Del Monte (train)

The Del Monte at Monterey in 1970.
A train departure board at Gilroy station commemorates the "death" of the Del Monte from 1971 (photo taken March 13, 2010)

The Del Monte was a passenger train run by the Southern Pacific Railroad.[1] The train was formed in 1889 as the Del Monte Express. It began service to Pacific Grove, California on June 25, 1890. It ran until April 30, 1971, the day before Amtrak took over intercity passenger train service.[1] The route of the train was from San Francisco to Pacific Grove. The tracks were removed in the 1980s in Pacific Grove and Monterey and the former right-of-way is now the Monterey Bay Recreation Trail.[2] The former right-of-way in Pacific Grove runs between Lighthouse Avenue and Sunset Avenue. A narrative of the Del Monte's cancellation from Tex-Mex musician Doug Sahm -- "The Railpak Dun Done in the Del Monte"—can be found on the 1971 Sir Douglas Quintet album, The Return of Doug Saldana.

In 1948, the Del Monte Express fatally struck Ed Ricketts, a friend of John Steinbeck, while he was driving across the railroad tracks at Drake Avenue in Monterey.[1][3][4]

Since the train's demise, many groups have tried to reestablish rail service to the Monterey Bay area.[5] As of 2012 no such service has been made available.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Palmer, Mike ... c.; Carr, Paul; Hambleton, Dave. "Abandoned Rails: The Monterey Branch". Retrieved 2012-12-01.
  2. ↑ "Monterey County California - Things to Do - Outdoor Activities, Animals & Wildlife, Arts & Culture, Historic Sites, Wine: Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail". Retrieved 2012-12-01.
  3. ↑ Robison, Bruce (November–December 2004). "Mavericks on Cannery Row". American Scientist. 92 (6). p. 1.
  4. ↑ Childs, Marquis (June 1985). "A Novel Aquarium Depicts the Story of Monterey Bay". Smithsonian. 16 (6). p. 95.
  5. ↑ "TAMC: Monterey Peninsula Fixed Guideway Service". Retrieved 2012-12-01.


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