San Francisco and Alameda Railroad
| Locale | Northern California |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | 1864–1870 |
| Successor | Central Pacific Railroad |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
In 1863 A. A. Cohen, a prominent San Francisco attorney, together with Charles Minturn, an operator of river steamboats and bay ferries, E. B. Mastick, a prominent Alameda landowner, and others incorporated the San Francisco and Alameda Railroad to provide passenger and freight ferry-train service to Alameda, San Leandro, Hayward (then called Hayward's) and perhaps farther. System construction began in 1864 on a wharf (Alameda Pier) at the foot of Pacific Avenue in Alameda and a railroad from there along Pacific Ave. to 4th St., private right-of-way to 5th St., Linnet St. (later Railroad Ave., then Lincoln Ave.) to Alameda station at Park St. with a few intermediate stations including Mastick, east of 8th St., and Encinal, east of Grand St., named after the neighborhood, but also known as Fasskings after the nearby entertainment pavilion. Service began later that year.
Construction continued via private right-of-way between the Oakland Estuary and San Leandro Bay, (Alameda was then a peninsula rather than an island) to stations named Fruit Vale (later renamed Fernside) at Fernside Blvd. and Pearl St. near the present Fruitvale Bridge, to Simpson's (later renamed Melrose) near the present 48th Ave. and then, turning southeastward, to Fitch's (later named Fitchburg) near the present 77th Ave., to Jones (later Elmhurst) near the present 98th Ave. to the Bay side of San Leandro. The track turned sharply left there onto Ward (now West Estudillo) St. to the SF&A San Leandro station at the intersection with the county road. The track then turned sharply to the right to follow the county road (now East 14th St. in San Leandro, Mission Blvd. in Hayward) toward San Jose. Near Hayward, the track angled to the right on private right-of-way to A St. and Watkins St., following Watkins St. to D St. where a station was built. Service to Hayward started in 1865.
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