Dudley Thickens Trek From Saranap

Dudley Thickens documented the new SN passenger shelter at Saranap as students awaited a train on Apr. 19, 1940. These students were likely headed directly to Mount Diablo High School, HS, in Concord, or could have transferred to a bus at Walnut Creek for San Ramon Valley HS.

L217-05-Dudley Thickens Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum, 60870sn, (Image 1 of 45)

Speaking of Dudley Thickens, the issue of HS choice was central to his experience. Shown here is Thickens and other Bay Area Electric Railway founders inside SN 1005 to introduce the SN into this topic. Note that the late Arthur Lloyd made positive identifications on Sept 9, 2014 of those in the image, but the name of the fellow in the middle remains a mystery.

L217-10-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 75658, (Image 2 of 45)

Dudley Thickens labelled this image as “in Oakland, Dec. 29, 1933”, when he was 20 years. At that time he was still living in Saranap with his mom and sister.

L217-15-Thickens Collection, Courtesy the Thickens Family, (Image 3 of 45)

He took this northeast view of his world on June 28, 1933 on the hill just west of Tice Valley Blvd. where his story of getting to school begins.

L217-20-Dudley Thickens Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 57123sn, (Image 4 of 45)

Now begins the effort to pair images with Thickens’ comments about his paths to school from an undated interview, “A Talk on the 1920’s in Saranap and Lafayette Areas, and the Vast Influence of the Railroad” provided by the Lafayette Historical Society and available at http://www.lafayettehistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Dudley-Thickens.pdf.

L217-25-Courtesy Lafayette Historical Society, (Image 5 of 45)

The Saranap School referred to in the previous comments is shown here from June 21, 1933, the image taken a decade or so after Thickens attended. The building to the left of the school in the distance, and the outline of Mt. Diablo, orient the view to the southeast. See the next pair of images ...

L217-30-Dudley Thickens Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 120647cv, (Image 6 of 45)

The building seen in the background resided on Newell Ave. and is marked by the red arrows in the west or left, and east or right, panels, from July 5, 1935 and July 7, 1935, respectively. The building was right across from the SN Bridge Rd. block signal, yellow arrows, and the crossbuck for the grade crossing, blue arrow.

L217-35-Dudley Thickens Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 63824sn, l, and 6382, (Image 7 of 45)

To follow Thickens’ path to the Saranap School as indicated in L217-25, this north-oriented aerial from 1940 is presented that will focus on his home located within the orange rectangle. See the annotated detail that follows for the location.

L217-40-USDA AAA Western Division, Courtesy Contra Costa County Historical Society, 13560, Detail, (Image 8 of 45)

Dudley Thickens lived at 40 Park Ave. Acknowledgement to Rich Bentley for the information on this 1940 aerial, and for finding Thickens’ address in his mother’s obituary on the Dec. 2, 1957, as homes in this area didn’t have formal addresses until after WWII. The turquoise arrow marks the SN-Bridge Rd. grade crossing.

L217-45-USDA AAA Western Division, Courtesy Contra Costa Historical Society, 13560, Detail, (Image 9 of 45)

Thickens photographed his home on May 28, 1939.

L217-50-Thickens Collection, Courtesy the Thickens Family, (Image 10 of 45)

Although the interview didn’t explicitly reveal this, the safest place for Thickens to cross the tracks would have been at the SN-Boulevard Way grade crossing. Here, SN 1015 sits at the Saranap Station blocking the way on Dec. 31, 1934, northwest view.

L217-55-Dudley Thickens Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 60879sn, (Image 11 of 45)

Superimposed on this 1940 north-oriented aerial is Thickens’ path to the school, the later gone by 1940, but said to have resided next to the Improvement Association building, turquoise arrow, per his interview.

L217-60-USDA AAA Western Division, Courtesy Contra Costa Historical Society, 13560, Detail, (Image 12 of 45)

Walnut Creek was the next destination in Thickens’ education.

L217-65-Courtesy Lafayette Historical Society, (Image 13 of 45)

The school in Walnut Creek is shown here from June 21, 1933.

