Caldecott more tunnel history Train Tunnel pt.2

In 1911 the Oakland Antioch & Eastern Railway opened a 3,400 foot train tunnel in the Oakland Hills (closed) from Oakland to Walnut Creek and on to Bay Point. The tunnel was used for commuters, travelers and moving fruits & vegetables. The tunnel was closed and the last car was in 1959. The remnants of a tunnel are only barely visible. It's a nice drive to check out those sights. Here is some info I gathered from historians. This tunnel was actually the 2nd tunnel in the east bay hills. The first was the 1903 Inter-county Tunnel for cars, horses and pedestrians. The Caldecott bores were opened in 1937 (2 bores) and 1964 for the third bore. A forth bore is being considered and has been considered since the mid Sixties. It is now being created and will be completed soon. "Since then the railway has been broadening out in its field of service to its patrons, trains at convenient hours were put on between San Francisco and Concord for the commuters who live in the pretty towns in Contra Costa County and work in Oakland and San Francisco. Low commutation rates and excursion fares were arranged for. Freight service was looked after closely to develop it to the needs of the communities along the line. This led to putting on a fast fruit and vegetable train during the season to make delivery at Oakland at 4 o'clock in the morning. Passengers leave San Francisco via the Key Route ferry, Market Street, crossing the bay to the Key Route mole, Oakland, where the Oakland, Antioch & Eastern Railway train is boarded. The train passes through the heart of the city of Oakland over Fortieth Street to the Oakland depot at Fortieth Street and Shafter Avenue, then along Shafter Avenue to the Berkeley Hills, where the train climbs along the sides of these picturesque ridges.

Near the top, at Cape Horn, a rift in the mountainous hills shows a grand panoramic view of the city of Oakland, Alameda, and the waters beyond. After this parting view of the city of Oakland, the train passes through steep wooded hills of green foliage until the highest point is reached, where the train enters a tunnel, the eastern end of which opens into Redwood Canyon, a natural picnic park about three miles long. Here may be seen almost every kind of California tree and wild plant from the redwoods, standing straight and tall, to the numerous varieties of ferns and wild roses which grow in rank profusion everywhere.




Emerging from Redwood Canyon you see the Moraga Valley spread out like a map below. Presently the train is on the floor of this fertile and beautiful valley at Moraga Station, the center of a settlement of commuters.




After leaving Moraga, Country Club, Burton, and Lafayette in their turn, the train enters the San Ramon valley at Saranap, where a branch line extends to the prettily situated towns of Alamo, Danville, and Diablo Station at the foot of Mount Diablo, where an auto stage can be taken to the summit, from which point a wonderful view is had of the surrounding country. By reason of the continuous clear weather around Mount Diablo, one is almost always assured of a good clear view."
 
I just met someone in Oregon who grew up in the area around Saroni Dr where the West Portal of the rail tunnel was. He said he and friends used to walk into it and that there was a creek flowing out of it. Apparently the tunnel is still intact but sealed. Neighbors in the area of Saroni experience cave ins from time to time.

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[organicgroove23]

(more)........... did remain open for a time after 1937 when the Caldecott opened. I could imagine bicyclists and horse riders going on the weekends through to Contra Costa via that old upper tunnel. So far there is no proof that it was opened at all after 1937's Caldecott debut

[bcschmerker]

@organicgroove23 I visited the site on 29 September 2011, and in fact the Kennedy Tunnel was closed 1947 (about 14 years before the Oakland & Antioch tunnel, when the WP finished ripping up the tracks and overhead power) due to rotting timbers and cave-ins.

[organicgroove23]

@bcschmerker

Hi....Thanks....I got your message. I can forward you some history papers if you like about the old tunnel. I think I can get you a link that gives the dates for the Kennedy Tunnel start, completion & demise plus for the Oakland & Antioch Railroad tunnel.

[organicgroove23]

@bcschmerker

Kennedy tunnel or Inter-county Tunnel opened 1903 closed 1937. There was a collapse in 1947 & 48 that did it in completely, but there is no record of this tunnel being used for the public after 1937.

The train tunnel in the hills started, the Oakland Antioch Railway started 1909 at Bay Point. It got to Walnut Creek in 1912 and was completed with the tunnel in 1913. There is a picture of the tunnel being in disrepair as of 1957 although it may have been opened for a few years

[organicgroove23]

Yea, funny about that bike path idea. That actually is a cool idea. It could be possible. The tunnel does still exist in fact but is buried on both sides. It would cost a fortune to revamp it and the road leading to Moraga. It could be something East Bay Parks could take up. They actually have the organization to do it. This was my original thought about the old Kennedy/Upper Broadway Tunnel, that in fact it did remain open for a time after 1937 when the Caldecott opened.

[organicgroove23]

OK, The Oakland schools were getting filled up and the bus sysytem someway was not servicing the upper Oakland Hills. Concord had Mt Diablo high School and had a low attendance, probably in the hundreds. The train went right down near Todos Santos Plaza in Concord and someone figured out that kids up in those hills would or should go to Mt Diablo High. This is my guess.

[bcschmerker]

@oaks1948 Thus the idea that I had to reinforce it to the same standard as Caldecott Bore 3, which would mitigate the soil issues with the properties cited.

[trisoma1]

@bcschmerker

Sure, but are you willing to make the toll for bikes $380.00 to pay for it?

[trisoma1]

Why did students ride 45min from Oakland to Concord to school? Oakland schools were still ok, no??

[bcschmerker]

I'd sure like to see this tunnel cleared, reinforced to at least the same standards as Caldecott Bore 3, ventilated with shafts at appropriate points, and made part of a Regional Trail extension from Moraga to Montclair. Could be an excellent pedestrian/bicycle route.