Patton Street Beat and the Rockridge Flag Stop

After leaving 40th and Shafter and heading east, the Patton St. grade crossing is where the SN would encounter its first switch track, by the Rockridge flag stop, as it headed out to wide open country. Southwest view of MW 302 on a BAERA-sponsored excursion, Nov. 29, 1953.

L54-02-McDonald Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 159577sn, (Image 1 of 19)

Last time, two aerial views from Apr. 8, 1953 were included starting with this southwest view with Ross St. along the top, and the Chabot Elementary School berm along the bottom that will equally be up to the task of introducing the topic at hand.

L54-05-Copyright California Deptment of Transportation, 3300-40, Detail , (Image 2 of 19)

A complementary northeast view from Apr. 8, 1953 to begin a review of the Patton St. grade crossing. Focus on the spur at this juncture and train activity there are covered in “Spur Stories II -Decline and the Deep Creek Coach”.

L54-10-Copyright California Deptment of Transportation, 3300-41, Detail , (Image 3 of 19)

It is Sept. 12, 1948 and MW 302 is captured in this northeast view at the Patton St. grade crossing during an inaugural excursion on the SN. Today this scene would be obscured by Highway 24, so the topic of interest is how this area evolved prior to the construction of the road.

L54-15-Roger Heller Photo, From the collection of the Moraga Historical Society, Moraga, CA, NN-93, (Image 4 of 19)

Patton St. was at first a one block street, blue box, from the extension of Broadway, red line, out to Chabot Rd. It predated the construction of Chabot Elementary School, black circle, and was lengthened, green line, when Broadway was diverted, yellow line, to the new tunnel in 1937. At least one home was placed in the section up to Keith Ave. by 1946 based on historicaerials.com.

L54-20-Courtesy Oakland History Room, Oakland Public Library, (Image 5 of 19)

The extension Patton St. relative to Broadway and Shafter Ave. is shown during the tail end of the SN passenger era, 1939, and of freight operations, 1956. The yellow arrows mark the grade crossing that will be central to this update. 1939, Ref. BUT-BUU-289-66, top; 1956, Ref. G4534_B5_A4_1956_R6_no.116-2, bottom.

L54-25-RM Towill Photo, Courtesy Earth Sciences and Map Library, University of California, Berkeley, (Image 6 of 19)

This southwest view from the late 30s, early 40s of the grade crossing points up to the south end of Patton St. to Keith Ave., left, and down Shafter Ave. and the right-of-way, right. Note the handrails up Patton St., and to the far left at an entrance to Brookside Ave. that was eliminated with the construction of Highway 24.

L54-30-Bill Weber Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 64582sn, (Image 7 of 19)

A long freight has almost completed its way across the grade crossing in this southwest view, circa 1939. No images of the north section of Patton St. during the SN era have been found as yet, but this image at least captures the edge of the last house and the empty lot separating it from Shafter Ave. To see the front of this freight headed by three motors, check out “Origins of the Chabot School Berm”, image L76-80.

L54-35-Paul Smith Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 64041sn, (Image 8 of 19)

SN 652 with a helper on the rear of a line of box cars enters the Patton St. grade crossing in this southwest view on, Feb. 27, 1957, the next to the last day prior to abandonment of the south end.

L54-40-Fred Matthews Photo, Courtesy Anonymous Donor , (Image 9 of 19)

Another southwest view, this time circa 1951-52 with SN 603 ready to pull its load across the intersection.

L54-45-Reginald McGovern Photo, Courtesy Reginald McGovern, (Image 10 of 19)

Taken further to the northeast and looking again to the southwest, SN 1011 and trailer are set to pull away from the Rockridge flag stop in 1940. Note the absence of homes on the west flank of Patton Street up to Keith Ave.

L54-50-Wilbur C. Whittaker Photo, Courtesy Garth Groff , (Image 11 of 19)

One last look to the southwest, as SN 661 is shown on its way to Chico to return passenger cars after cessation of service in July 1941. This image has a particularly good view of the homes along the north side of Keith Ave.

L54-55-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 64040sn, (Image 12 of 19)

And now to northeast views of the grade crossing and the surrounding area introduced by this undated image.

L54-60-Norman Smith Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 64586sn, (Image 13 of 19)

Postwar images from the late 1940s until abandonment in 1957 will be presented to show the Rockridge flag stop, and to highlight homes on a portion of Brookside Ave. that was severed by the diversion of Broadway to the tunnel, and later eliminated with the construction of Highway 24. Northeast view, SN 661 and second motor, mid-to-late 1940s.

L54-65-Norman Smith Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 56030sn, (Image 14 of 19)

An east view of an excursion with SN 1005 and MW 302, July 6, 1952.

L54-70-Dudley Thickens Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 64042sn, (Image 15 of 19)

The rear of a freight with SN 606 providing the push up Chabot Canyon is captured in this east view circa 1951-52.

L54-75-Reginald McGovern Photo, Courtesy Reginald McGovern, (Image 16 of 19)

The crossing was also a place to observe motors, such as SN 670 in this case, switching to the rear of a west-bound freight. Northeast view, Sept. 1950.

L54-80-Holmes Bros. Photo, Jim Holmes Coll., Courtesy BAERA, W. Railway Museum Arch., 103035sn, (Image 17 of 19)

The last freight, Feb. 27, 1957, seen with SN 653 on the rear has cleared the grade crossing in a drizzle, northeast view. Note the Birney car in tow.

L54-85-Louis L. Stein Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 60438sn, (Image 18 of 19)

Now ahead to Aug. 9, 1961, looking southwest up Patton St. Note the empty right-of-way up to the last house of the south side of Shafter Ave., right, and the homes along the west flank of Patton St. These homes will be cleared to make way for Highway 24. More on this topic as well as alterations to the Patton St.-Broadway intersection in the 1960s in a future update.

L54-90-Copyright California Department of Transportation, (Image 19 of 19)