{{Short description|Historic railway}} {{Use mdy dates|date=November 2024}} {{mapframe|from=Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay Railroad.map|text=Route map|frame=yes}} {{Santa Cruz Branch}}
The '''Santa Cruz Branch''', also called the '''Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line (SCBRL)''', is a partially-active rail line in [[Santa Cruz County, California]]. At full length, it ran between [[Davenport, California|Davenport]] and [[Watsonville Junction, California|Watsonville Junction]], where it connected to the [[Coast Line (Union Pacific Railroad)|Coast Line]]. Most of the line is inactive; a portion of the eastern end is used for freight, while the [[Santa Cruz, Big Trees and Pacific Railway]] uses a short segment along the [[Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk]].
==Route== The right of way begins at Watsonville Junction, where it interchanges with [[Union Pacific Railroad]]'s Coast Line. The line features [[street running]] sections in Watsonville and Santa Cruz where trains interact directly with roadway traffic. The [[Santa Cruz, Big Trees and Pacific Railway]] operates part of its [[heritage railway]] service along SCMB tracks from the [[Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk]] to that railroad's main line west of the Beach Street roundabout, before turning onto its own tracks at the Santa Cruz wye towards Felton on the former [[South Pacific Coast Railroad]] mainline. After leaving Santa Cruz, the line runs parallel to [[California State Route 1]] until Davenport, where the tracks end.
==History== [[File:3760 Davenport feb88 - Flickr - drewj1946.jpg|thumb|left|Southern Pacific freight train at Davenport in 1988]] The line was constructed as the [[Santa Cruz Railroad]] between 1873–1876 and was laid with [[narrow gauge]] rail. The town of Watsonville was opposed to the railroad and did not grant permission for the line to run through the town; instead, it met the Coast Line at Pajaro Junction to the east. Service began on May 7, 1876. The line was rerouted through Watsonville midyear.<ref name=narrow>{{Hilton Narrow Gauge|pages=334–335}}</ref> Damage from winter rains plus the 1880 opening of a more direct Oakland–Santa Cruz route (the [[South Pacific Coast Railroad]]) caused the company to enter bankruptcy in 1879 and cease operating in February 1881. It was sold to a [[Southern Pacific Railroad]] (SP) subsidiary at judicial sale later that year.<ref name=narrow /><ref name=1928Bulletin>{{source attribution| {{cite magazine |title=From Trail to Rail— The Story of the Beginning of Southern Pacific, chapter XXIII |access-date=15 December 2025 |magazine=Southern Pacific Bulletin |publisher=[[Southern Pacific]] |date=September 1928 |page=15 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Southern_Pacific_Bulletin/ow4TAAAAIAAJ?hl=en}} |inline=y}}</ref><ref name=whaley>{{cite magazine |title=The End of the Line: The Abandonment of Passenger Services in Santa Cruz County, California |pages=12–33 |magazine=Railroad History |date=Fall–Winter 2016 |issue=215 |publisher=The Railway & Locomotive Historical Society |issn=0090-7847 |first=Derek R. |last=Whaley}}</ref>{{rp|18, 19}}
Conversion to standard gauge began in 1882 and was completed in November 1883.<ref name=narrow /> A {{convert|3.7|mile|km|sing=on}} branch from [[Aptos, California|Aptos]] to [[Loma Prieta]] was built by the subsidiary Loma Prieta Railroad in 1882–1883.<ref name=wrr>{{cite journal |last=McCaleb |first=Charles S. |year=1975 |title=The Santa Cruz Railroad |journal=The Western Railroader |volume=38 |issue=324 |pages=1–12 |publisher=Francis A. Guido }}</ref><ref name=whaley />{{rp|13, 19}} Both lines were merged into the Pajaro and Santa Cruz Railroad in 1884, a Southern Pacific organization.<ref name=1928Bulletin /> That company was formally merged into the SP in 1888; the lines became the Santa Cruz Branch and Loma Prieta Branch.<ref name=whaley />{{rp|19}}
In 1905, the SP and the [[Ocean Shore Railroad]] both attempted to build lines between San Francisco and Santa Cruz up the west side of the peninsula. The SP line, constructed by subsidiary Coast Line Railroad, was constructed to the [[cement kiln]] in Davenport; the parallel Ocean Shore Line made it slightly further to Swanton.<ref name=whaley />{{rp|21}} The Coast Line became the SP Davenport Branch in 1917.<ref name=whaley />{{rp|24}} The Loma Prieta Branch ended service in November 1927 and was abandoned in 1928.<ref name=wrr /><ref name=whaley />{{rp|23}} Passenger service on the Davenport Branch ended on August 1, 1932;<ref name=whaley />{{rp|24}} Pacific Greyhound bus lines took up passenger operations as a replacement.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ask Increase In Bus Fares To Davenport |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/santa-cruz-sentinel-ask-increase-in-bus/181180507/ |access-date=16 September 2025 |newspaper=Santa Cruz Sentinel-News |date=November 23, 1952 |location=Santa Cruz, California |page=2 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
The Davenport kiln provided one hundred carloads weekly of inbound coal and outbound cement. Inbound lumber and outbound [[refrigerator car]]s of locally grown [[Brussels sprout]]s, [[artichoke]]s, and [[lettuce]] provided additional freight traffic.<ref name=ctc>{{cite journal |last=Porter |first=Jon |year=1990 |title=Santa Cruz |journal=[[CTC Board]] |issue=166 |pages=26–31 |publisher=Hyrail Productions }}</ref> ''[[Suntan Special]]'' summer [[excursion train]]s carried 900 passengers per trip from San Francisco to the [[Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk]] from July 1947 to September 1959.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sccrtc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Rail-Event-Timeline-Posters-final.pdf |title=SP and the Suntan Special |website=History of in Santa Cruz County |access-date=18 August 2019 }}</ref> There was a [[railway turntable]] and 5-stall [[Railway roundhouse|roundhouse]] in Santa Cruz, but [[steam locomotive]]s were replaced by [[EMD GP9]]s in 1955. Daily local freight service was replaced in 1982 by tri-weekly branch line trains operating at {{cvt|20|mi|km}} per hour including a [[caboose]] until 1986.
