John Vonderlin to Angelo Misthos
Hi Angelo,
June thinks the attached photo is of the Pilarcitos OSR trestle. Any thoughts? Is that a double-tracked trestle? I seem to remember they had that and electrification as part of their plan. I researched Mr. McFarland and was amazed by his obsessive love of trains. A lot of it is covered in an Archived description of his collection when it was sold a few years ago. Fascinating stuff. I’ve attached a ScreenShot of the website. Enjoy.
Email John: [email protected]
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Angelo Misthos to John Vonderlin
Hello, John. Re June’s Pilarcitos trestle photo attachment and your question whether it was double-tracked. I’m relying mainly on Jack Wagner’s THE LAST WHISTLE. Pg. 35 shows a double-tracked OS overpass crossing the SP line in San Francisco, though rails were installed only on one side. I know of no other place where the OS had built any double track trestle except possibly the southern division where the OS had built trestles for two tracks and the S.P.’s Coastline Railway one, and those were later filled in to afford three track fills. But of course the money squeeze caused by the 1906 earthquake put the kibosh on the OS’s plans for double-tracking. Per Wagner’s list of trestles in the appendix the one at McNee was the next one north, shown on Pg. 120. I remember that trestle just as depicted, immediately south of the Montara station and west of the then highway. Note the similarity of the heavy multiple horizontal timbers to that of the one on the Pilarcitos trestle. I have no doubt that the Pilarcitos trestle was also single-tracked. The McNee trestle was removed when the highway was widened. Hope this helps. Angelo