San Jose, California

Link: http://arotus.co/5jk

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• States: California   
• Railroads: SP   

The Abandoned Rails of San Jose

Point of Interest

Map submitted by Paul Carr.

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The Lick Branch: Southern Pacific employee map showing the Lick Branch Line. (Submitted by Paul Carr)

The Lick Branch: The Lick Branch left the Southern Pacific (now Union Pacific) Coast Line a few miles south of San Jose, at a location called Lick. The branch proceeded for a few miles, generally southwest, to its original end at the QuickSilver mines at New Almaden. Along the route, the line served orchards, gravel pits, Hubbard and Johnson Lumber and the Almaden Winery.

The line was shortened due to an abandonment of the section south of Alamitos in 1937. The remainder was formally abandoned in January of 1981, but the last train most likely ran in 1979.

Most of the right-of-way cannot be traced easily, as there are now housing subdivisions along much of its route. Not far from the main line junction, the right of way is used for a self storage facility. Further south, the last couple miles of the branch ROW are now used for the VTA light rail system, built in the early 1990s. The single track light rail line includes the Oakridge and Almaden stations on the former SP segment.

ICC Abandonment Filings

SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD
Docket Number: AB-12 Sub 30	Date: 5/24/1976	Section: 1a
Application filed for authority to abandon railroad from MP 55.24 at Lick in a southwesterly direction to the end of the branch at MP 58.97 near Alamitos, a distance of 3.73 miles in Santa Clara County, Calif.
Length: 3.73 miles	Citation:

Great article. I remember as a child growing up in that area in the 1970s the tracks of the Lick Branch. While riding in the car with my parents to run errands, go to the store, etc, we'd cross the tracks at various locations. Always hoped to see a train pass by but never did.

At the Blossom Hill Rd grade crossing, there were overhead flashing lights with crossing gates on each side of the road. There were also lights and gates in the median of Blossom Hill. The signals were set up just like VTA has it set up for the light rail. On the north side of Blossom Hill, west side of the track, was a huge quarry with large cranes that held scoops to pick up rock. At the Pearl Ave crossing, there were just railroad crossing cross bucks, no lights, bells, or gates. Next to that crossing was a cement loading ramp that served that spur shown on the map next to the Pearl Ave crossing. That loading dock had a tin roof covering. I always thought that's where the area farmers must've brought their goods to meet up with the freight trains. The right-of-way wandered through tall golden grass between Pearl Ave and Capital Expressway. The crossing at Capital Expressway was just like that at Blossom Hill Rd with lights and gates on either side of the street and in the median. At this crossing, you could look north up the track and see the track make a 90 degree curve to the right (east).

Then in the late 70s, the signals and gates at Blossom Hill Rd came down and they covered the rails with asphalt. There was a mound of dirt they put at the new end of the line north of Blossom Hill Rd. The tracks then became overgrown with weeds. I remember in the mid 1980s seeing a reporter from San Jose's Channel 11 News standing at the old track on Blossom Hill Rd stating how VTA bought the right-of-way to turn into it's light rail route.

Years ago, that must've been a very scenic route traveling through the open farms and orchards with the golden Santa Teresa Foothills in the distance. Too bad I didn't think to take photos along that route when the track still existed.

Steve Rinker
San Jose
5/3/2009

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I was born well after this line had been abandoned, but do remember crossing along Branham Lane and seeing the footings for what was once the railroad bridge. For some reason, they always fascinated me even though it wasn't till much later that I learned that there used to be a line running through the area. From what I was told by one of my teachers who lived in the area when the line was abandoned, several of the homeowners were given the right to purchase the land. If you look at the houses that sit along the old path, they do have larger backyards than any of the other houses in the area.

Anthony Madrid
Pflugerville, TX
2/12/2011

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