Market Street Depot[1] was the primary intercity railway station in San Jose, California between 1883 and 1935. It was located at Market and Bassett Streets at the end of the former San Francisco and San Jose Railroad, a route which was later integrated into the Southern Pacific Railroad Coast Line.
San Jose | |||||||||||||||
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 The Depot depicted on a postcard in 1909 | |||||||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||||||
| Location | San Jose, California | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 37°20′28″N 121°53′46″W / 37.341°N 121.896°W | ||||||||||||||
| Owned by | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||||||||||||||
| Line(s) | SP Coast Line | ||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1883 | ||||||||||||||
| Closed | December 1935 | ||||||||||||||
| Former services | |||||||||||||||
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History edit
The station building was constructed in 1883 along with an extension of Market Street.[2][3] The former San Francisco and San Jose Railroad end of line facilities that accommodated passengers and freight since the road's completion was converted to a freight facility.[4][3] The Peninsular Railway terminated in front of the station,[5] with service running until 1934.
Completion of the Coast Line to Los Angeles as well as the Bayshore Cutoff near San Francisco greatly increased the rail traffic running through downtown San Jose in the early 1900s — combining the increase in personal automobile use made for greatly increased delays on local streets. As a result, efforts were undertaken by the city to divert the rail line off of Fourth Street. This necessitated extensive grade crossings, new trackage, and a new San Jose depot located at Cahill Street, later named Diridon station. After December 1935, passenger operations were shifted away from the Market Street Depot in favor of the new facility and the tracks on Fourth Street were removed.[6] The passenger facilities were subsequently demolished, but the adjoining freight depot continued service until the mid 1900s.[citation needed]
References edit
- ^ "Southern Pacific Depot". National Park Service. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ Gottschalk, Mary (February 7, 2008). "Railroad museum proposed near Guadalupe River and Highway 87". The Mercury News. Bay Area News Group. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ a b McCaleb 1968, p. 24
- ^ McGovern 2012, p. 25
- ^ "1905: The San Jose and Los Gatos Interurban Raiway Company". Journal of Electricity, Power and Gas. July 1905. via McCaleb 1981, pp. 38–40
- ^ McGovern 2012, p. 26
Bibliography edit
- McCaleb, Charles S. (1968). The San Jose Railroads Centennial, 1868-1968. Foothill Junior College District.
- McCaleb, Charles S. (1981). Tracks, Tires, and Wires. Glendale, California: Interurban Press. ISBN 0-916374-48-3.
- McGovern, Janet (2012). Caltrain and the Peninsula Commute Service. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738576220.
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