Welcome to the SPCRR Virtual Museum. This website contains browsable exhibits covering the history of the South Pacific Coast Railroad, the Carter Brothers manufacturers, and our current museum rolling stock collection.
The South Pacific Coast Railroad (SPC), built in the late 1870s by Comstock silver baron James G. Fair and his associate Alfred “Hog” Davis, was a three-foot narrow gauge line stretching ~80 miles from Alameda (via ferry from San Francisco) through the Santa Clara Valley and over the Santa Cruz Mountains to Santa Cruz, carrying passengers, lumber, fruit, lime, and explosives. It was acquired by the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1887; after damage from the 1906 earthquake and the trans-San Andreas summit tunnel being offset, the SPC was gradually converted to standard gauge with full reopening to Santa Cruz by 1909.
Thomas and Martin Carter were Irish immigrant brothers who founded Carter Brothers in Northern California (active c.1872-1902), becoming the most important and longest-lived car builders in the state, producing perhaps 5,000 railroad cars over nearly 30 years. They specialized in narrow gauge rolling stock (but also made standard gauge, horse cars, cable cars, electrics, etc.), built a major shop in Newark (next to the South Pacific Coast Railroad), exported car “kits” globally, and had complementary roles—Thomas managing business and sales from San Francisco, Martin running the shops locally.
You can help us preserve this niche area of Bay Area history by volunteering to contribute to this website. Please contact us via the form on our website to learn more.
The South Pacific Coast Railroad (SPC), built in the late 1870s by Comstock silver baron James G. Fair and his associate Alfred “Hog” Davis, was a three-foot narrow gauge line stretching ~80 miles from Alameda (via ferry from San Francisco) through the Santa Clara Valley and over the Santa Cruz Mountains to Santa Cruz, carrying passengers, lumber, fruit, lime, and explosives. It was acquired by the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1887; after damage from the 1906 earthquake and the trans-San Andreas summit tunnel being offset, the SPC was gradually converted to standard gauge with full reopening to Santa Cruz by 1909.
Thomas and Martin Carter were Irish immigrant brothers who founded Carter Brothers in Northern California (active c.1872-1902), becoming the most important and longest-lived car builders in the state, producing perhaps 5,000 railroad cars over nearly 30 years. They specialized in narrow gauge rolling stock (but also made standard gauge, horse cars, cable cars, electrics, etc.), built a major shop in Newark (next to the South Pacific Coast Railroad), exported car “kits” globally, and had complementary roles—Thomas managing business and sales from San Francisco, Martin running the shops locally.
You can help us preserve this niche area of Bay Area history by volunteering to contribute to this website. Please contact us via the form on our website to learn more.
