Key System facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Key System |
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| Info | |
| Locale | East Bay |
| Transit type | Interurban Streetcar |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | 1903 |
| Ended operation | (streetcar service) 1948 (commuter train service) 1958 (bus service) 1960 |
| Technical | |
| System length | 66 mi (106 km) |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Electrification | 600 V DC overhead |
The Key System was a special company that helped people travel around the East Bay area of San Francisco Bay Area from 1903 to 1960. It offered different ways to get around, like local streetcars and buses. It also had commuter trains and buses that connected the East Bay to San Francisco.
At first, these trains used a ferry to cross San Francisco Bay. Later, they traveled on the lower deck of the Bay Bridge. At its busiest in the 1940s, the Key System had over 66 miles (106 km) of tracks! The local streetcars stopped running in 1948, and the commuter trains to San Francisco ended in 1958. Today, the areas once served by the Key System are covered by BART trains and AC Transit buses.
Contents
History of the Key System
How the Key System Started
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The Key System began by combining several smaller streetcar lines. These were put together in the late 1890s and early 1900s by a businessman named Francis Marion "Borax" Smith. He had made a lot of money from borax, which is a mineral used in cleaning products.
Smith then became interested in real estate and electric streetcars. The company was officially started in 1902 as the San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose Railway (SFOSJR).
Train service began on October 26, 1903. The first train carried 250 passengers from downtown Berkeley to the ferry pier. From there, people could take a ferry to San Francisco.
Before 1903 ended, the company's manager came up with a clever idea. He designed a map where the train routes looked like an old-fashioned key. The "handle loops" covered the cities of Berkeley, Piedmont, and Oakland. The "shaft" was the long pier, and the "teeth" were the ferry docks. This "key route" idea led to the company being called the "Key System."
Changes Over the Years
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The company's name changed a few times. In 1908, it became the San Francisco, Oakland & San Jose Consolidated Railway. Then, in 1912, it changed to the San Francisco-Oakland Terminal Railway.
After facing financial trouble in 1923, the company was reorganized. It then became the Key System Transit Co., officially using the "Key System" name.
After the Great Crash of 1929, a new company called the Railway Equipment & Realty Co. was formed. Its part that ran the commuter trains was called Key System Ltd. In 1938, the name was simply Key System.
During World War II, the Key System even built a special railway. It was called the Shipyard Railway and connected Emeryville to the Kaiser Shipyards in Richmond. This helped transport workers during the war.
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The End of the Key System
In 1946, a company called National City Lines bought most of the Key System's shares. This company was known for buying transit systems and changing them.
Soon after, the new owners made many changes. They cut back train routes and increased fares. Many people complained about crowded trains.
In 1948, National City Lines suggested replacing all streetcars with buses. They said this would "modernize" the system. The city councils of Oakland, Berkeley, and San Leandro did not like this plan. However, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) supported it.
By November and December 1948, all streetcars were replaced by buses.
National City Lines and other companies were later found to have unfairly tried to control the sale of buses and supplies to transit companies across the U.S.
Between 1946 and 1954, the cost to ride across the bay went up a lot. This money was used to switch from streetcars to buses. As a result, fewer people rode the trains.
The famous Key System commuter trains stopped running on April 20, 1958. This was due to fewer riders and the business practices of National City Lines. In 1960, a new public agency called AC Transit took over the Key System's operations.
Most of the old trains were taken apart. Some were sold to Buenos Aires, Argentina. A few streetcars and bridge units were saved and can be seen in museums today. For example, three large bridge units are at the Western Railway Museum in California. Another is at the Southern California Railway Museum.
How the System Worked
The Key System first connected to San Francisco using a long pier. This pier, called a "mole," stretched from Oakland into the bay. It was about 16,000 feet (4,900 m) long and led to a ferry terminal.
On May 6, 1933, a big fire destroyed the ferry terminal and a ferryboat called the Peralta. The pier was rebuilt, and a new terminal was put in place.
The Key System used ferries to carry passengers until January 15, 1939. On that day, a new train track opened on the lower deck of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge. This allowed Key System trains to go directly to the Transbay Terminal in downtown San Francisco. Other train companies also shared this bridge railway and terminal.
