Montara to Miramar

After the Ocean Shore Railway left the Devils Slide, it would carry on through the [relatively] flat coastline that was the San Mateo Coast. Ocean Shore Engineers probably didn't have much of a struggle building through here, if the weather was alright and the funding was still secure. Where we left off, we were on the approach to Miramar, ending at an unknown creek where a trestle once stood. I have tried to find any images of the old trestle, but alas none have been procured. From the berm at Montara, it is very hard to trace the Ocean Shore Railroad since development in the thirties to sixties have basically covered the entire line. Please keep in mind that in the next few posts, this is just my rough judgement on where the railway must've gone, for I have no sufficient maps to actually cover this.

The red represents the Ocean Shore Railroad, from what I suspect it went.

The railway most likely would have gone in a straight line through the then empty town of Montara. There is one known photo of the station at Montara that I have discovered, and apparently, on one of the streets within the town, there is the word "MONTARA" encased in brick on the sidewalk, marking the location of the old station. I do not know if the station survives, but it most likely, if it did survive the abandonment of the railway, is a residential house. 

 

The picture most likely was taken in the 1910s.

The picture above seems to be from the days when the Ocean Shore Railroad was booming with tourism. From Montara, the railway probably would have followed the Cabrillo Highway, and had taken a curve along the ocean's edge. The Cabrillo Highway goes over a creek that divides the town of Montara, of course, I did not find any image of the trestle that must've once went over it, or if any berm was constructed over it. 

Of course, recent development has made it impossible to trace where the railway went. I am assuming the railway went through the small cut that is used by the Cabrillo Highway on the side of the small cliffs at Montara. From there, the railway must've gone straight to Miramar. Where the Half Moon Bay airport stands, must've been traces of a right of way before it was constructed, for it was likely the Ocean Shore Railroad would've cut straight through that area on its way to Miramar.  

I'm most likely wrong on where the railway went, but due to the lack of maps, it makes it entirely difficult to find where the railway went. The small town on the right is known as Princeton and was a planned location on the Ocean Shore Railroad. I do not know if there was a physical station at Princeton, but I understand that it was planned to be heavily remodelled in the eyes of the Ocean Shore Railroad. 

Apparently, some old members of El Granada claim that the town used to be filled with empty streets after the Ocean Shore Railroad went bankrupt, due to the railway having many real estate claims in the town. The railway, for a fact, followed what is now the Cabrillo Highway. A small yard was stationed at El Granada, the next following pictures depict El Granada in the days that the Ocean Shore Railroad was there. By far, this is the most amount of pictures of the Ocean Shore Railroad in a single town. 

IMAGE ONE: The station at El Granada. IMAGE TWO: The yard at Granada. 

El Granada seemed to be the hub of the railway in the Northern Terminus. A full yard and station were stationed there! In the screenshot from google maps above, I can only assume that it was the old railway yard, that was never redeveloped. Yet again, the railroad continues on. There is no map that documents the Ocean Shore Railroad at Miramar, and thus I cannot definitively give you an answer on where the railway went through Miramar. 

The railroad most likely went by the curve below or went from where the Cabrillo Highway is now. Miramar was also a very popular destination on the Ocean Shore Railroad, where many people once travelled to in the days of the tourism. This is unfortunately where I have to leave you guys all off now. I promise I'll post again this month!

Is this at Miramar or El Granada? 

CITATIONS:

Morrall, June. “Ocean Shore Railroad's ‘Yard’ at Granada.” Half Moon Bay Memories, 26 Dec. 2007, www.halfmoonbaymemories.com/2007/12/26/ocean-shore-railroads-yard-at-granada/.