In 1985, F. Norman Clark, owner of the [[Roaring Camp & Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad]], purchased the {{convert|8.87|mi|adj=mid}} branch running from Santa Cruz to the end of the line at [[Olympia, California|Olympia]], and leased {{convert|1.5|mi}} of the Santa Cruz Branch from the junction to the [[Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk]].<ref>{{cite news |title=A New Rail Line Ahead? |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SCS19850718.1.74 |access-date=26 September 2025 |newspaper=Santa Cruz Sentinel |date=July 18, 1985 |location=Santa Cruz, California |page=74 |via=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref> The new standard-gauge line was given the name [[Santa Cruz, Big Trees and Pacific Railway]], and operates a seasonal excursion passenger train.
The [[Pajaro River]] bridge was damaged by the [[1989 Loma Prieta earthquake]].<ref name=ctc/> The line came under ownership of Union Pacific in 1996.
===County ownership=== [[File:DSC4607X4 (14909829532).jpg|thumb|left|Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay Railway freight train in 2014]] The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission purchased the rail corridor in 2012.<ref name=Pierce2020>{{cite news |last1=Pierce |first1=Jacob |title=Why a New Transit Plan Supports Santa Cruz Commuter Train |url=https://goodtimes.sc/santa-cruz-news/alternatives-analysis-plan-supports-santa-cruz-rail/ |access-date=18 November 2020 |agency=[[Good Times (newspaper)|Good Times]] |date=17 November 2020}}</ref> At that time, freight operations were contracted out to [[Iowa Pacific Holdings]], which began service in November 2012 under the name '''Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay Railway'''. In 2018, [[Progressive Rail, Inc.]] was chosen as the replacement freight operator under a 10-year contract,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pierce |first1=Jacob |title=More to Learn on Rail Trail's Future |url=https://goodtimes.sc/santa-cruz-news/news/rail-trail/ |access-date=21 June 2018 |agency=Good Times |date=19 June 2018}}</ref> operating the line under the name '''St. Paul and Pacific Railroad'''. The Transportation Commission is studying the possibility of rehabilitating the rail line for a new [[commuter rail]] service or rebuilding the corridor for [[bus rapid transit]].<ref name=Pierce2020 /> A demonstration streetcar operated over the branch in October 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bratten |first1=Erika |title=Streetcar controversy with demoed electric light rail vehicle in Santa Cruz County |url=https://kion546.com/news/2021/11/05/streetcar-controversy-with-demoed-electric-light-rail-vehicle-in-santa-cruz-county/ |access-date=5 November 2021 |agency=KION 5/46 |date=5 November 2021}}</ref> The line sustained major damage in the [[2022-2023 California floods|2022-2023 storms]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hattis |first=PK |date=2023-02-02 |title=Santa Cruz Regional Transportation Commission digs in to storm damages |url=https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2023/02/02/santa-cruz-regional-transportation-commission-digs-in-to-storm-damages |access-date=2023-02-02 |work=Santa Cruz Sentinel |language=en-US}}</ref> in June 2024, the public was given a chance to weigh in on future passenger rail and a [[trail]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chun |first=Max |date=2024-06-10 |title=Carmageddon: Public gets chance to weigh in on future passenger rail trains, route |url=https://lookout.co/carmageddon-public-gets-chance-to-weigh-in-on-future-passenger-rail-trains-route/ |access-date=2024-11-16 |website=Lookout Santa Cruz |language=en-US}}</ref> The plan could include rerouted sections and an elevated portion at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kathan |first=Jesse |date=November 15, 2024 |title=Rail stations proposed for Live Oak, Capitola, Aptos, Rio Del Mar |url=https://santacruzlocal.org/2024/11/15/rail-trail-stations/ |work=Santa Cruz Local}}</ref> {{clear left}}
==References== {{reflist}} {{Portal|Railways}}
==External links== * [https://sccrtc.org/projects/rail/ Rail Projects] – Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission
{{California railroads}} [[Category:Rail lines in California]] [[Category:Southern Pacific Railroad lines]] [[Category:Railway lines opened in 1873]]