These pictures are the worest of the group I took but the lighting was playing heck with the iPhone camera and the UP track crew foreman didn't like me stopping to watch too much from the looks I was getting so I moved right along.

The more interesting thing to me was that for a long time now the tracks leading to the Fruitvale bridge have been severed and as far as I know there are no more customers in Alameda and all the tracks leading into the glass factory have been removed. But today the track gang was replacing the track leading to the Fruitvale Bridge with new heavy rail panel track.

Does anyone know if UP plans on bringing rail service back to Alameda? If so who is the customer? Is the glass factory going to start shipping by rail............I never have understood why the UP hasn't tried to get the sand business for the factory back there is a non-stop straem of trucks bringing sand into the facility one would think it rail could move it at a lower cost.

As an aside my Grandfather's house was near this location to the north on the 1700 black of 37th Ave where it dead ended into the creek. If anyone here remembers a Juan Jose de la Pena that was a master furniture/cabinet maker at the SP Oakland Shops until the day they closed please get in contact with me I am looking for picture/stories of him at work. I was lucky enough to visit him at the shops a few times in the months before he retired. By then the wood sops only had two emplyoees him and a helper and they weren't making furniture for the stations or headquarters anylonger they weer making crossing arms.

Picture #1 Track leading to Fruitvale Bridge as they pass under the "Nimitz" not in very good shape

Picture #2 Panel Track being put in place

Once again thank you for letting me share,
John Delapena
jed747@yahoo.com