Crossing the Freeway IV – Comparative Before-and-After Views

This section will compare similar views before and after the creation of the grade crossing across Mountain Boulevard Unit 1 in 1951. Northwest view, Jul. 6, 1952 with SN 1005 and MW 302 on excursion. This pair survives today at the Western Railway Museum with MW 302 restored to its original SN 1020.

L50-05-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 58300sn, (Image 1 of 16)

This southeast view by Paul Smith from his bedroom porch at 5644 Estates Drive shows the homes and structures that could be seen by a passing train prior to the freeway construction, circa 1940.

L50-10-Paul Smith Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 63590sn, (Image 2 of 16)

A similar southeast panorama from Feb. 1, 1956 showing the relation of Estates Drive and Moraga Avenue about one year prior to abandonment of the railroad and nine months prior to the opening of Mountain Boulevard Unit 2 to Park Blvd.

L50-15-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 4809-7 Detail, (Image 3 of 16)

Now a series of northwest views before and after the completion of the freeway and grade crossing construction starting with this three car train with SN 1009 from Nov. 20, 1938.

L50-20-Charles Savage Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 10133sn, (Image 4 of 16)

SN 1005 and MW 302 once more from Jul. 6, 1952, northwest view.

L50-25-Dudley Thickens Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 61347sn, (Image 5 of 16)

Back again to 1938, Feb. 19, and this northwest image shows the last house on Moraga Avenue and a five car train. Note both lead car SN 1007 and the fourth car with their trolley poles up to the catenary wire to facilitate climbing up the steep grade of Chabot Canyon. Typically, the SN limited passenger trains to a maximum of three cars per motorized car in the Oakland hills.

L50-30-Wilbur C Whittaker, Courtesy Garth Groff, (Image 6 of 16)

A SN 661-led freight halts traffic on the freeway as it crosses in the early 1950s. The last house on Moraga Avenue survives for the moment, but will be gone with revision of this intersection in the early 1960s.

L50-35-Tom Gray Photo, Courtesy Tom Gray , (Image 7 of 16)

Back again, northwest view circa 1938, and SN 1014 and a four car train are about to enter the site of the future freeway.

L50-40-Paul Smith Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 61350sn, (Image 8 of 16)

A SN 603-led freight continues its southeast path across the freeway in the early 1950s, now completely blocking all lanes.

L50-45-Tom Gray Photo, Courtesy Tom Gray , (Image 9 of 16)

This circa 1938 image from the Thornhill Station shelter shows how well shielded the view of Moraga Avenue was from the right-of-way looking northwest.

L50-50-Paul Smith Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 63827sn, (Image 10 of 16)

We know that Al Thoman must have driven Tom Gray to this spot in the early 1950s based on the similar image of the SN 603-led freight taken moments before by the latter in L50-45. Based on L50-50, SN 603 has just reached the approximate location where the Thornhill Station shelter once stood.

L50-55-Al Thoman Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 52487sn , (Image 11 of 16)

Just as important was the southeast view gained from the grade crossing. Little do the folks realize watching from the window of SN 1012, circa 1938, that they would be at the point of crossing a freeway in due time. Note the block signal to the south at the southern edge of the Thornhill Station shelter.

L50-60-Paul Smith Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 63825sn, (Image 12 of 16)

A comparable shot to L50-65, but now only freights run the right-of-way, save for a few excursions. This image of SN 654 in 1956 is the only southeast view from this location and period found to date.

L50-65-Dave Gumz Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives 55847.8sn, (Image 13 of 16)

A final image to make matters complete for this four-part series on the freeway crossing, here to the northwest, the last SN freight with SN 652 in the lead, Feb. 28, 1957.

L50-71-EK Muller Photo,Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 45016sn, (Image 16 of 16)