The Shipyard Railway was an electric commuter rail/interurban line that served workers at the Richmond Shipyards in Richmond, California, United States, during World War II. It was funded by the United States Maritime Commission and was built and operated by the Key System, which already operated similar lines in the East Bay. The line ran from a pair of stations on the Emeryville/Oakland border – where transfer could be made to other Key System lines – northwest through Emeryville, Berkeley, Albany, and Richmond to the shipyards. It operated partially on city streets and partially on a dedicated right-of-way paralleling the Southern Pacific Railroad mainline.
The Maritime Commission authorized the line in June 1942 over two competing proposals and construction began that August. It was built quickly with available materials, including rails reused from other lines and a bridge constructed from old turntables. The line operated with former elevated railway cars from New York City, which were rebuilt for use on the Shipyard Railway. Service began to Shipyard #2 on January 18, 1943, with two extensions to the other shipyards over the following month. It closed on September 30, 1945, after the conclusion of the war. Most of the 90 cars were later scrapped, but two are preserved at the Western Railway Museum.
Route
The southern terminus of the line was at Yerba Buena Avenue (40th Street) and Louise Street on the Emeryville/Oakland border. A fare controlled platform was built for the Shipyard trains. Connections could be made there with Key System routes A and B, which turned south on Louise Street, outside of fare control. The line ran east on 40th Street (on the south side of the Key System mainline) to San Pablo Avenue, where a pair of fare controlled platforms were located; connections could be made there with other Key System routes outside of fare control.
The line ran north on San Pablo Avenue, turned west for two blocks on Grayson Street, then continued north on Ninth Street. Splitting from Ninth Street, it crossed Codornices Creek and ran diagonally northwest on a private right-of-way across Albany Village, a federal housing project for war workers. A curved trestle bridge brought the line over the main line of the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP). It ran north on dedicated tracks between the Eastshore Highway and the Southern Pacific tracks. Wigwags were used at grade crossings on this segment.
The line turned west along Potrero Avenue in Richmond, reaching Shipyard #2 at 14th Street. After the stop at the Pre-fab Yard (10th Street), it turned north on 8th Street to Cutting Boulevard. It ran west on Cutting Boulevard with a stop at Shipyard #1 at 5th Street. Near Canal Boulevard, the line turned south onto private right-of-way, with stops at Shipyard #4 and Shipyard #3.
The line was fully double track except for Grayson Street and two short sections in Richmond. Express trains at shift changes served only the shipyard stops and the Key System transfer points at 40th Avenue. Local trains ran every 35–40 minutes and served additional local stops in Emeryville, Berkeley, Albany, and Richmond. Running time was about 45 minutes for local trains and several minutes faster for express trains.
History
As the Richmond Shipyards were expanded at the beginning of World War II, mass transit was needed to bring East Bay workers to the shipyards. Two "belt line" proposals were advanced in early 1942. "Plan 1", created by an Oakland mayoral commission, would have run from San Leandro to the shipyards. It would have reused several abandoned Interurban Electric Railway (IER) lines: the Dutton Avenue line (some of which had been taken over by the Key System), tracks along the SP mainline, the 7th Street Line, and the 9th Street Line. New trackage would have been built from Solano Avenue along Panhandle Boulevard (now Carlson Boulevard) and Cutting Boulevard. An alternate proposal by a business association would have used existing Western Pacific Railroad, SP, and Santa Fe Railway tracks. On June 6, 1942, the United States Maritime Commission authorized the Key System to construct and operate a line connecting the Richmond Shipyards to existing mass transit lines in Oakland. The "belt line" proposals were rejected at that time.