San Francisco and San Jose Railroad

San Francisco and San Jose Railroad
Locomotive #11 of the SF&SJ.
Overview
HeadquartersSan Francisco, California
LocaleSan Francisco Peninsula
Santa Clara Valley
Dates of operation1863 (1863)–1870 (1870)
SuccessorSouthern Pacific; Caltrain
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

The San Francisco and San Jose Railroad (SF&SJ) was a railroad which linked the communities of San Francisco and San Jose, California, running the length of the San Francisco Peninsula. The company incorporated in 1860 and was one of the first railroads to employ Chinese laborers in its construction.[1] It opened the first portion of its route in 1863, completing the entire 49.5-mile (80 km) route in 1864. The company was consolidated with the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1870. Today, Caltrain and the Union Pacific Railroad continue to operate trains over part of the company's original route.

  1. ^ Chinn, Thomas W. (1969). "A history of the Chinese in California: A syllabus. The railroads". cprr.com. Chinese Historical Society of America. Retrieved November 11, 2019. One of the earliest employment of Chinese for railroad building was on the construction of the California Central Railroad. [1858, Sacramento Union] ...Henry George [1869, New York Tribune] asserted that Chinese laborers were also used in the construction of the San Jose Railroad in 1860.