Along with Mission Bay Roundhouse, SP constructed Bayshore Roundhouse & Shops as part of the massive Bayshore Cutoff project. These facilities replaced the two roundhouses at 16th and Harrison (one of which was built by the San Francisco & San Jose Railroad) on the Ocean View Line, and eliminated the need for the helper engine turntable at Baden.

The roundhouse opened in 1911 or 12 and closed in November, 1982. The backshops' closing date is anyone's guess, but the car shops, located at the open -air shed at the northwest corner of the yard, closed in February, 1982. Bayshore Tower was closed for the second and final time about New Year, 1979, and the yard itself was finally shut down in favor of South San Francisco on November 17, 1988. Note that, for the last few years in the 1980's, mainline trains terminated at Mission Bay Yard.

This page's steam era photos, courtesy of George Solimine, Jr., apparently were shot by the same unknown photographer, and about the same time as, those taken of Mission Bay Roundhouse - circa September 1953. The date seems reasonable, because an RSD-5 and an SD-7 appear in some of them, dating things no earlier than 1953. One photo depicts a flat-faced Cab Forward (AC4-6), which were all out of service by December, 1955.

Two additional steam loco photos from George Solimine, Senior. Thanks to both Georges!

On the San Francisco Turntables page, you'll find info on Bayshore and Mission Bay turntables.


Circa September, 1953
The SD7 helps date the photos.

Another dating clue is the AC4-6 tender at left. The last flat-face was retired on 12-011-55.

More date evidence: that 1953 built Alco RSD-5 hiding behind the 4461's tender.

The shop goat handling the 4-6-0 is the #966. The operator seems to be having problems with the turntable's drive unit.

The 1006 at left is a 1939-built SW1.

The locomotive backshops, consisting of the boiler shop (left) and erecting hall (right), were located just to the north of the roundhouse. Straight ahead, due west is the Cow Palace arena. Switch engines and other small steam power were overhauled here. The backshop is long gone, but the bolier shop and part of the the roundhouse till exists in 2014. An open-air car repair shed used to be located about a quarter-mile north along Bayshore Blvd. near the intersection of Sunnydale Ave., but it is gone , as well. Elsewhere on Wx4 is a first-hand accounting of the closing of the erecting hall.
(above and below) These two locos were photographed by George Solimine, Sr. in the mid-1950's.
By the time Howard Davis shot this September 1, 1951 photo of the 2368 parked next to the backshop, SP ten-wheelers no longer held regular commute assignments,
but they were nevertheless a mainstay of Peninsula freight locals, no doubt in part because they had the speed to keep clear of the passenger trains. The Coast Division
still rostered a half dozen in mid-1952.
Diesel Era

"In the pit!" Circa 1970's photo possibly taken by Fred Boland, or Ahmed Khan. Courtesy Walter Boland.
The above two early 1970 photos just may be the only ones that I personally shot at Bayshore Roundhouse.
In the garden, circa about 1978, we see commute GP9E #3193, SW1500 #2424 and SW900E #1196. The 1196 was the first diesel that i ever rode under the employ of SP - as a student switchman at College Park Yard in San Jose. Photos above and below: photographer unknown, courtesy George Solimine Jr.
Repainted front and rear (only), SD9E 4335 gets a "Mars" light fix, circa 1978.

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