Since the Alameda Belt Line (AAR: ABL) ceased operations in 1998, a lot of its infastructure has remained intact, thankfully for modelers, but much to the chagrin of local motorists and city development officals. There is a long battle in at the city level for control of the little railroad’s land holdings.Some want a park where the the ABL had a 22 acre yard to service the waterfront industries.
A nicely written history of the Alameda Belt Line is available HERE.
The ABL was an all-ALCo railroad for 49 years, 1942-1991. They rostered a mix of ALCo S-1’s and S-2’s unitil their last S-2 was scrapped in 1991. In 1991 they went looking for replacement motive power and bought an ATSF GP7u and used that until abandonment in 1998. The ABL GP7u #44 went to the Central California Traction Co. in 1998 to become their #44.
At any rate, here’s the southern portion of the ABL photographed today, August 10th, 2008, a decade after the ABL’s abandonment. Here’s a guide as to where these photos were taken:
The largest and most noticable landmark of the Alameda Belt line is the Fruitvale Avenue Bridge. The bridge was once also used by the Key System Interurban cars and the Southern Pacific Interurban electrics in the before 1940. Up on the towers are the hoist houses, the bridge controls are located in the adjacent tower that controls the Fruitvale Ave. roadbridge, I think. (Feel free to correct me.)
Looking towards the bridge from Blanding Ave. crossing. This crossing is fully protected by gates (out of service) which still stand today, along with a UPRR crossing control box.
Further towards the bridge, you can see the torn up switch that used to lead to the street trackage that runs down blanding avenue.
Looking towards the team track across the Blanding Ave. crossing. Note the old wooden crossing with the huge tie bolts holding the crossing in place. Also note how the tiebolts are staggared.
Here’s an aerial view of the ABL team track. The Mainline snakes up and to the left, down Clement Ave. There is a spur that serves the side of the ramp closest to Tilden Way.
Here’s a view of the ramp, notice that it’s a concrete platform framed with older rail around it’s edges, I suppose to protect the concrete from being chipped by train or truck loading.
Here’s a better view of the ramp.
Looking down the street trackage of Clement Ave. Rocky Mountain Supply Co. is on the right.
Here’s the unusual notched and curved warehouse that now houses Alameda Collision Repair. The Brick wall is notched to accept a spur and has railroad car-level loading doors along the side.
This great old corrugated tin building was probably a small boatworks at one time. this structure is LOADED with character.
This former Rug factory is kittycorner to the ACR warehouse and across the street from the above building. Neat painted signs really add interest to this brick building. Note the rails embedded in the street.
Interesting web site. However, there are some errors.
Neither the Key System nor the Interurban Electric Railway ever used the bridge shown in the photos. It was built in 1951 – some ten yars after the IER discontinued service – while the Key System used the Park Street Bridge instead. Thus, this bridge was used solely by Southern Pacific (Union Pacific, after 9/11/1996).
Much of the trackage indicated in red as being ABL was actually owned, maintained and operated by SP (UP after 1996), not ABL. The line of demarcation between the SP and the ABL was on the south side of the crossing at Broadway; thus all trackage south of there (including the Team Track at Broadway and Tilden) was SP. This explains why the crossing relay house at Blanding Avenue lists UP.
The ABL “history” that is linked to has been much published, but contains many errors. For example, it refers to the railroad as the Alameda “Beltline” (one word) while the actual name was Alameda Belt Line (two words). Also, it states that ABL was owned jointly by the Santa Fe and the “Western” Railroad. The second company was actually the Western Pacific Railroad.