The Sacramento Union Traction Depot was an

interurban The interurban (or radial railway in Canada) is a type of electric railway, with tram-like electric self-propelled railcars which run within and between cities or towns. The term "interurban" is usually used in North America, with other terms u ...

union

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

. Its building and tracks were situated on a parcel bordered by H, I, 11th and 12th Streets. Opened in 1925, it consolidated operations of several of the area's local electric railways in one location, offering simplified interchanges for passengers. The Depot was built by the predecessors of the

Sacramento Northern Railway The Sacramento Northern Railway (reporting mark SN) was a electric interurban railway that connected Chico, California, Chico in northern California with Oakland, California, Oakland via the state capital, Sacramento, California, Sacramento. In ...

as well as the

Central California Traction Company The Central California Traction Company is a Class III short-line railroad operating in the northern San Joaquin Valley, in San Joaquin County, California. It is owned jointly by the Union Pacific and BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is the la ...

. Passenger train services ceased 1940, but the building remained in use for freight operations dispatching. The building was largely destroyed in a fire. The Depot opened on September 20, 1925, as the new Sacramento terminal of the Sacramento Northern and the San Francisco–San Francisco Railroad (both later amalgamated under the same corporation). Central California Traction began service here the following March, having previously terminated at the corner of 8th and L Streets. After passenger service ended, a market opened in the station building.

Operations

Large terminals were rare among interurban-style transit services — Sacramento was exceptional in this regard. The station was built as a loop, allowing cars to enter from both directions on I Street and resume running in either direction as well. SN cars arriving from Oakland and continuing north had their

third rail A third rail, also known as a live rail, electric rail or conductor rail, is a method of providing electric power to a railway locomotive or train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a track (r ...

shoes added here (as the third rail on the Bridge Railway was incompatible with the top-contact system used on the Northern district).

References

Bibliography

* * {{coord, 38.5815, -121.4908, display=title Buildings and structures in Sacramento, California Railway stations in Sacramento County, California Transportation in Sacramento, California Railway stations in the United States opened in 1925 Railway stations in the United States closed in 1940 Former railway stations in California Demolished railway stations in the United States Sacramento Northern Railway Union stations in the United States