Greetings family, friends and train buddies! Come along with me today as we visit a nearby railroad that diguised their locomotives as trolley cars to avoid frightening horses encountered along the way to "The Reservation". Bill
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Historic Ramblings
SAN JOSE & ALUM ROCK PARK RAILWAY
In the late 19 th century enterprising trolley companies in many
American Cities began building picnic and recreation areas at the
end of the line to encourage weekend ridership and boost revenue.
In addition to picnic grounds many of the parks would include
carousels, pavilions, live entertainment and if the park was located
near a beach or lake, swimming and other water activities would
typically be available. By the turn of the 20 th century more than a
thousand American cities and towns would boast having trolley
parks.
Close to home, Oakland’s Idora Amusement Park was situated
next to the bay at the end of the trolley line, and in San Francisco
you could hop on a trolley for a nickel to reach all the exciting
diversions at the end of the line at Sutro Baths and at Playland-at-
the-Beach.
Rail service into California’s oldest municipal park, originally known
as “The Reservation” began in 1896 from the end of the horse car
line on Santa Clara Street in downtown San Jose through two
tunnels and over several trestles to the bucolic destination.
Passengers paid twenty five cents to travel the eight mile route in
street cars pulled by steam dummy locomotives disguised to
appear as street cars to avoid frightening horses that may be
encountered along the route. The narrow gauge line was
purchased by the San Jose and Santa Clara Railway in 1898,
operated as the “park division” and electrified in 1901. Power was
received from overhead lines strung from the largest gasoline
fueled electric power house on the West Coast located at the
mouth of Alum Rock Canyon. As part of a consolidation of Santa
Clara Valley railroads, the San Jose and Santa Clara Railway was
sold in 1910, however major flooding the following year wiped out
much of the railways infrastructure leading in to Alum Rock Park.
An entirely new re-routed standard gauge rail line built to first class
interurban standards was completed and put into operation by the
Peninsular Railway in 1913. The proliferation of automobiles and
the impact of the great depression signaled the end of rail service
into Alum Rock Park and the historic line was abandoned in 1932.
-Bill 12/23 Vintage 1906 postcard from my collection
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