Coast Line Depots: Valley Division (used) 4

Coast Line Depots: Valley Division (used)
published by Omni Publications
with more than 300 B&W illustrations, 8 maps, 8 color plates, comprehensive station roster, bibliography, index

In the 1890s, an effort was being made by prominent California business interests to organize and construct an independent railroad through the fertile San Joaquin Valley. This was not a casual venture but rather a means for survival to counter the harsh traffic policies of the already present Southern Pacific Railroad. Led by Claus Spreckles of San Francisco, foremost sugar magnate on the Pacific Coast, the San Francisco & San Joaquin Valley Railway Company was formed in 1895 for the sole purpose of breaking the stranglehold of "The Octopus."

In 1899, the "People's Road" or Valley road, as it was also known, became part of the transcontinental Santa Fe system and trackage was pushed towards San Francisco. Additional feeder lines were ultimately built or acquired to strengthen Santa Fe's infrastructure within the San Joaquin Valley.

Read on as the authors present a station-by-station look at the depots along the Valley Division of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway.