Epilogue of an Electric Railway

A southeast view in 2016 on Robinson St. looking toward Myers St. shows the public restroom at the northeast corner of the city center parking lot. The sense of railroad history, the Union Pacific, ex-Western Pacific, berm in the background, is partially obscured by the tree leaves.

L167-05-Stuart Swiedler Photo, (Image 1 of 35)

Now wind back to prior to WWII, an image from the same spot would feature the Sacramento Northern’s Oroville station. The station would have received its last passengers 18 months earlier after washout of the trestle connecting the city to the bridge over the Feather River. The WP berm is very visible in this shot. Southeast view, July 2, 1939.

L167-10-Wilbur C. Whittaker Photo, Courtesy Arnold Menke , (Image 2 of 35)

The starting point of this modern day investigation is at Tres Vias or Oroville Junction. From north-oriented vertical aerials, much of the outlines of the double-wye survive. Some new boundaries have also been added, the origins to be explained after a few images of historical note. Ref: Ref: US Dept. of Agriculture Photo, Detail AAX-88-100, Sept. 13, 1937

L167-15-Courtesy the National Archives and Google Maps, (Image 3 of 35)

Oroville Junction to Thermalito was served by mainline freight after the severing of the Feather River connection in Dec. 1937, but no images of freight on these tracks have been found. Instead, visual reliance of this section post-1937 can only be based on excursions, starting here from May 25, 1941 with the Cal-Nevada-sponsored “Farewell Excursion”, San Francisco to Chico. Southeast view.

L167-20-Wilbur C. Whittaker Photo, Courtesy Arnold Menke , (Image 4 of 35)

Mountain snow, a palm grove and the absence of the Oroville Junction station highlights this Feb. 1949 southeast view. The SN power sub-station is visible close to the left edge.

L167-25-Tom Buckingham Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 54456sn, (Image 5 of 35)

Budd Rail Diesel Car-1 demonstrator leads the BAERA-sponsored Sacramento to Chico excursion on Jan. 29, 1950 in a northeast view, left, and an east view, right, at Oroville Junction. Ref: Vernon Axt Photo, Moreau Collection, left; Dudley Thickens Photo, right.

L167-30-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 93160sn, left; 76047sn, right, (Image 6 of 35)

Track removal from the right-of-way at Oroville Junction occurred close to the date of this north view image from June 19, 1971. Track removal extended to the south, in line with the inclusion of this area with the expansion of the Oroville Dam-related facilities, while track to the north at Shippee remained intact.

L167-35-Kirby M. Harris Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 121596sn, (Image 7 of 35)

Now to the extra boundaries seen in the present day aerial L167-15. The left panel shows the fenced-off, north-south dirt path in a north view, while the center panel shows the connector to the east-west path to the south of Tres Vias Rd. Except for the connector portion, the peripheral paths have nothing to do with the original track wye, rather they delineate land owned by the State, right panel, most likely related to the Oroville-Thermalito water complex.

L167-40-Stuart Swiedler Photos, (Image 8 of 35)

Indeed, as the Oroville-Thermalito water complex developed in the 1960s, the State starting to secure land to facilitate the project. The canal linking the Thermalito Forebay and Afterbay would interrupt the SN mainline, as shown, as well as Tres Vias Rd. and the Oroville Junction-Thermalito route. This eventually played a role in shifting the SN to use SP trackage between Durham and Live Oak by 1971.

L167-45-Courtesy the National Archives, BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives and Google Maps, (Image 9 of 35)

The SN’s Thermalito station site, northeast view, 2016. Now wind back to 1927 ...

L167-50-Stuart Swiedler Photo, (Image 10 of 35)

... the SN’s Thermalito station, northeast view, 1927.

L167-55-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 96923sn, (Image 11 of 35)

The four station pillars and signature palm tree were viewed at the Farewell Excursion at Thermalito on May 25, 1941, seen here in a west view. No non-excursion images could be found of any trains at this location from the Sacramento Northern era.

L167-60-Louis Bradas, Jr. Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 71011sn, (Image 12 of 35)

Although no pictures can be supplied, it is known from the late 1950s customer base in the Western Pacific Circular No. 167-E provided by Bruce Eldridge that the SN still served one customer at Thermalito, Oko-Olive Products.

L167-65-Stuart Swiedler Photo, (Image 13 of 35)

North-directed aerial views establish that the facility served by the SN in 1937 was modified or replaced sometime before 1962. Not shown, a 1958 aerial shows that the eastern-most building, red arrow, was added after that date. Ref: Ref: US Dept. of Agriculture Photo, Detail AAX-88-100, Sept. 13, 1937; Cartwright Aerials BUT 3-197 1962-06-28

L167-70-Courtesy the National Archives, Bill Calmes, and Google Maps, (Image 14 of 35)

This west view taken east of the structures from the late 1930s shows the Thermalito warehouses and spur track. Note the signature palm tree in the background to the north or right of the track.

L167-75-Paul Smith Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 124624sn , (Image 15 of 35)

The SN right-of-way east of Thermalito leading up to the bridge today serves as a drainage ditch as shown here at the final road crossing in 2016 with east and west views, left and right, respectively.

