Ohmer and Route 4 – Crossing the Arnold Industrial Highway

Photographers and onlookers delight as SN 143 and the End-of-an-Era excursion passes over Route 4 and heads south to Ohmer Hill, Apr. 12, 1964, northeast view.

L149-05-Courtesy Charles Smiley, (Image 1 of 22)

Once Ohmer Hill had been reconfigured, the shelter denoting the Ohmer stop was moved north to a point just south of Route 4, or as it became called in the late 1930s, the Arnold Industrial Highway. Pictured is SN 1014 in a south view circa 1940 after it had descended Ohmer Hill and waited by the shelter.

L149-10-Vernon Sappers Collection, Western Railway Museum Archives, 97912sn, (Image 2 of 22)

Now turning directly to the north, the overpass of the highway is seen on May 18, 1940 for both the railway, and along the left edge for the road, the latter one decade away from being named the Port Chicago Highway.

L149-15-Wilbur C Whittaker Photo, Courtesy Tom Gray, (Image 3 of 22)

By 1930, the precursor to Route 4 extended for a very short distance east-west of the SN railway crossing, orange oval, although a branch road from that point did connect to the Willow Pass Road, this junction denoted by the blue arrow. Ref: Official map of Contra Costa County, California. Compiled from private surveys and official records by R.R. Arnold, county surveyor. G4363.C6 1930 .A72

L149-20-Courtesy Earth Sciences and Map Library, University California, Berkeley, Detail, (Image 4 of 22)

The configuration of the roads in L149-20 is confirmed in George Russell’s north aerial circa 1929. Ref: API 563_5_BOX 59

L149-25-George Russell Photo, Courtesy California State Lands Commission, (Image 5 of 22)

By 1938, the general configuration of Route 4 had been established as the Arnold Industrial Highway. A cooperative effort with the SN contributed to this transformation. Ref: Official map of Contra Costa County, California. Compiled from private surveys and official records by R.R. Arnold, county surveyor. G4363.C6 1938 .A7

L149-30-Courtesy Earth Sciences and Map Library, University California, Berkeley, Detail, (Image 6 of 22)

One key element in the development of the Arnold Industrial Highway was the construction of an overpass by the SN over the road. Here, starting with this north view of SN 605 and hopper cars, three undated images of this construction circa 1936-1938 will be presented. The lineage of these images was via the Kevin V. Bunker Collection from the California Department of Transportation.

L149-35-Jeff Moreau Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 108311sn, (Image 7 of 22)

SN 605 and hopper car sit on the temporary trestle in this north view from circa 1936-1938. The mainline will soon be by-passed to allow construction of the overpass.

L149-40-Jeff Moreau Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 108312sn , (Image 8 of 22)

SN 1007 is seen crossing the temporary trestle in this south view circa 1936-1938. Additional views showing further progress of the overpass construction have not been found.

L149-45-Jeff Moreau Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 108313sn , (Image 9 of 22)

Now ahead to 1944, a west view panorama down the length of the Arnold Industrial Highway, the SN and Bay Point and Clayton coming in from the left, or south, converging on Clyde, right border, or north. A detail of this image will show the completed road overpass. Ref: RG 181 1944 N1-13NT1-32Serial38436 083144

L149-50-US Navy Photo, Courtesy the National Archives of San Francisco, (Image 10 of 22)

A detail of L149-50 highlights the SN overpass of the Arnold Industrial Highway. The lower left corner shows that the grade crossing of the Bay Point and Clayton remained intact. Ref: RG 181 1944 N1-13NT1-32Serial38436 083144

L149-55-US Navy Photo, Courtesy the National Archives of San Francisco, Detail, (Image 11 of 22)

The overpass was actually completed in 1938 as can be attested by this northeast view of SN 670 pushing a freight circa 1950.

L149-60-Tom Gray Photo, Courtesy Tom Gray, (Image 12 of 22)

A view of the highway itself under the rails is best seen in this northeast view circa 1957 with SN 653 pushing and SN 430 along for the ride.

L149-65-EK Muller Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 70015sn, (Image 13 of 22)

Now to views to the southeast, here SN 661 with freight approaches the shelter circa 1939 and the Arnold Industrial Highway overpass.

L149-70-Paul Smith Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 108330sn, (Image 14 of 22)

Although the same southeast view as the previous image, the shelter is long gone and evidence in the background for the Concord Naval Weapon Station railroad can be seen. SN 143 leads one of the End-of-an-Era excursions toward Clyde, Apr. 12, 1964.

L149-75-Tony Perles, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 85026sn, (Image 15 of 22)

Standing on the north slope of Ohmer Hill was a great place to catch a long freight crossing the highway overpass, as well as providing a panoramic view of the area. Note the former Clyde Hotel toward the left border on the hillside. Northeast view, circa 1950.

L149-80-Tom Buckingham Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 54293sn , (Image 16 of 22)

Now a seasonal contrast, first this 1950s SN freight shows the full effects of a dry summer in this northeast view ...

L149-85-Jeff Moreau Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 110207sn , (Image 17 of 22)

... versus this End-of-an-Era excursion with SN 143, Apr. 12, 1964, still showing some impact of the winter rains in this northeast view.

L149-90-Courtesy Charles Smiley, (Image 18 of 22)

After BART’s completion at Concord, the SN abandoned the rail section from central Concord to Clyde in 1974, ending the need for the overpass. The question is how does the current Highway 4 match up positionally against the former one. One method is to use Google Earth to line up the 1938 and 2017 aerials shown here. The next image shows an overlay of the two ...

L149-95-Courtesy Google Earth, (Image 19 of 22)

Based on this overlay of the 1938 aerial at 50% opacity over the 2017 version, the old Highway 4, the Arnold Industrial Highway, appears to have been incorporated into the east-bound or southern portion of the new structure.

L149-100-Courtesy Google Earth, (Image 20 of 22)

A complementary finding is this Feb. 4, 1975 west view showing that the original Arnold Industrial Highway was offset south of the present Highway 4, the latter consisting of a graded section of the west-bound lanes. The present Arnold Industrial Way bears no connection to the previous highway and now serves as a side road to the northwest of the interchange as a connector for local traffic to Avon.

L149-105-Copyright California Department of Transportation, C5119, (Image 21 of 22)

This detail from L149-100 shows the road crossing over the Navy railroad in the foreground, and further to the west, the remaining crossings of the Arnold Industrial Highway by the SN and Port Chicago. The date of the destruction of the overpasses has not been established, but it must have been very close in time to this Feb. 4, 1975 date. Compare to L149-55.

L149-110-Copyright California Department of Transportation, C5119, Detail, (Image 22 of 22)