Pacifica Railcar Restoration Rebuilds History

An authentic railcar that sat decaying for years in a Sonoma County backyard now calls Pacifica its home. And volunteers are bringing it back to life.

Car 1409, the last remaining passenger car of the Ocean Shore Railroad, is being refurbished at a location just off San Pedro Terrace, across from the Linda Mar Care Center.

The Pacifica Historical Society took possession of 1409 just a few years back. "It was in the backyard of a residence in Sebastopol," says Jerry Crow, treasurer of the PHS. "It was being used as a garden shed, and they wanted to improve the backyard and put up a gazebo, so it was in the way. The resident let us take it away for free. He was glad to get it out of there."

The Ocean Shore Railroad ran along the Pacific coast between San Francisco and Santa Cruz for fifteen years beginning in 1905. "The principle ways they made their revenue was by bringing weekenders down to the beaches during good weather," says Crow, "and by bringing produce up to San Francisco from the coastside area; artichokes, Brussels spouts, cabbages, that kind of hardy vegetable."

By 1920, autos and trucks became more popular. Revenues declined, so the company gave up on the train business. Today, all that remains is car 1409.

"There were two other cars near Oroville up until recently, but I understand a tree fell on one, and the other one just kind of fell apart," says Crow.

1409 still needs a lot of work. Artisans with carpentry skills are highly desired for the project. There is woodworking and wood-stripping to be done.

But there's also work for anyone who'd like to donate a few hours to preserve history. There are weeds to be pulled, sweeping to be done, painting that's necessary to cover graffiti from a recent vandalism, and general clean-up.

When finished, half the car will be arranged as it was at the time passengers rode in it, and half will be a coast side railroad museum. The PHS hopes to move it to a downtown location.

"Maybe what we’ll have inside when it’s finished is a video, so people can sit down in the original seats and imagine themselves riding down the coast in the good old days," says Crow.

The next organized volunteer activity is Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you're interested, and have questions, you can call Project Leader Scott Lindner at 800-879-6277.  There will be two other volunteer sessions this summer: July 2 and August 6.

The location of car 1409 is actually off San Pedro Terrace, across from the Linda Mar Care Center. The PHS says you can enter through the open ranch gate and hang a right. The activity will be seen ahead of you, under a green protective awning/tent structure.