L167-80-Stuart Swiedler Photos, (Image 16 of 35)

Although the trestle connecting the SN bridge over the Feather River washed away in Dec. 1937, the steel structure remained intact and even caught the eye of the Butte County Road Engineer and Surveyor, J.A. Bumgarner.

L167-85-Ted Wurm, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 33474sn, i, 41180, r, (Image 17 of 35)

In light of a less than enthusiastic engineering assessment, the bridge was not sold and was eventually dismantled, save the two piers standing today, at a date not established.

L167-90-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 29803, (Image 18 of 35)

The State’s plans to build the Oroville Dam in the 1960s created inumerable problems for the SN’s parent WP. As seen in this 1962 map, although the SN had abandoned their right-of-way through Oroville proper, the SN Sacramento-Chico mainline and the spur into the Oroville Main Yard were still operational and needed to be factored in along with the WP realignment of their Feather River Route.

L167-95-Courtesy Wayne Monger, (Image 19 of 35)

Consistent with the WP map in L167-90, this Oroville city map from 1963 supports the WP’s role in taking over the SN’s Main Yard duties between the WP right-of-way and High Street, blue arrows.

L167-100-Courtesy Butte County Public Works, E-0554, (Image 20 of 35)

There was no perceived need by the SN of their Oroville station once passenger service was ended in late 1937. The station is pictured here in a late 1930s northwest view including the west side of Myers St.

L167-105-Paul Smith Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 108332sn, (Image 21 of 35)

This circa 1946 southwest-facing oblique aerial shows that a service station had replaced the SN station. The next image shows a detail.

L167-110-Eastman's Studio Photo, Courtesy the Meriam Library, California State University, Chico, (Image 22 of 35)

The service station can be appreciated along the bottom border of the circa 1946 detail of the southwest view in L167-105, right across from the marque of the City of Paris department store at the corner of Myers and Robinson Sts. The fate of the railway-related warehouse buildings next to the service station is presented next.

L167-115-Eastman's Studio Photo, Courtesy the Meriam Library, California State University, Chico, (Image 23 of 35)

Next to this north view from Oct, 31, 1955. A detail follows ...

L167-120-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 4610-6 , (Image 24 of 35)

This detail of a north view from Oct, 31, 1955 shows the SN freight depot, red arrow, now operating under diesel power. The SP facilities, green arrow, and WP station, blue arrow, remain unchanged.

L167-125-Copyright California Department of Transportation 4610-6, Detail, (Image 25 of 35)

The remains of the SN freight depot foundation, red arrow, is very clearly shown in this southeast aerial oblique from June 10, 1959. The date it was removed has not been found. At this point in time, the SP facilities, green arrow, still survived. The WP station, blue arrow, is still present today and provided for reference.

L167-130-Business Air Photos, Courtesy Butte County Historical Society 2012-50-31, Detail, (Image 26 of 35)

The ownership of the large building between the SN passenger station and freight depot has been difficult to establish until the document on the left from Feb. 6, 1959 was found addressed to SN President and General manager, Rex T. Kearny. The letter to the right from Dec. 8, 1960 suggests that the large warehouse structure was removed shortly after the freight depot to allow the lot to be leased as a parking lot.

L167-135-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 39624-1, left; 39619, right, (Image 27 of 35)

Circa 1964, the lot was cleared for sure as seen in his south-directed aerial oblique. Note the absence of the SP station as well.

L167-140-Walt Shaner Photo, Courtesy the Meriam Library, California State University, Chico, sc21393, (Image 28 of 35)

A complementary view circa 1964 of a north view also showing the new parking lot where the SN facilities had once occupied.

L167-145-Walt Shaner Photo, Courtesy the Meriam Library, California State University, Chico, sc21394, (Image 29 of 35)

For completeness, views of the SN in a west oblique aerial from Oct. 31, 1955 from the original Oroville Junction or Tres Vias to the freight depot off High St. See the details next ...

L167-150-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 4610-8 , (Image 30 of 35)

First the western part of the image in L167-150, a west oblique aerial from Oct. 31, 1955, with a red arrow marking Tres Vias and a blue arrow at the location of the SN Thermalito passenger and freight operation.

L167-155-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 4610-8 Detail , (Image 31 of 35)

Major landmarks on the central part of the image in L167-150, a west oblique aerial from Oct. 31, 1955, are a blue arrow at the location of the SN Thermalito passenger and freight operation, a green arrow showing the remaining Feather River western-most bridge support, and a purple arrow marking High St.

L167-160-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 4610-8 Detail, (Image 32 of 35)

Finally, the eastern portion of the image in L167-150, a west oblique aerial from Oct. 31, 1955, with a purple arrow marking High St., a yellow arrow the spur to the main freight yard, and the freight depot off High and Huntoon Sts.

L167-165-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 4610-8 Detail, (Image 33 of 35)

The eight part series of Oroville in the 20th Century has reached a stopping point. Many mysteries still to solve, the most pressing is this view from the Farewell Excursion of May 25, 1941. It is purported to be of the SN right-of-way in Thermalito, but proving that will take more “diggin” as they say in Butte County.

L167-170-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 124623sn , (Image 34 of 35)

So if you are up Oroville way, stop by Riverbend Park and enjoy the view to the west over the Feather River, and imagine how exciting it must have been to cross the bridge in an electric train.

L167-175-Stuart Swiedler Photo, (Image 35 of 35)