Franklin Tunnel

Franklin Tunnel
Overview
LineStockton Subdivision
LocationContra Costa County, California
Coordinates37°59′48.1″N 122°10′48.8″W / 37.996694°N 122.180222°W / 37.996694; -122.180222
Operation
Constructedconcrete-lined
Opened1900
Rebuilt1907
OwnerBNSF Railway
Characterfreight
Technical
Design engineerWilliam Benson Storey[1]
Length5,680 feet (1.076 mi; 1.73 km)
No. of trackssingle
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Tunnel clearance18 feet (5.5 m)
Width13 feet (4.0 m)

Franklin Tunnel is a railway tunnel near Martinez, California. It carries the BNSF Railway Stockton Subdivision under the Briones Hills between Glen Frazer and the railroad's approach to the San Francisco Bay. It was built by the San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad just prior to the company's acquisition by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. It opened for service in 1900 as the company's longest tunnel.[2]

The tunnel is 5,680 feet (1.076 mi; 1.73 km) in length,[3] with a maximum depth of 300 feet (91 m) below the summit.[4] Its cross section is 18 feet (5.5 m) tall and 13 feet (4.0 m) wide,[5] carrying a single track.

The tunnel was closed for several weeks in early 1907 as a persistent fire ate away at the supporting timbers, causing a cave-in.[6]

  1. ^ Frailey, Fred W.; Bryant Jr., Keith L. (2020). History of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. U of Nebraska Press. p. 162. ISBN 9781496222718.
  2. ^ Glischinski, Steve (1997). Santa Fe Railway. Voyageur Press. p. 23. ISBN 9780760303801.
  3. ^ Bennett, Herbert I. (July 15, 1905). "Extending the Santa Fe Railroad into San Francisco". Scientific American Supplement. Vol. 60, no. 1541.
  4. ^ By The Way (PDF). Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. May 1928. p. 67.
  5. ^ Dur-Ite Co. v. Industrial Com, 394 Ill. (September 18, 1946).
  6. ^ "Franklin Tunnel Still Ablaze". San Francisco Call. January 29, 1907. p. 4.