The Key System's first trains were made of wood. They had special devices called pantographs on their roofs. These collected electricity from overhead wires to power the train's motors.
Over time, the trains changed. They became made of steel, and doors were moved to the center of the cars.
Later, special "bridge units" were designed for the new bridge. These were articulated cars, meaning they were like two cars joined together with a shared middle wheel set. This design is similar to many modern light rail vehicles. Children often loved sitting at the very front of the train to watch the tracks ahead.
The trains were originally orange and silver. During World War II, their roofs were painted gray to hide them from planes. After National City Lines bought the company, all vehicles were repainted yellow and green.
Train Lines Across the Bay
Before the Bay Bridge railway, Key System trains didn't have letters. They were named after the main street or area they served.
| Line | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A | Downtown Oakland | This line was extended into East Oakland. Later, it was shortened in Oakland. |
| B | Lakeshore and Trestle Glen | This line used to run through a Key System hotel, the Key Route Inn, which burned down in the 1930s. |
| C | Piedmont | This line went through Piedmont Avenue and other streets. It was extended in 1924. |
| E | Claremont | This line went directly to the Claremont Hotel. You can still see the tennis courts where it used to end. |
| F | Berkeley / Adeline Street | This line was extended on old tracks and went through a tunnel, ending at Solano Avenue. |
| G | Westbrae Shuttle | This was a streetcar that connected to the H transbay train at University Avenue. |
| H | Monterey Avenue | Originally called the Sacramento Street Line, its route changed after 1933. |
| K | College Avenue | This was a streetcar that connected to the F train. It was very busy on football game days because it was near UC's Memorial Stadium. |
The A, B, C, E, and F lines were the last train lines. Train service stopped on April 20, 1958. Buses took over these routes, keeping the same letter names. AC Transit still uses similar letter-designated routes today.
East Bay Streetcars
The Key System's streetcars were run by a separate part of the company. Their names changed over time, like "Oakland Traction Company" and "East Bay Transit Co." This last name showed that buses were becoming more common.
The streetcars operated from several large garages called carbarns. These were located in Oakland and Richmond. In the early days, there were also many smaller carbarns. The streetcars were first dark green and cream white, then orange. After National City Lines bought the Key System, they were repainted green and yellow.
The Key System had planned to use electric buses called trolley coaches. However, the new management canceled this plan in 1946. The last Key System streetcars ran on November 28, 1948, and were replaced by buses.
What's Left of the Key System?
Even though the Key System is gone, you can still find signs of it today:
- The Yerba Buena Tunnel on the Bay Bridge still has small "deadman holes" in its wall. These were safe spots for railway workers when trains passed by.
- The eastern part of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge sits on land that was added to the Key System's old pier.
- A tunnel that Key System trains used to go under other railway tracks still exists in Emeryville. You can see it from the Alexander Zuckerman Bike Path.
- A road in Albany called Key Route Boulevard was built with a wide middle section for a planned train extension that was never built.
- The Claremont Resort, built by a company connected to the Key System, is still there. It was the end point for the "E" train line.
- The Realty Syndicate Building at 1440 Broadway in Oakland was built in 1912. It was where "Borax" Smith and his partner worked.
- The Key System's old main office building at 1100 Broadway in Oakland still stands.
- A building at 41st Street and Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, now a restaurant, used to be a covered train stop for the C-line. You can see old Key System photos inside.
- The old Key System shops building at Bay Place and Harrison is now a Whole Foods Market. It was originally a powerhouse and car barn.
- Today's AC Transit bus yards in Emeryville and Richmond were originally Key System bus yards.
- Several old Key System streetcars and bridge trains are saved at the Western Railway Museum in California. Another bridge unit is at the Southern California Railway Museum. A streetcar is at the Seashore Trolley Museum in Maine.
- One of the old steam locomotives used by the Key System is on display at the Redwood Valley Railway.
- The Northbrae Tunnel, which the Key System used, was converted for cars in 1962.
- The Interurban Electric Railway Bridge Yard Shop Building, used for maintaining Key System trains, is now called the Bridge Yard Building and hosts events.
- The area where the Bridge Yard Shop Building is located is now the Judge John Sutter Regional Shoreline park, which opened in 2020.
