The Laundry Farm Railroad was a shortline steam railroad running from the train station at Fruitvale to the Laundry Farm Hotel. It was also called the Alameda County Railroad, the California Railway, and the Oakland, Alameda and Laundry Farm Railroad at different times, but was commonly referred to as the Laundry Farm Railroad. In addition to Laundry Farm and Park Place, it gave easier access to Mills College and Beulah Heights. The line existed from 1888 to c.1937, though much of that time as part of the Key System.
A few later articles refer to it as the Leona Heights Railroad, but that wasn't used officially. The only thing more complicated than the name changes was the list of owners, but the name most associated with the railroad was Colonel James H. Woodard.
1889 map excerpt
Construction
In August 1887, it was announced that J.H. Woodard and associates were going to build a railroad from the Seminary Park station up to Laundry Farm. The stated goals were to provide transportation to Mills, sell the land, access the available water, and get access to the rock in the hills above for building.
They soon decided to change the route a bit and go from Fruitvale and make use of a temporary line that had been built. But there were problems securing property along the right of way, then Woodard disappeared for a time, ostensibly for health reasons.
Then the nascent Oakland, Alameda and Laundry Farm Railroad was sold in January 1888 by J.H. Woodard to H.E. Drew, who was the contractor who was to build the line. In lieu of cash, he would be paid in equity for each mile completed. The name was changed to the Alameda County Railway. Woodard and the others each retained a single share so they could remain as directors.
Work began, but there were additional problems securing the right of way. They managed to get permission from Mills College by agreeing that none of the land would be sold to outside parties except with the added clause prohibiting the sale of intoxicating liquors. Violation of the clause would result in the land reverting to Mills. Real estate ads for Park Place made much of the ease of access, the climate, the water rights, and proximity to Mills.
Inaugural Run
Finally, in August 1888 the line opened to the public. The inaugural run was with the locomotive J.G. Kellogg, along with several cars all borrowed from the Southern Pacific. Work was still being done on the Laundry Farm end, but they ran an excursion that weekend. 1
The Laundry Farm Railroad ordered a new Rogers locomotive and rolling stock, but ran with leased equipment for a while. At this point, the train went to Park Place, but plans were made to extend the line and build a tunnel from which to quarry rock. The scheduled time between Park Place and San Francisco was little more than an hour, and with commute tickets, it cost 7.5¢ — 2.5¢ for Park Place to Fruitvale, and the rest for the Southern Pacific.
The railroad had its first accident in December 1888. The engineer was running fast to try to make up lost time, and the outer rail failed as the engine went into a curve. The train continued on a straight line, and mired itself in the field.
Debts and Ownership
Given the delays and problems in getting the line running, it was unsurprising that the railroad had substantial debts. A number of liens were filed against the company, and George E. de Golia was the plaintiff's attorney. He felt that the sale of the railroad would cover the debts, but the liens continued to mount, with approximately $40,000 in liens in de Golia's hands. Even bigger was a claim by the now-insolvent California National Bank of San Francisco, which claimed $75,385 on money advanced to J.H. Woodard based on checks he had kited.
A judge issued a decree of foreclosure, and a public sale was announced for July 10, 1889. The sheriff was a director of the company, so the sale was to be done through the county coroner's office.
Meanwhile, the railroad had its second accident in June 1889. A borrowed engine (presumably the J.G. Kellogg, though that may have been stuck in a field) failed to stop and smashed into one of the passenger coaches. Students and teachers from the First Hebrew Congregation were on their way to a picnic at Laundry Farm. They were disappointed, but the Cobb family opened their grounds to the picnickers.
At the sale onJuly 10, 1889, de Golia was the sole bidder for the railroad. He bid $8,255.06, which didn't cover the judgement of $18,766.73. It was believed the railroad would then pass to the newly incorporated Alameda County Terminal Railroad Company, which was basically the old company reorganized and hoping to sell bonds to cover further development.
De Golia was now effectively the sole owner at this point, but said the company had been bonded to "St. Louis capitalists." De Golia then sold the railroad to Rush S. Denig for $8,255. An August 1889 article listed R.B.S. York as the general manager of the company, and de Golia denied rumors that it had been sold to the Southern Pacific. Denig planned to bring out paving material from the quarry, but his plans didn't last long, as he died September 16, 1889.
Another sale was announced in January 1890, this time to Eli Denison, Mr. Bailey, Colonel Meyers, and W.M. Rank. As with others, the primary goal was to quarry rock for building. However, the in-progress tunnel collapsed, and they were forced to lay out a new route. The name was changed to the California Railway.
Key System
By November 1893, apparently "Borax" Smith had acquired a controlling interest in the Laundry Farm Railroad. In April 1895, a franchise was granted for the railroad to extend its line to Alameda. Then in May 1896, it was reported that the line was being converted to electric. The first run as an electric was scheduled for June 6, 1896.
In 1897, the Realty Syndicate began consolidating its various rail lines, including the Laundry Farm Railway. After that, the few references to the railroad besides the published timetables are historical, such as when Eli Denison died in 1898.
Links and References
- First Train Runs Over the Alameda County Railroad Oakland Tribune August 13, 1888
- Canyon in Oakland Boasts Alameda Connections by Dennis Evanosky Alameda Museum Quarterly May 2019
- California Railway trainorders.com
- The O.A. & L.F.R.R. by The Knave Oakland Tribune September 25, 1960
- Park Place, Formerly Known As Laundry Farm David Rumsey Map Collection
