Alpine Road to the 1950 Walnut Creek Border

Train no. 2 with SN parlor car “Moraga” in the rear splits an open field either on Jan. 30 or Feb. 6, 1938. Reflecting the winter sun, the Great Western transmission towers place the train between Alpine Rd. and the Walnut Creek border at Mt. Diablo Blvd., or "East of Bueger's Crossing", in this northeast view.

L110-05-Dudley Thickens Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 60028sn, (Image 1 of 24)

This west view of the freeway interchange from Oct. 28, 1959 shows the triangular portion of land defined by Alpine Rd., blue arrow, the empty right-of-way of the SN, yellow arrow, and Mt. Diablo Blvd., red arrow. Recently created South California Blvd. is marked by the black arrow, and the western terminus of the SN is highlighted by the five freight cars parked just to the north or right of the former city limit, orange arrow.

L110-10-Courtesy Contra Costa County Historical Society, 5548 Detail , (Image 2 of 24)

These north-oriented aerials indicate that the triangular sector was included during the development boom of the early 1950s relative to pre-WW II, but not to the degree of its neighbor to the east, the Broadway shopping center. Ref: Left, USDA AAA Western Division Jul.25, 1937-BUU-280-61; Right, 2481-2 from Mar. 3, 1952.

L110-15-Courtesy Contra Costa County Historical Society and Copyright CALTRANS, 2481-2, Detail , (Image 3 of 24)

Prior to WW II, as depicted in this 1939 aerial, this stretch of land was the border between farmland to the west and the Walnut Creek city limit. As the SN approached the border from the west, the first signs of industry appeared, with Union Oil to the south of Mt. Diablo Blvd., and Standard Oil to the north.

L110-20-Courtesy Contra Costa County Historical Society, USDA AAA Western Division, BUU-280-61, Deta, (Image 4 of 24)

Here from Oct. 9, 1945, a drawing of the railway’s business interactions shown by way of spur construction at the Walnut Creek border.

L110-22-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 36415sn, (Image 5 of 24)

Dudley Thickens described this southeast view with Mount Diablo as "Out of Walnut Creek", three-car train no. 7 with SN parlor car “Moraga”, July 4, 1938. Trains could begin to build up speed aware that nearby Alpine Rd. was the only crossing along the path until reaching the Bridge Rd. grade crossing in Saranap.

L110-25-Dudley Thickens Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 71499sn, (Image 6 of 24)

Another scene of a former Northern Electric Niles car sandwiched between two south-end passenger motors heading west, northeast view, "Nearing Bueger's Crossing" as Dudley Thickens called it, Jan. 23, 1938.

L110-30-Dudley Thickens Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 71531sn, (Image 7 of 24)

Now slightly more to the east relative to L100-30, SN parlor car “Moraga” is again featured in this scene of a five-car SN passenger train east-bound between Alpine Rd. and Mt Diablo Blvd. Northeast view, Jan. 23, 1938.

L110-35-Dudley Thickens Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 60026sn, (Image 8 of 24)

Providing evidence for the early 1950s boom in Walnut Creek, shown here is the SN right-of-way between Alpine Rd. to the left, or southwest, and the city limit with its oil company concerns to the right, northwest view, Apr. 9, 1953.

L110-40-Copyright California Departent of Transportation, 3299-2, Detail, (Image 9 of 24)

To complement the previous image, an east view up the spine of Mt. Diablo Blvd. circa 1955-1956. Ref: brk00013331_24a #45, BANC PIC 1993.004 CC-C19-87

L110-45-Clyde Sunderland Photo, Courtesy of The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, (Image 10 of 24)

Here in a northeast view from Feb. 13, 1958, the new freeway project extends from the initial section of S. California Blvd., left lower edge or south, with initial supports over Newell Ave., Las Trampas Creek, the SN right-of-way and Mt. Diablo Blvd, south to north. Note the progress for S. California Blvd., including the concrete bridge over the creek.

