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Re: Return to Richmond's Unsolved Mysteries
Author: BTW
Date: 01-13-2021 - 17:05
TMer Wrote:
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> Thanks so much for your comments BTW. Bullets
> notwithstanding, I still think Richmond is a very
> interesting area for folks interested in railroad
> history. Doubly so because it is still a pretty
> active rail area although not neccessarily a place
> you stand around with a camera.
You're welcome. Yes, I agree. It's a shame that so much of the railroading that made it so interesting has disappeared. Aside from the SP, ATSF, Richmond Belt and Parr Terminal, there was the East Shore & Suburban's trolleys, the Maritime Commission's ex-NY elevated cars running to the shipyards during WWII, Standard Oil Co's own narrow-gauge electric railroad. and the California Wine Exchange's electric railroad at Winehaven, to boot. Going way back, the quarry at Pt. Castro (Blake Bros.) had a small fleet of 36" gauge Porter 0-4-0T's. The various railroad operations of the Pt. Richmond area could fill several volumes. I have a fair amount of Richmond Belt Railway records that I saved from the dumpster many years ago. I would love to see a good book written someday about Mr. Pillsbury's railroad.
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> Thanks so much for your comments BTW. Bullets
> notwithstanding, I still think Richmond is a very
> interesting area for folks interested in railroad
> history. Doubly so because it is still a pretty
> active rail area although not neccessarily a place
> you stand around with a camera.
You're welcome. Yes, I agree. It's a shame that so much of the railroading that made it so interesting has disappeared. Aside from the SP, ATSF, Richmond Belt and Parr Terminal, there was the East Shore & Suburban's trolleys, the Maritime Commission's ex-NY elevated cars running to the shipyards during WWII, Standard Oil Co's own narrow-gauge electric railroad. and the California Wine Exchange's electric railroad at Winehaven, to boot. Going way back, the quarry at Pt. Castro (Blake Bros.) had a small fleet of 36" gauge Porter 0-4-0T's. The various railroad operations of the Pt. Richmond area could fill several volumes. I have a fair amount of Richmond Belt Railway records that I saved from the dumpster many years ago. I would love to see a good book written someday about Mr. Pillsbury's railroad.
