The Central California Traction Company started out in 1907 connecting the towns of Stockton and Lodi to the north. By 1910, the line had continued further northward to Sacramento. It was considered a full-scale interurban operation, complete with overhead wire within Stockton, Lodi and Sacramento, and an electrified third rail in the rural areas in between. Thus, each interurban car had to be fitted with both trolley poles and third-rail pickups.

Over the years, however, passenger service declined until 1933, when it was decided to cease passenger operations. The line still had a lot of freight potential in the burgeoning central California area, though: the Southern Pacific, Western Pacific, and Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroads all wanted to purchase the line. By 1936, it was decided to give each of the three railroads a joint ownership of the line.

Freight operations (still under the name of CCTCo) continued on the line for a significant amount of time after, even after the electrical infrastructure (overhead wires and third rails) was removed in 1947 since only diesels were used on the line by that time. The CCTCo discontinued service along the line between Lodi and Sacramento in 1998; despite being in poor shape, the tracks remain, as the CCTCo hopes to revive them one day for future operations.

Today, the CCTCo itself is still in service around the Lodi area, serving a number of customers along former Southern Pacific trackage. It also continues to operate the original line between Stockton and Lodi.