Past to
Present
Courtesy of the Western Railway Museum
Courtesy of the Western Railway Museum
Courtesy of the Western Railway Museum
Sacramento Northern passenger train winding through Shepherd Canyon en route to Montclair Village and San Francisco
From a Railroad…
The rising popularity of the automobile marked the end of the Sacramento Northern Railroad, which ceased passenger service in 1941.
Forseeing the trend, Caltrans started buying up land to build a multi-lane highway (to be called Highway 77) from Park Blvd. to Walnut Creek. But by the 1970s, the community pushed back on the highway proposal citing that BART and nearby Highway 24 made it redundant. Postponing development, the city of Oakland launched one of the first EIRs (Environmental Impact Reports) in California, under a then-new statute called the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
With the alignment of all parties, the Shepherd Canyon Corridor Plan was created.

Courtesy of the Western Railway Museum
Courtesy of the Western Railway Museum
Courtesy of the Western Railway Museum
What was once Haven’s Station is now the entrance to the Montclair Railroad Trail at Bishops Court
The Ray Raineri Collection
The Ray Raineri Collection
The Ray Raineri Collection
At the 1939 Montclair flagstop (near the trail entrance at the top of LaSalle Ave. today)
Courtesy of the Western Railway Museum
Courtesy of the Western Railway Museum
Courtesy of the Western Railway Museum
Generating excitement for electric rail
Courtesy of the Western Railway Museum
Courtesy of the Western Railway Museum
Courtesy of the Western Railway Museum
Passengers in a train’s caboose, stopped while another train passes in Montclair
Courtesy of the Western Railway Museum
Courtesy of the Western Railway Museum
Courtesy of the Western Railway Museum
The SN 1015 heads to the Montclair central business district through the Melin Cut, May 1938. The cut was cleared using mules, dynamite and hand picks
Same view of the Melin Cut today
…to a Natural Corridor
Then train tunnel entrances were sealed, and guided by the new plan, the land was bought by the East Bay Regional Park District and leased to the City of Oakland.
Where trains once clanked and rumbled noisily day and night eventually became a serene path and conservation area. Decades of restoration work by city and non-profit groups, along with dedicated volunteers and experts, have created this unique community gem.
The Shepherd Canyon Corridor Plan provided the vision for the trail and other green spaces after the highway plan was defeated
The Shepherd Canyon Corridor Plan provided the vision for the trail and other green spaces after the highway plan was defeated