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locomotive Liberty 5

The San Francisco and Oakland Railroad (SF&O) was the first railroad in Alameda County. It was built to provide transportation from San Francisco to Oakland via ferry and then by train to Clinton. In 1868, it was purchased by the Central Pacific Railroad to become part of the western end of the first transcontinental railroad.

The San Francisco and Oakland Railroad and Ferry Co. was formed in October 1861 by Rodman Gibbons, William Hillegass, Rector E. Cole, Samuel Wood, Joseph Black, and George Goss. Myron Dusinbury is said to have turned the first shovel of dirt for the construction on August 8, 1862. 5 After being given a franchise by the legislature, they started with a ferry running to Oakland Point, then known as Gibbons' Point. Railroad service on the SF&O began in September 1863, with a train running to 7th near Broadway. 1,2 The first ferryboat used by the SF&O was the leased Contra Costa. 3,4 One of its first locomotives was the 4-4-4 Liberty. On the inaugural run on September 2, 1863, James Batchelder was engineer, and Myron Dusinbury was the conductor. They used a steam dummy they called "Old Betty" and 3 cars made by Goss and Charles W. Stevens. 5,6

The company extended the line to the foot of 4th Avenue. The cost of the extension plus the purchase of a new ferryboat caused Gibbons and the others to become overextended and lose control of the railroad to Alfred A. Cohen in 1865. The Central Pacific then purchased the SF&O from Cohen in 1868, and Cohen's now-bankrupt San Francisco and Alameda Railroad in 1869.

There were no accidents on the railroad, but on July 4, 1868, a crowded gangplank to the ferry El Capitan collapsed, throwing numerous passengers into the water. An article lists 10 dead, including two year-old Cora Harrington. 7

The rail route is shown on the 1868 Boardman map. Note that various accounts describe the pier as 0.75 miles long, but the Boardman map shows it 6,940 feet, or about 1.3 miles long.

Links and References

  1. Alameda County: Chapter VII Oakland Tribune January 20, 1887
  2. On the Ferry Oakland Tribune September 27, 1887
  3. San Francisco and Oakland Railroad Wikipedia
  4. Beyond the Golden Gate National Park Service 2012
  5. When Rail and Water First Met in Oakland Oakland Tribune February 7, 1932
  6. First Conductor on the Seventh Street Road has a Budget of Interesting Facts Oakland Enquirer May 3, 1902
  7. Terrible Disaster Across the Bay—Loss of Life San Francisco Examiner July 6, 1868
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