L217-70-Dudley Thickens Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 120649cv, (Image 14 of 45)

Thickens doesn’t provide any clues how he got to school in Walnut Creek, blue circle. The shortest distance by road from home, orange circle, based on this 1938 map would have been to continue past the site of the Saranap School on Boulevard Way and enter Walnut Creek by walking east on what is today Mt. Diablo Blvd. Maybe he took the SN from Saranap Station, yellow square, to the Walnut Creek Station, turquoise square and walked the half mile. Ref: G4363.C6.1938.A7

L217-75-Courtesy Earth Sciences and Map Library, University of California, Berkeley, (Image 15 of 45)

If he took the train as a fifth grader, he would have been about 10-11 years of age, making it 1923-1924. To figure out his options, this 1920 SN timetable is provided. See the details next.

L217-80-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, (Image 16 of 45)

The 0.4 mile walk to the the Saranap Station would have taken about 8 minutes, then 4 minutes to get to Walnut Creek by SN, then another 0.5 miles or 10 minutes to school.

L217-85-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, (Image 17 of 45)

The train would have left him off in Walnut Creek right where the trees are at the Lesher Center ...

L217-90-Courtesy Google Maps , (Image 18 of 45)

... corresponding to what it looked like on May 12, 1940, south view.

L217-95-Louis Bradas, Jr. Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 67935sn, (Image 19 of 45)

He might have walked down Locust St. to the site of present day Plaza Escuela, previously occupied by the Walnut Creek Central School, shown here in an east view of the school complex from 1953.

L217-100-Courtesy Dept. of Public Works, Planning Division, City of Walnut Creek, (Image 20 of 45)

It is also possible that he just walked to Newell Ave., and turned east or right rather than west, and walked the half block to where Newell Ave. ended at the Bridge Rd. grade crossing, orange dotted line. From there he could have followed the SN right-of-way into Walnut Creek, turquoise dotted line. Northeast view, June 28, 1933. See the next image for details.

L217-105-Dudley Thickens Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 57123sn, (Image 21 of 45)

Once he reached what corresponds today to Alpine Rd., he could have headed straight to the school following the black arrow, finishing the walk in 1.3 miles with no waiting for trains. East view, July 29, 1936.

L217-110-Pacific Aerial Photo, Courtesy Contra Costa County Historical Society, 9793, (Image 22 of 45)

Perhaps Thickens had a special arrangement with SN motormen such that he was dropped off by the train at a freight customer stop, Union Oil, no. 2., just short of the city limit and Mt. Diablo Blvd., and stroll over to school, no. 6. There is no evidence for this, and his path remains a mystery.

L217-115-Courtesy Dept. of Public Works, Planning Division, City of Walnut Creek, (Image 23 of 45)

Thickens was very forthcoming about his route to high school based on the interview section shown above.

L217-120-Courtesy Lafayette Historical Society, (Image 24 of 45)

Unfortunately, by the time he needed transportation to Danville, the branch line directly to the school was history. He obtained the negative of this pre-1924 north view of MW 1051 or ‘Alligator’ and the original station from railroad employee C.O. Clark in 1937.

L217-125-C.O. Clarke Photo, Thickens Collection, Courtesy BAERA, WRM Archives, 56640sn, (Image 25 of 45)

It is likely Thickens used this second version of the Saranap Station to pick up the train to Walnut Creek, the station seen in this southeast view he took on June 15, 1933 with Boswell’s Store in he background.

L217-130-Dudley Thickens Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 57361sn, (Image 26 of 45)

He would have arrived at the station in Walnut Creek, this southeast image from 1924.

L217-135-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 35797sn, (Image 27 of 45)

No wonder that Thickens would later take this northeast-directed image of a SN bus ca. 1933 at the Walnut Creek Station reflecting his first year at San Ramon Valley HS.

L217-140-Dudley Thickens Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 60868sn, (Image 28 of 45)

Thickens continues. Most of what he says will be examined following this, but his date of 1921 for track removal is wrong based on several sources, with Ira Swett in “Sacramento Northern” reporting specifically that the rails were removed by Hyman-Michaels Co. by March 31, 1924.

