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Re: Berkeley CA Historic Freight Operations
Author: Dr Zarkoff
Date: 11-22-2015 - 21:54
>One further question: the ATSF main to Oakland that you say was on the other side of town in 1981.
I was referring to the AT&SF main line from Stockton, not the branch to Oakland. The Stockton Sub is still where it's been for the last 100+ years and sees lots of traffic. The branch to Oakland was the former California and Nevada RR, a narrow gauge line. There was some sort of 99 lease/franchise which was about to expire, the part through Berkeley as I recall, and the AT&SF got out a few years early. There was no way the City of Berkeley was going to renew it. After WWII the local RR haters sponsored at least two referendums to create a city bond issue for raising the money to buy the line from the Santa Fe. I told Pop to vote no on the second one because within 15 years the existence of the line would be a moot point, so why pay more taxes to buy something which would be free in a few years? At the time Berkeley had the highest tax rate in the state.
I was referring to the AT&SF main line from Stockton, not the branch to Oakland. The Stockton Sub is still where it's been for the last 100+ years and sees lots of traffic. The branch to Oakland was the former California and Nevada RR, a narrow gauge line. There was some sort of 99 lease/franchise which was about to expire, the part through Berkeley as I recall, and the AT&SF got out a few years early. There was no way the City of Berkeley was going to renew it. After WWII the local RR haters sponsored at least two referendums to create a city bond issue for raising the money to buy the line from the Santa Fe. I told Pop to vote no on the second one because within 15 years the existence of the line would be a moot point, so why pay more taxes to buy something which would be free in a few years? At the time Berkeley had the highest tax rate in the state.
