Alameda Belt Line
| Reporting mark | ABL |
|---|---|
| Locale | Alameda, California |
| Dates of operation | 1926–1998 |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Headquarters | Alameda, California |
The Alameda Belt Line (reporting mark ABL) was incorporated on January 12, 1925 to take over about 1.2 miles (1.9 km) of trackage constructed by the city of Alameda, California on Clement Avenue in 1918. The company acquired the property on February 17, 1926 and was jointly owned by the Western Pacific Railroad and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Due to mergers, it was eventually jointly owned and operated by the BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad.
The ABL last operated in 1998, when its major shipper, a Del Monte cannery, closed. The Union Pacific then operated over the line through trackage rights to serve one remaining shipper until late 2001. The final locomotive on the line was leased to the Central California Traction Company in Stockton, California.
The city of Alameda went to court to get the land returned to the city, in order to turn the former rail yard into a public park, and won, per a provision in the original 1920s contract. As of 2008, only a few pieces of its trackage still remain in place. Most rails have been removed or paved over.
For much of its later history, the ABL was operated in concert with the Oakland Terminal Railway.
References
- Interstate Commerce Commission, Valuation Docket No. 1167: Alameda Belt Line, decided May 31, 1933