Passenger Trains > SP Oakland Pier 1956

This photo was posted in a discussion today. SP Oakland Pier in 1956. Budd RDC-1 SP 10 and President Russell's business car SP 150 "Sunset."

Caption misspells name which should be "Demoro."

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That looks like the Oakland-Salt Lake City Zephyrette RDC on the left - rode it mid-50s from SLC to Wells, NV.  

RevRandy Wrote:
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> That looks like the Oakland-Salt Lake City
> Zephyrette RDC on the left - rode it mid-50s from
> SLC to Wells, NV.  

It's SP 10, in local service to Sacramento.

THAT'S a great catch!
SR

and both still exist (sans mole)

RevRandy Wrote:
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> That looks like the Oakland-Salt Lake City
> Zephyrette RDC on the left - rode it mid-50s from
> SLC to Wells, NV.  

OK, this is going to be a stupid question - but an RDC ran from Oakland in long distance type service to Salt Lake City? 

jp1822 Wrote:

> OK, this is going to be a stupid question - but an
> RDC ran from Oakland in long distance type service
> to Salt Lake City? 

In a word, yes. I think it was called officially or unofficially the Zephyrette. 

If one were to go to that location in Oakland today, what is there ? 

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> jp1822 Wrote:
>
> > OK, this is going to be a stupid question - but
> an
> > RDC ran from Oakland in long distance type
> service
> > to Salt Lake City? 
>
> In a word, yes. I think it was called officially
> or unofficially the Zephyrette.
====≠=========================

Correct. Many passengers were pass riders. I think passes were not accepted on the California Zephyr until it was the only train on the route.

The WP's RDCs did have number boards on their roofs but theirs were smaller than SP train number boards.
=============================
>
> If one were to go to that location in Oakland
> today, what is there ? 

============================

Port of Oakland container terminal. Area is filled in beyond recognition.

Did WP use this station, or did they have their own?

jp1822 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> RevRandy Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > That looks like the Oakland-Salt Lake City
> > Zephyrette RDC on the left - rode it mid-50s
> from
> > SLC to Wells, NV.  
>
> OK, this is going to be a stupid question - but an
> RDC ran from Oakland in long distance type service
> to Salt Lake City? 

Yes, the longest regularly scheduled RDC service.  I think it quit in 1960.

Dave

symph1 Wrote:
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> Did WP use this station, or did they have their
> own?

Yes.  The Mole was where one connected to the SP Ferry for San Francisco.  WP also had an Oakland station a few blocks from Jack London Square.  The building is still there.

Dave

Northern Pacific kept those numberboards after it bought the WP RDCs in 1962 for its service between Fargo and Winnipeg.

There's previous discussions with illustrations showing the Oakland Mole location is near the middle of the Container yards. Lots of landfill.

There's also some discussion about the building standing for quite some time before being demolished.

+ here's one interesting story:

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,5138834,5138834#5138834



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/27/24 13:39 by TCnR.

jp1822 Wrote:
----------------------------------
>
> OK, this is going to be a stupid question - but an
> RDC ran from Oakland in long distance type service
> to Salt Lake City? 

Here is a little more information from a discussion a few months ago.

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,5784478,5784798#msg-5784798

Posted from iPhone

> Did WP use this station, or did they have their own?

WP and SFe had their own ferries until 1932 or 1933,
when both moved to SP's pier. SFe went to buses in 1938
but WP stayed until 1958.

DavidP Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> jp1822 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > RevRandy Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > That looks like the Oakland-Salt Lake City
> > > Zephyrette RDC on the left - rode it mid-50s
> > from
> > > SLC to Wells, NV.  
> >
> > OK, this is going to be a stupid question - but
> an
> > RDC ran from Oakland in long distance type
> service
> > to Salt Lake City? 
>
> Yes, the longest regularly scheduled RDC service.
>  I think it quit in 1960.
>
> Dave

Wow! Thanks for the info! I'll have to read the article that a member posted. Thanks!

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> If one were to go to that location in Oakland
> today, what is there ? 

Here's the 3D building layer turned on in Google Earth on top of the 1931 mosaic of the pier and other port facilities. Pretty much all a big container terminal now. 

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Talk about a "chill down the spine" moment, I rode the CZ in August, 1956 from Denver to Oakland, where we boarded the SP ferry service to San Francisco.  Returned two weeks later, boarding in Oakland, as my late brother-in-law didn't want to fight SF traffic, so he drove my mother and I from Marin County down to Oakland.  Fun trip, everything on time, top class service all the way, and on schedule, including meets in Glenwood Canyon, at the former monument to the Vista-Dome, on both directions.  If my memory as a thirteen year old at the time is correct, F units both ways.

dendavis Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Talk about a "chill down the spine" moment, I rode
> the CZ in August, 1956 from Denver to Oakland,
> where we boarded the SP ferry service to San
> Francisco.  Returned two weeks later, boarding in
> Oakland, as my late brother-in-law didn't want to
> fight SF traffic, so he drove my mother and I from
> Marin County down to Oakland.  Fun trip,
> everything on time, top class service all the way,
> and on schedule, including meets in Glenwood
> Canyon, at the former monument to the Vista-Dome,
> on both directions.  If my memory as a thirteen
> year old at the time is correct, F units both
> ways.

Awesome. My mom grew up in Marin they have short snippet of 8mm film of taking the ferry over from San Francisco and arriving at the Mole. Also footage of dropping off the paterfamilias at Middle Harbor Rd. as well as meeting someone as they detrained at the station on 3rd Street. I wonder how they knew which car they were in as they filmed the passenger coming off the train so they had to of known in advance where to stand. Maybe that information was provided in advance to facilitate passenger pickup?  

phthithu Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> dendavis Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Talk about a "chill down the spine" moment, I
> rode
> > the CZ in August, 1956 from Denver to Oakland,
> > where we boarded the SP ferry service to San
> > Francisco.  Returned two weeks later, boarding
> in
> > Oakland, as my late brother-in-law didn't want
> to
> > fight SF traffic, so he drove my mother and I
> from
> > Marin County down to Oakland.  Fun trip,
> > everything on time, top class service all the
> way,
> > and on schedule, including meets in Glenwood
> > Canyon, at the former monument to the
> Vista-Dome,
> > on both directions.  If my memory as a
> thirteen
> > year old at the time is correct, F units both
> > ways.
>
> Awesome. My mom grew up in Marin they have short
> snippet of 8mm film of taking the ferry over from
> San Francisco and arriving at the Mole. Also
> footage of dropping off the paterfamilias at
> Middle Harbor Rd. as well as meeting someone as
> they detrained at the station on 3rd Street. I
> wonder how they knew which car they were in as
> they filmed the passenger coming off the train so
> they had to of known in advance where to stand.
> Maybe that information was provided in advance to
> facilitate passenger pickup.

All space on the CZ was reserved.  One only needed to refer to that reservation to learn the car number, and space occupied, of that incoming passenger.

AA

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA