Alhambra Valley Trestle of the San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad, 1905
Santa Fe San Francisco Chief running over the trestle, c. 1950
The trestle in 2004

The Muir Trestle, or Alhambra Trestle, is a railway trestle bridge in Martinez, California located within the John Muir National Historic Site. It is owned and operated by BNSF Railway and carries their Stockton Subdivision.

History

In 1897, for the sum of $10 in gold (equivalent to $352 in 2022), John Muir and Louisa Muir ceded a right of way to the San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad.[1] The agreement describes the land upon which a trestle bridge was to be located:[1] through a pear orchard.[2] The span was completed in 1899.[1] A passenger station was located at the eastern approach.[3][2]

Design

The trestle is of steel construction resting on concrete piers,[3] carrying a single set of railroad tracks. It spans 1,600 feet (490 m) in length, 75 feet (23 m) above the Alhambra Valley.[4][3] The western approach feeds directly into the line's 300-foot-long (91 m) Tunnel Number 4.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 National Park Service. "John Muir and the Alhambra Trestle" (PDF). Sierra Club. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  2. 1 2 "CULTURAL LANDSCAPE REPORT FOR JOHN MUIR NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE" (PDF). Boston, Massachusetts. National Park Service. 2005. p. 115. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 Bennett, Herbert I. (July 15, 1905). "Extending the Santa Fe Railroad into San Francisco". Scientific American Supplement. Vol. 60, no. 1541.
  4. ↑ "Railroad Construction: San Francisco & San Joaquin Valley". The Railroad Gazette. Vol. 31, no. 26. 1899. p. 483.
  5. ↑ Frailey, Fred W.; Bryant Jr., Keith L. (2020). History of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. University of Nebraska Press. p. 163. ISBN 9781496222718.

37°59′25″N 122°7′40.5″W / 37.99028°N 122.127917°W / 37.99028; -122.127917


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