Rails of California's Central Coast

by Walter Rice, Emiliano Echeverria

Diversity is the prime characteristic of the California Central Coast's many rail operations. Readers will be attracted by the varying scope of Central Coast--Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Luis Obispo Counties--rail systems. They range from local horsecar services and the narrow-gauge electrified plant railroad that served the Santa Cruz Cement Company at Davenport to the Southern Pacific Railroad's Coast Line and its engineering marvel Cuesta Grade, highlighted by the world-famous horseshoe curve. Local streetcar systems and long-ceased regional railroads are part of the area's rail legacy. Rare historic images blended with contemporary photography chronicle the region's railways from times past to the present.

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 2, 2008

Reviews

[Terry Cornell · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Images of Rail publication (spinoff of Images of America). I picked this up at a gift shop in San Luis Obispo a few years ago and looked at the photos. I finally got around to reading the text. I was mainly interested in the chapter on Southern Pacific passenger trains, but it also has chapters on streetcars in early day Santa Cruz, and the narrow gauge railways that existed in the coastal counties of California in days past. I was a little disappointed to see that a few of the photos were duplicated. Maybe just a test to see if the reader noticed! A good reference book for those interested in railways and California history.