Tidewater Southern Railway - Modesto, CA - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

"Tie Tidewater Southern Railway once carried trains through downtown Modesto along what is now this bike and pedestrian path. It was a vital railroad not only for the Central Valley growers who shipped their harvests across the nation, but for the patrons who depended upon the electric passenger service it offered between towns as a faster alternative to the Southern Pacific.
Steam powered freight trains began operating in 1911 between Stockton and Modesto. In 1913 Jewett electric interurban cars offered passenger service, with service to Turlock added in 1916. By that time the Ticlzw2tter Escalon Southern was running 24 electric passenger trains !s day, and weekend picnic trains were run to the Stanislaus River during good weather months.

The Tidewater Southern remained a subsidiary of the Western Pacific Railroad until 1982 when it was merged into the Union Pacific along with its parent. The final train ran through down-town Modesto in early 2000, after which the line was abandoned here between Bangs Avenue and Ninth Street. Union Pacific currently operates the line as two separate segments—Stockton to north Modesto, and Turlock to south Modesto.
In 1932 the automobile spelled the end of passenger service for the Tidewater Southern. All electric wires were removed save for two miles on Ninth Street, where steam engines were banned. By 1948 the railroad was running mainly with diesel locomotives, and all electric operations ceased."

Group that erected the marker: City of Modesto Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: Roseburg Ave Modesto, CA USA URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Take a picture of the marker, preferably including yourself or your GPSr in the photo. A very detailed description of your visit may be substituted for a photo. In any case please provide a description of your visit. A description of only "Visited" or "Saw it while on vacation" by anyone other than the person creating the waymark may be deleted by the waymark owner or the category officers.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.