Montclair in Oakland in Alameda County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
The Railroad History of Shepherd Canyon
Sacramento Northern
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, October 20, 2021
1. The Railroad History of Shepherd Canyon Marker
One hundred years ago, these trains were America's answer to rapid transit between major cities. They provided fast, clean, frequent, inexpensive and direct interurban service to weekday commuters and weekend picnickers. The development of many of our nearby Oakland neighborhoods were spawned by the proximity of the interurban lines.
If you would like to ride, some of these original interurban trains, you still can at the Western Railway museum in Rio Vista, CA. Visit www.wrm.org for more information.
Research, text, and installation by Daniel Levy, for an Eagle Scout Project.
Erected by Daniel Levy.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars.
Location. 37° 49.551′ N, 122° 12.412′ W. Marker is in Oakland, California, in Alameda County. It is in Montclair. It can be reached from Montclair Railroad Trail
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area and on the Coast Ranges. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Shepherd Canyon Highway That Almost Was (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Shepherd Canyon Corridor Plan (approx. 0.4 miles away); Corpus Christi Church (approx. one mile away); Leimert Bridge (approx. one mile away); a different marker also named Leimert Bridge (approx. one mile away); The Funeral Pyre (approx. 1.2 miles away); Pyramid to Moses (approx. 1.3 miles away); Voyage of the Brooklyn (approx. 1.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oakland.
More about this marker. The marker is located on the Montclair Railroad Trail, 1/4 mile south of the main trailhead, on the south side of the bridge that spans Snake Road. The path from the trailhead to the marker is paved and easily traversed.
Also see . . .
1. Sacramento Northern Railway (Wikipedia).
"The Sacramento Northern Railway (reporting mark SN) was a 183-mile (295 km) electric interurban railway that connected Chico in northern California with Oakland via the California capital, Sacramento. In its operation it ran directly on the streets(Submitted on October 21, 2021.)of Oakland, Sacramento, Yuba City, Chico, and Woodland and ran interurban passenger service until 1941 and freight service into the 1960s."Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, October 20, 20212. The Railroad History of Shepherd Canyon Marker - wide view
2. Landmarks (East Bay Hills Project). A segment-by-segment exploration of the SN Railway line through annotated archival photos. (Submitted on October 21, 2021.)
courtesy of Ted Wurm, Western Railroad Museum Archives, 1940
3. Marker inset: "A freight train rolls along the steep grade...
as it passes Havens Station. Note Shepherd Canyon Road to the right." (Also note that when this photo was taken, the road mentioned was named 'Park Boulevard' - the name was not changed until after the Sacramento Northern abandoned the line.)"
courtesy of Charles D. Savage, Western Railway Museum Archives, 1937
4. Marker inset: "Combine 1004 emerges out of the Shepherd Canyon Tunnel...
....near current day Gunn Road heading toward Montclair in 1937."
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 21, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 1,124 times since then and 76 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 21, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
