Completion of the Coast Route, 1887-1901
1887 | Construction from the south halted at Ellwood in Goleta Valley (Dec. 21). |
1889 | Track-building from the north reaches Santa Margarita in San Luis Obispo County (January). |
1891 | Construction begins on Cuesta Grade above San Luis Obispo (December). |
1892 | Work begins on first of seven Cuesta tunnels (April). |
1894 | Track from north reaches San Luis Obispo; town celebrates first trains (May 4). |
1895 | Rails reach Pacific Ocean at Grover near Pismo Beach (January). |
Work on bridge to span Santa Maria River commences (February; bridge completed in June). | |
First train reaches town of Guadalupe in Santa Maria Valley (July 1). | |
1896 | Rails from north reach Someo, later renamed Casmalia (Jan. 30). |
Santa Ynez River Bridge completed (December). | |
1897 | Little progress on Coast Route construction was made in 1897 and throughout much of 1898. |
1898 | Rails reach Honda Creek, five miles south of Santa Ynez River and two miles north of Point Arguello (December). |
1899 | Honda Viaduct completed (July). |
Construction of 451-foot viaduct across Jalama Creek begins (October; completed in January, 1900). | |
1900 | “Tunnel 13” between Drake and Sacate, about file miles west of Gaviota, is completed (January). |
Rails reach Point Conception (February). | |
After 12 years have elapsed, track-laying from the south resumes at Ellwood (March 15). | |
Fill completed at Cojo, three miles east of Point Conception (March 23). | |
Rails from south reach Eagle Canyon, west of Goleta (March 29). | |
S.P. President C.P. Huntington and William Hood, S.P. Chief Engineer, conduct an inspection trip to end-of-track (late March). | |
First construction train pulls into Naples, four miles west of Ellwood (April 7). | |
661-foot Dos Pueblos Canyon Bridge completed (May). | |
Tracks from north reach Alegria, four miles west of Gaviota (May). | |
1900 (cont’d) | Gap is reduced to 17.9 miles, from Cuarta Canyon (Sacate) to Gato Canyon, between Naples and Capitan (June 30). |
C.P. Huntington, last of the “Big Four” founders of the Central Pacific/Southern Pacific railroads dies (Aug. 13). | |
634-foot Alegria Canyon Viaduct is completed (September). | |
Thompson Bridge Co. derrick topples while being moved between Refugio and Corral canyons; replaced by derrick from Los Angeles Breakwater project (Mid-October). | |
61-foot bridge over Refugio Creek is completed (Late October). | |
Crews complete Arroyo Hondo Bridge (541 feet long; Late November). | |
811-foot trestle at Gaviota is opened (Dec. 12). | |
Gap is closed when last spike is driven at Cementerio, 23 miles west of Goleta (Dec. 31); first train passes over the Cementerio Bridge at about 7 p.m. | |
1901 | Full train service begins on the Coast Line from San Francisco to Los Angeles (March 31). |
CONTINUE: 3. Goleta Depot: The Southern Pacific Years, 1901-1975 |
Chronology of Goleta Depot, Part 1: The Railroad Arrives In Santa Barbara County