Suntan Special
The Suntan Special was a summer excursion train run by the Southern Pacific Railroad between San Francisco and Santa Cruz, California. It ran from 1927 to 1959.
| Overview | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service type | Seasonal excursion train | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Status | Discontinued | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First service | 1927 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last service | September 1959 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former operator(s) | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Route | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Start | San Jose, California San Francisco, California Oakland, California | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| End | Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk - Casa del Rey Hotel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Average journey time | 3 hours 15 minutes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service frequency | Summer Sundays and holidays | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
History
Trains operated over the former South Pacific Coast Railroad from 1927 until that line was destroyed by storm damage in February 1940.[1] Trains originated in San Jose, California, until the departure point shifted to San Francisco in 1932 with at least three sections every summer Sunday and holiday. A section from Oakland, California, was added in 1934. As many as 3,500 passengers[2] from the San Francisco Bay area paid $1.25 for a round trip visit to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. As many as seven double-headed sections originating in San Francisco, Oakland, or San Jose were required to carry these passengers.[3] Service resumed over a longer route through Watsonville, California in April 1940. Service was suspended by World War II from 1941 through 1946, but resumed in July 1947,[1] carrying about 900 passengers per trip.[4] The train would reach Santa Cruz about 11 AM and depart about 5 PM. The last train ran in September, 1959.[5][6]
References
- Littlefield, Skip (10 April 1960). "Suntan Special Will Run No More To Santa Cruz". Santa Cruz Sentinel.
- "Southern Pacific Railroad's Sun Tan Special, 1932". Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
- Bowdidge, Robert. "Vasona Branch Passenger Service". Robert's Model Railroad Pages. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
- "SP and the Suntan Special" (PDF). History of in Santa Cruz County. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
- Whiting, Ted. "Riding the Sun Tan Special". Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
- ]https://www.santacruztrains.com/2016/11/curiosities-casa-del-rey-hotel.html Casa del Rey Hotel]