Trains, Trains, Trains, Newark - Alviso Slough Drawbridge Route / Union Pacific Freight ((HD))

South Pacific Coast Railroad - 1880 In 1876, James "Slippery Jim" Fair and Alfred "Hog" Davis saw the potential of connecting the Bay Area to Santa Cruz via railroad - a connection that robber baron Leland Stanford and his Southern Pacific Railroad had not yet made. From Newark, the rail would wend into the Byzantine waterways of the bay to Alviso & San Jose & intermediate stops on the way to Santa Cruz - 80 miles of narrow-gauge track. This project was in direct competition with the ruthless Leland Stanford which made it a bold venture indeed. When the plan went forward, a problem presented itself in the form of two navigable waterways - Mud Creek Slough and Coyote Creek Slough. By law, the waterways were required to remain open for shipping. The S.P.C.R.R.'s solution called for a drawbridge over each waterway operated by a lone bridge tender. The speck of land between the two waterways, where the rail crossed, was Station Island. The bridge tender lived in a small cabin on Station Island - the first inhabitant of what was to be called Drawbridges or Drawbridge. Fruit, vegetables, and other products of the land were shipped across the Bay to San Francisco in "scow schooners" - two-masted boats with a hinged centerboard, and a "fishermans sail" to catch the wind when the sloughs were at low tide. The red line on map indicates the route of the railroad coming from Newark into Drawbridge (Station Island) and then on to Alviso. --------------------------------------------------- http://www.sanjose.com/underbelly/unbelly/Draw/draw1.html In 1838, the Mexican Governor, Juan Bautista Alvarado, granted the land that was to become Alviso (Rincon de los Esteros Rancho) to Ignacio Alviso. Ignacio was part of the merry band of adventurers, led by Captain Juan Bautista de Anza, who first trooped into the area in 1776. The townsite of Alviso was laid out in December 1849 by Chester S. Lymon for its promoters, Jacob Hoppe, Charles Marvin, Kimball Dimmick, and Robert Neligh. December 1849 also saw the arrival of the first steamboat, Sacramento (reportedly an old scow with an engine in it). Jacob was later scalded to death when the steamboat Jenny Lind exploded in 1853. Steamboat explosions being a common occurrence in those days. The town was incorporated in 1852. Alviso was the primary junction between San Francisco and San Jose for the transportation of goods and people. That ended in 1864 with the completion of the San Francisco-San Jose Railroad which bypassed Alviso - faster, less expensive. In 1876, the narrow-gauge South Pacific Coast Railroad bisected Alviso. Alvisoans were still mad at the San Francisco-San Jose Railroad, and would not allow the train to stop in Alviso - except to drop off mail. Prior to the Spanish arriving, the area was inhabited by Ohlone Indians - who had been living there for several thousand years or so. So many stories lost in time. For more info on the history of Alviso California follow the link below... http://www.sanjose.com/underbelly/unbelly/Draw/draw1.html ______________________________ News Photographer Reporting: Gerard Ange' G.A.P. INTERNATIONAL INC. ©2009 (all Rights Reserved) ==================================== G.A.P INTERNATIONAL NEWS SERVICE: ©2009 Gerard Ange' Productions International Inc. G.A.P. INTERNATIONAL INC (all Rights Reserved) For Assignments or Booking: Call (415) 717-8302 http://www.win-tv.net http://www.youtube.com/user/gerardange http://my.media-match.com/gerard.ange http://www.linkedin.com/in/gerardange http://www.gapinternational.com For the rest of the story follow the link below: http://www.win-tv.net/GAP_WINTV_Site/GAP_WIN-Tv_Website_Theft.html Category: Autos & Vehicles Tags: AMTRAK LORAM Railroad R&R RXR RR 铁路 鐵路 철도 鉄道 Ferrocarril Железная дорога Estrada de ferro Ferrovia Σιδηρόδρομος Ρ Eisenbahn Spoorweg Locomotive Southern Pacific CALTRAIN WINTV Chemin de fer RAIL club Kiel Modellbahn MEC Modelleisenbahn Modelleisenbahnclub Modellbahnclub Märklin Trix Roco HO bahn LIONEL