Ocean Shore Railroad

The Ocean Shore Railroad was intended to be built from San Francisco to Santa Cruz, California, via a route along the Pacific coastline.

Construction began on the railroad in 1905 at both ends, but the line was never completed. The April 18, 1906, earthquake caused major damage and delayed completion of the railroad. A major tunnel was built at Devil's Slide; another tunnel was built near Davenport. There were numerous bridges and trestles along the route. The tracks from San Francisco were completed as far south as Tunitas Creek, south of Half Moon Bay. The tracks north from Santa Cruz were completed as far north as Swanton, north of Davenport. Trackage within the city of San Francisco was electrified, while the rest of the line was operated with steam locomotives, and later, with self-propelled railcars. Despite significant passenger patronage, especially on weekends, the railroad never recovered from losses in the 1906 earthquake and failed to attract enough freight traffic to cover increasing deficits.

Completion of the Pedro Mountain Road in 1913 provided additional competition to the railroad, particularly since many farmers began using trucks to transport their produce to San Francisco, instead of paying expensive freight charges.

Mainline service was abandoned in 1921. The line north from Santa Cruz was operated for several more years by the San Vicente Lumber Company; electrified trackage within the city of San Francisco, which served major industries, was operated for many years, in part by the San Francisco Muni.

A segment of the railroad in the southeast section of San Francisco was taken over and operated by the Western Pacific Railroad. This section was in use until the mid-1980s and was the last part of the Ocean Shore in operation.

Portions of the right of way can be seen along the Rockaway headlands and along the railway berm in Pedro Point. The huge cut between Fairway Park and Vallemar was blasted out by railroad engineers. Several railroad stations still stand. One is now the Vallemar Station Grill, located at 2125 Coast Highway. Another is Tobin Station on San Pedro Point (corner of Danmann Avenue and Shelter Cove Road). The former outdoor shelter was enclosed many years ago and is now a private residence. The former Edgemar Station was located near the intersection of Clifton road and Waterford Street, Pacifica as is clearly shown on the official Ocean Shore Railroad grade diagram. The small office building at the corner of Manor Drive and Oceana boulevard has sometimes been mistaken for the Edgemar Station.

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