Saratoga and Almaden Railroad

Last updated
Saratoga and Almaden Railroad
Overview
Type Steam railroad
Locale Santa Clara County, California
Events
Planning began 1884
Ceased 1905
Technical
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in) standard gauge

The Saratoga and Almaden Railroad was a shortlived standard gauge steam railroad [1] in western Santa Clara County [2] that existed in the late 1880s but was gone by 1905. Several miles of the railroad were built, and financial troubles or some unknown reason were the cause of its demise.

Contents

History

In 1884, it was planned that a railroad be built from Murphy's station along the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks to Saratoga, with the long-term goal of building a collective 22 miles of track [3] in order to reach the mines of New Almaden. At least five miles of track were laid, [4] and the railroad was likely built from Murphy's station all the way to Saratoga. If this were the case, the name "Saratoga and Almaden Railroad" may have been chosen to garner support for the unbuilt section of the line. Currently, the most identifiable features along the old right of way are a creek channel owned by the Santa Clara Valley Water District and Blaney Road in Cupertino.

Saratoga, California City in California, United States

Saratoga is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is located on the west side of the Santa Clara Valley, directly west of San Jose, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 29,926 at the 2010 census. Located on the Western edge of the Silicon Valley, Saratoga is known locally for its suburban small-town feel, wineries, and high-end restaurants. Major attractions of Saratoga include Villa Montalvo, Hakone Gardens, and the Mountain Winery.

The Santa Clara Valley Water District provides stream stewardship, wholesale water supply and flood protection for Santa Clara County, California, in the southern San Francisco Bay Area. The district encompasses all of the county's 1,300 square miles (3,400 km2) and serves the area's 15 cities, 1.9 million residents and more than 200,000 commuters. The district's three water treatment plants can produce as much as 210,000,000 US gallons (800,000 m3) of drinking water a day. Another part of the district's mission is to manage flood and storm waters along the county's hundreds of miles of creeks and rivers in an environmentally sensitive manner.

Funding and late history

The railroad had at least $200,000 in capital at their disposal, [5] which came at least in part from 150 gold bonds issued around 1885 that were signed by the company president D.M. Pyle and the company secretary. These gold bonds expired twenty years later, but the railroad ran into financial troubles as soon as 1886. [6] Notably, the Southern Pacific Railroad and Peninsular Railway began service on the Mayfield Cutoff in 1908, just three years after the gold bonds expired.

Southern Pacific Transportation Company United States Class I railroad (1865–1996)

The Southern Pacific was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1998 that operated in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the names Southern Pacific Railroad, Southern Pacific Company and Southern Pacific Transportation Company.

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