Book

Author:	David G. Stanley
Co-authors:	Jeffrey J. Moreau
Title:	The Central California Traction Company
Subtitle:	California's Last Interurban
Publisher:	Signature Press
Country:	USA
Date:	15 Sep 2002
Format:	Hardcover
Genre:	Transport
ISBN-10:	193001306X
Rating:	Rate
Collection:	I Own It I Want It
Community:	1 Owns
Price Guide:	Valuation Page
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WPLives 5th Sep 2021		A Brief History of the Central California Traction Incorporated on August 7, 1905, the Central California Traction Company was originally conceived as a second streetcar line for the citizens of Stockton as an alternative to the Stockton Electric Railroad. September 1, 1907 saw the beginning of electric passenger train service between Stockton and Lodi, in direct competition with Southern Pacific Railroad. By August 1910, the line had reached Sacramento and passenger trains began through service. Almost immediately came freight service as well. CCT's freight operations carried merchandise, livestock and produce (primarily grapes, strawberries and sugar beets). At its Peak, CCT was operating 36 passenger trains a day, over and above its freight operations. Because of CCT's interurban style of operations, CCT used overhead wires in the cities of Stockton, Lodi and Sacramento, but power between the cities was fed by a covered third rail that was energized at 1200 volts DC, CCT was one of the first railroads to use the high tension DC power in the United States. Power in the cities was still at 600 volts by catenary. CCT underwent a management change 1928 when CCT's owning family tried to sell the company to the Southern Pacific. What followed was a struggle for control between the WP, ATSF, and SP Railroads. Ultimately in 1936, the ICC decided that the three railroads would share the CCT. While the struggle for control raged, CCT fell to the economic climate of the times and on February 4, 1933, CCT's last interurban passenger train made its final run. CCT's freight operations continued under electricity, but demands on power created service problems and in 1946 made the switch from electricity to diesel with the arrival of a pair of GE 44-tonners. On December 24, 1947, the CCT dropped their pantographs for the last time... the CCT was dieselized. The Central California Traction Today Currently, the Central California Traction Company (CCT as assigned by the American Association of Railroads - AAR) Operates over two segments of track: 15 miles of track from Stockton to Lodi, and The Port of Stockton Trackage. Service between Stockton and Sacramento via Lodi was discontinued in August of 1998. CCT runs three operations. One operation works out of the former CCT shops on Cherokee Road in Stockton, using CCT #44, a chop-nose former Alameda Belt Line/former ATSF GP7u. and a recently re-built and re-painted CCT 1790 (GP18) This crew will run five days a week between Stockton and Lodi. New customers have turned this job into a 5-day a week operation. The second and third crews work out at the Port of Stockton, where CCT also has its main offices. The crew there runs 6 days a week and uses 4 ex Southern Pacific SW1500's. All 4 have been re-painted into a new version of the red and white CCT paint. CCT also now owns Harbor Belt Lines 102. This unit will become CCT 700 when it is re-painted in 2008. Roster pictures of all of CCT's power is on the Roster & Photos page.



WPLives 31st Jul 2021		The Central California Traction Company This 410-page volume is a powerhouse study of the history of a California institution. Our play begins in 1906. This central California city has the distinction of being at the junction of the SP, WP & ATSF railroads while also having freshwater access to the Pacific via the San Joaquin River. The surrounding countryside enjoyed arable land, but its incorporation in 1850 was laid at the feet of gold mining, Stockton being the closest seaport access. The CP had provided connections with the cities of Sacramento & Oakland going back to the 1870s, but the hallmark of a really great city in that place was its own internal system. Just past the dawn of the 20th Century, a man named HH Griffiths offered just that. To better provide service, the new CCT reached northward to Lodi in 1907. By 1910, the line had reached all the way to Sacramento where it had a successful streetcar line. Though the streetcar line didn't fare well, the freight connections up and down the valley between Stockton and Sac proved to be a rich source of capital. Agriculture has always prospered in this fertile land, trade cannot survive without transportation. In fact, CCT survives today, operated by diesel locomotives. The book also plows rich, historical ground, digging up a wealth of interest. Dave Stanley and Jeff Moreau go deep to find the truth as it played out. Moreau is a historian while Stanley is both historian and photographer. They bring in the talents of John Signor, who adds maps and the cover painting. The book is written in 2 parts: "The Electric Way" and "The End of Electrification." Chapters 1 through 9 make up the 1st part and draw their share of the photos in the book. The maps and drawings also make a contribution to Part 1. One drawing shows very clearly how the line used a 1200-volt inverted third rail. Obviously it was cheaper to construct than overhead wire and was safer than bare third rails. In 1928, after several years of legal wrangling, CCT ended up becoming a subsidiary of the 3 large railroad converging in Stockton. One-third ownership of CCT went to each of SP, ATSF and WP. While CCT would manage day-to-day business, ATSF would provide mechanical and engineering help, SP would tend to legal matters and WP would provide accounting and secretarial help. For a while in the early years of the CCT, there was talk about building a line south from Stockton to Modesto. Since CCT lacked the financial resources to make that connection, TS eventually made it happen. WP purchased controlling interest, building a financial bridge between TS and CCT. The book does a great job of discussing the convoluted relations between all of the railroads. For example, ATSF and WP thought it would be good to build a four-block-long siding to serve a canning company in Lodi. but SP already served this company and didn't want any competition. What resulted was a shoving match. Anecdotes abound but general history came to call, too. The Depression put an end to the unprofitable interurban. Buses already operated on the roads in the area, and so the railroad got rid of this economic activity. After World War II, the book leads us into Part 2: The End of Electrification. This took the form of 44-ton GE switchers. Two days before Christmas 1946, the first GE went into service. Freight motors began to come off line and more diesels were ordered. Three of the GE 70-tonners arrived in 1947, proving to be very satisfactory. However, after 10 years of service, the Cooper-Bessemer diesel engines developed serious problems, including crankshaft failures, leading the road to purchase an Alco S-1, and it was a better, reliable puller. The book does an excellent job of relating the equipment in use from the beginning of the railroad right to today. We see the replacement of the GEs with used Alcos, including an Alco RS-1. Eventually the road succumbed to the call of the Geep, purchasing first a GP7. In time they'd add another, plus a GP18, leading to the purchase of a pair of SW1500s in 1999. Some of the final pages of the main section show photos of restored freight motor #7, a pair of Tidewater 44-tonners that once belonged to CCT, and the leased GP7 #44 that started on the Santa Fe where it had a nose and cab roof job. UP, now the owner of both SP and WP, and BNSF still wrangle. In addition to the story and photos, modelers will enjoy the track plans plus the Equipment Roster and Drawings Appendix.

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See Also

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John R. Signor - Southern Pacific's Western Division - Signature Press - Paperback - USA - 1930013124 (2003)

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Anthony W. Thompson - Southern Pacific Freight Cars Volume 1 - Signature Press - Hardcover - USA - 193001308 (2002)

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