Freights and Track Layout at the Port Chicago Station

The track to the east of Main St. may never have gained the importance of the SN-Santa Fe-Southern Pacific link to the ships carrying munitions overseas, but most photographers preferred documenting the long freights such as this steel train with SN 652 at this spot to include the palm trees at the Santa Fe station. Northwest view, Feb. 14, 1957.

L164-05-EK Muller Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 90538sn, (Image 1 of 22)

There is no indication that the SN ever provided freight service or built any spurs in Bay Point to potential customers referred to in the letter from Mar. 20, 1924, left. Delivering munitions in conjunction with the Western Pacific as indicated on this page from a Western Pacific late 1950s circular of freight customers, right, appears to have been its only role in Port Chicago.

L164-10-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives and Bruce Eidridge, (Image 2 of 22)

Freights sat long enough beside the station to get these panoramic images, such as this freight with SN 670 and SN 606 and an unidentified helper motor in the rear taken by EK Muller. He took many photos of freights and switching activities here based on what he left us. Northeast view, circa 1950.

L164-15-EK Muller Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 45024sn, (Image 3 of 22)

The track arrangement east of Main St. will be incorporated in this review of SN freight activity at Port Chicago. This northeast view circa 1952 of SN 653 and freight shows its initial entry from the east on track 1, for this discussion, switching onto track 2, and the formation of an additional track 3 to the north. The Santa Fe mainline can be appreciated along the left edge of the image.

L164-20-Norman Smith Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 115152sn, (Image 4 of 22)

This Jan. 1957 west view of SN 661 shows the three tracks in question from the other direction. The tanker car sits to the north on Santa Fe tracks lacking the overhead wires.

L164-25-Louis L. Stein Photo Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 121575sn, (Image 5 of 22)

A post-WWII image of SN 660 shows it on the southern-most track, track 1, in this east view. To the left or west of the caboose on track 3, the catenary pole type arrangement changes from the standard single pole to a different configuration.

L164-30-Norman Smith Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 121583sn, (Image 6 of 22)

Although not adding any information about the track arrangement, this east view catches freight switching as SN 652 and flatcar have separated from the rear helper motor, SN 653, the latter still holding onto the caboose on Feb. 14, 1957.

L164-35-EK Muller Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 90537sn, (Image 7 of 22)

This east view panorama by Tom Gray with SN 653 and freight circa 1950 provides the best look at businesses to the south of the track, right, and documents that track 3 with the isolated freight car has been directed to the north side of the Santa Fe station loading platform, left.

L164-40-Tom Gray Photo, Courtesy Tom Gray , (Image 8 of 22)

John Harder’s northeast view panorama from 1954 of SN 653 and caboose shows the double-poled wire holder on track 3 indicating that the track ended at this point and did not go beyond the station.

L164-45-John Harder Photo, Courtesy John Harder, (Image 9 of 22)

The termination of track 3 at the station is nicely illustrated in this northwest view of a string of cabooses and two boxcars circa 1952.

L164-50-Norman Smith Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 121580sn, (Image 10 of 22)

This northwest view of WP Diesel 802-A directing a “SN Detour” steel train on Santa Fe tracks in 1952 also shows the last caboose on the switch track of the interchange track between SN track 3 and the Santa Fe. The SN and Santa Fe had one other direct way to exchange freight in Port Chicago, and at least two places in Pittsburg, but the interchange by the Santa Fe station allowed freight to be dropped off out of the way of mainline activities, moving bombs and steel in particular.

L164-55-Norman Smith Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 121585sn, (Image 11 of 22)

This north-oriented aerial from 1965 documents this SN-Santa Fe interchange. Within the broken orange circle to the south or below the string of boxcars on the Santa Fe mainline are two boxcars on the interchange. The green arrow points to a train car at the end of the interchange as shown in the previous and next image. The red arrow points to the absence of a grade crossing at Main St. for SN track 2, a subject to be addressed. Ref: RG 77 NRHS Acc Number 077-99-01 Box 9, Folder 5, 1965

L164-60-Courtesy the National Archives of San Francisco, (Image 12 of 22)

Another similar northwest view by John Harder taken on June 24, 1967 after the overhead wire has been removed from the SN shows the same track configuration and Santa Fe GP20 diesel 1138 to the north, the latter dating this image to the 1960s. Note the additional set of telephone lines on the pole to the left or south of the boxcar, a sign of growth along a town that would be eliminated within two years.

L164-65-John Harder Photo, Courtesy John Harder, (Image 13 of 22)

SN 654 and caboose now lead this review of tracks and trains west of the station. This north view from Jan. 1957 also includes the SN Port Chicago sign as well as the Southern Pacific station toward the left edge.

L164-70-Louis L. Stein Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 78454sn, (Image 14 of 22)

A closer view of track 2 to the west of the Santa Fe station, here shown in Norman Smith’s circa 1952 northeast view of SN 670 with its pantograph down being repositioned by Western Pacific Electro-Motive Diesel SW1 no. 603.

L164-75-Norman Smith Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 55867sn, (Image 15 of 22)

This Sept. 1946 northeast image confirms the presence of tracks 1 and 2 reaching and crossing the Main St. grade crossing with SN 661 and freight, and SN 604 and SN 603 with freight.

L164-80-Louis Bradas, Jr. Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 68189sn, (Image 16 of 22)

This northeast view with SN 661 and freight in the 1950s shows both tracks continue to be in place through the grade crossing.

L164-85-Dave Gumz Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 106897sn, (Image 17 of 22)

Sometime after the overhead wire was removed in 1957, track 2 was removed for reasons not clear, although it was probably not needed once traffic from Oakland ended. The aerial in L164-60 from 1965 confirms the loss of he grade crossing by that date. Undated east view of SN 142 and caboose.

L164-90-Vernon Sappers Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 97941sn, (Image 18 of 22)

A few photos taken to the south showed details of the town of Port Chicago. Presented here, a mid-1950s south view of SN 653 and SN caboose 1621, also showing billboard ads, far right, as seen from passing trains, and some town structures, left.

L164-95-John Harder Photo, Courtesy John Harder, (Image 19 of 22)

This southeast view of SN 660 and WP caboose 739 from June 7, 1950 provide additional details of town buildings and mobile homes.

L164-100-Vernon Axt Photo, Moreau Coll., Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives 93161sn, (Image 20 of 22)

As this east view from Nov. 17, 1990 can attest, there was only one SN track left to leave Port Chicago once the Union Pacific was in full control.

L164-105-Harre Demoro Photo 66936, Courtesy John Harder, (Image 21 of 22)

The next update in this series will follow the SN's path along the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe on to Nichols.

L164-110-Harre Demoro Photo 66736, Courtesy John Harder, (Image 22 of 22)