. Man, if you can remember, it'd be great... even if we did pull it up...:)

Thanks, Ed

Walter

EtoinShrdlu Wrote:
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> If that's the West end of they yard, then it's the
> Top End switchmen's shanty.

Thank you sir. As soon as I read this, I remember you and I "posted" about it a year or two ago - you even pointed it out as top end shanty on a photo I posted. Apologies, everyone. My latest senior moment.

 www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,3517077,page=1

(you might have to copy & paste)

Walter



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/16 23:35 by drumwrencher.

> It appears that you and Andy are prying up one of
> the two switching leads that were connected by a
> double crossover in the last years. Jim Bay's
> office was in the northeast corner of a much
> larger structure that would have been behind and a
> bit to the left of the photographer, as near as I
> can tell.

Being behind the Top End shanty, that is the track which was in the pavement of Schlage's "parking lot", so to speak. SP didn't own the spurs, just the leads to them (the SP forced the industries to build their own tracks and pay for the switch connecting them to the leads/drills).

The double crossover was between the two parallel leads which were on the other side of the shanty and about 1000' over to the right.

The 1970s yard office was a Butler-type building sheathed in blue painted sheet metal. The old yard office, or should I say the one which preceded it, was down by the carshops.

Jim Bays had two clerks who essentially worked as his (and other operating officers' secretaries): Florence Bottjen and Kathy Stout.

I think Florence retired about the time Bayshore closed. Kathy worked for a while in San Jose then went on to be the Division Supt's secretary at Wood Street in Oakland.

Westbound Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Jim Bays had two clerks who essentially worked as
> his (and other operating officers' secretaries):
> Florence Bottjen and Kathy Stout.
>
> I think Florence retired about the time Bayshore
> closed. Kathy worked for a while in San Jose then
> went on to be the Division Supt's secretary at
> Wood Street in Oakland.

​It wasn't the dark haired lady, who I *think* I remember as Florence, so it had to be Kathy.  I guess. It was a loong time ago... Although if it was Florence, seemed to me she was a nice lady as well.

Walter

How long ago was the yard office torn down? Left the Bay Area in late 2013, don't recall the last time I seen it.

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