L110-50-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 5845-3, Detail, (Image 11 of 24)

Development along the SN right-of-way is at a standstill in a further detail of L110-50. The SN right-of-way in this section will survive only until August, but the two grade crossings with crossbucks and the telephone poles sans catenary indicate that diesel freight operations are still intact. Northeast view from Feb. 13, 1958.

L110-55-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 5845-3, Detail, (Image 12 of 24)

A slightly more northerly view similar to L110-50 showing a slightly earlier stage of the freeway and S. California Blvd. construction.

L110-60-Courtesy Contra Costa County Historical Society, 3944, (Image 13 of 24)

A detail from L100-60 showing a north view of the area surrounding the SN right-of-way.

L110-65-Courtesy Contra Costa County Historical Society, 3944, Detail, (Image 14 of 24)

Now from a south view, Jan. 29, 1959, the progress of freeway construction is best seen at the overpasses noted in in L110-50, here viewed in reverse order. S. California Blvd. is fully paved, and the SN track and railway associated structures have been removed up to Mt. Diablo Blvd.

L110-70-Copyright California Departent of Transportation, 6396-5, Detail , (Image 15 of 24)

Where the SN track ended after abandonment southeast of Walnut Creek can be seen across the width of Mt. Diablo Blvd. extending onto S. California Blvd., red arrows, at the time of this photo, May 13, 1959. This east view also shows a railway-associated signal, yellow arrow, also along S. California Blvd.

L110-75-Lester R. Foley Photo, Courtesy Planning Division, City of Walnut Creek , (Image 16 of 24)

With the freeway structural elements complete in this north view from Jan. 14, 1960, the attention will be turned to the construction of Olympic Blvd. east of Alpine Rd.

L110-80-Copyright California Departent of Transportation, 7241-1, Detail , (Image 17 of 24)

Olympic Blvd. diverted from the SN right-of-way east of Alpine Dr., marked by the black circle on the right image from June 9, 2014. The right-of-way, yellow arrow, did serve to create a corridor allowing cars to drive right to the door of stores in the shopping strip best known for the presence of Genova Deli, and will probably survive due to a sewer pipe and a gas line buried below it.

L110-85-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 2481-2 and Courtesy Google Earth, (Image 18 of 24)

A north-oriented aerial circa 1963 shows that the new Olympic Blvd. would reach the Broadway shopping center via the short segment that was Frederick Ave, renamed Broadway in 1951, renamed Broadway Plaza in 1957, and renamed Olympic Blvd. in 1972. This would in effect replace the SN right-of-way as the route into the central downtown of Walnut Creek.

L110-90-Courtesy Planning Division, City of Walnut Creek , (Image 19 of 24)

From a spot west of the Broadway-S. California Blvd. intersection, the path of the future Olympic Blvd. can be appreciated by this west view toward the freeway from Apr. 29, 1963.

L110-95-Courtesy Planning and Engineering Divisions, City of Walnut Creek, (Image 20 of 24)

By 1964, this west view from S. California Blvd. shows Olympic Blvd. is complete to the west.

L110-100-Courtesy Planning and Engineering Divisions, City of Walnut Creek , (Image 21 of 24)

A west view from 1964 closer to to the Olympic Blvd.-Alpine Rd. intersection showing details of that junction.

L110-105-Courtesy Planning and Engineering Divisions, City of Walnut Creek , (Image 22 of 24)

To complement L110-105, and east view up Olympic Blvd. from Alpine Rd. to S. California Blvd., also from 1964.

L110-110-Courtesy Planning and Engineering Divisions, City of Walnut Creek , (Image 23 of 24)

Back to Jun. 18, 1939, SN 1012 leads a two-car train beyond the Walnut Creek city limit, past the Union Oil facility into open farmland. The link to Saranap is now complete. Special appreciation and acknowledgement for contributions by Andy Smith and the Planning and Engineering Divisions of the City of Walnut Creek.

L110-115-Wilbur C Whittaker Photo, Courtesy Arnold Menke and Garth Groff, (Image 24 of 24)