L217-145-Courtesy Lafayette Historical Society, (Image 29 of 45)

This northwest undated view up what will become Danville Blvd. shows the tracks on the east side of the road, with a slight hump along the middle. Note in the background the tracks crossing the road from the west emerging from the route following Tice Valley Blvd. through Saranap.

L217-150-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 112992sn, (Image 30 of 45)

Further south into Alamo, this northwest view that L.L. Stein labelled “Haddes Ranch” provides more evidence for the less than perfect road surface.

L217-155-Louis L. Stein Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 161236sn , (Image 31 of 45)

As Danville approaches, this car driver has decided to stay far to the right.

L217-160-Moreau Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 112993sn , (Image 32 of 45)

Unfortunately there are no images of the train or even the track by San Ramon Valley HS, this undated west image is past that point. In her book, “The Danville Branch of the Oakland, Antioch and Eastern Railway”, Irma Dotson presented the San Ramon Valley HS “School Yell”: Clickety-clack! clickety-clack! Over the roadbed and down the track. Save all the rivets, keep all the nails, We’ll get where we’re going, if we stay on the rails, Toonerville Trolley. Rah! Rah! Rah!

L217-165-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 52286sn , (Image 33 of 45)

Starting with this cover of a 1928 timetable, the question is whether the route to San Ramon Valley HS that Thickens followed was an improvement over the existence of the branch line earlier in that decade.

L217-170-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, (Image 34 of 45)

The 1928 timetable schedule is shown.

L217-175-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, (Image 35 of 45)

In the end, it turns out the branch line from Saranap would have saved him some time and the need for a connection in Walnut Creek.

L217-180-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, (Image 36 of 45)

Thickens did spend a year at Mt. Diablo HS in Concord. There is a whole Landmark in the Concord section entitled “Why Students Took the SN to Mt. Diablo High School”, but some points are worth restating.

L217-185-Courtesy Lafayette Historical Society, (Image 37 of 45)

Thickens train ride to Mt. Diablo HS would have taken him through Walnut Creek. He took three school-related images starting with this one with, SN 1017 leading “school train 12”, heading to Concord. Conductor Ernest “Knobby” Knobloch is deep in thought as he reviewed the schedule. Mail or other bagged cargo is seen loaded from the shed. Southwest view, June 7, 1940.

L217-190-Dudley Thickens Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 61454sn, (Image 38 of 45)

The second scene is shown here, a southwest view from June 11, 1940 with SN 1015 leading the school train. Conductor Knobloch also collected the travel vouchers students received from the HS.

L217-195-Dudley Thickens Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 60185sn, (Image 39 of 45)

The third southwest view is also from June 11, 1940. The rule on the school train was boys in the front two cars, and girls to the rear of the train.

L217-200-Dudley Thickens Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 60184sn, (Image 40 of 45)

This north view above Concord circa 1935 shows the main Concord Station, blue arrow, the Bacon St. shelter, red arrow. Students walked west down the latter street to access Mt. Diablo HS, purple arrow. After the Southern Pacific ended passenger service in 1934, the SN erected the shelter at Bacon St., so Thickens pre-dated what is seen here.

L217-205-Courtesy Western Railway Museum Archives, 98603sn, (Image 41 of 45)

The SN school trains were extremely popular right up to cessation of passenger service in mid-1941. Based upon the orientation of the trolley poles, this northeast view from the late 1930s appears to show a five-car no. 27 “School Special” led by SN 1014 with a separate two-car train at its rear pointing toward Pittsburg at the Bacon St. shelter.

L217-210-Paul Smith Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 102831sn, (Image 42 of 45)

The rear facing two cars in the previous image would have transported students from Clyde as seen in this northwest view with SN 1001 from June 29, 1940.

L217-215-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 98566sn, (Image 43 of 45)

Students from Nichols would also have used this train.

L217-220-Courtesy Martinez Historical Society, (Image 44 of 45)

By 1924, Pittsburg had its own HS, and this scene would indicate students took the train there as well. Northeast view, 1941. Appreciation to Andy Smith for the images and insights into Walnut Creek School.

L217-225-Sappers Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 97933sn, (Image 45 of 45)