Curiosities

There are many curious aspects of railroading in and around Santa Cruz County, and not all of them fit comfortably in a single category or qualify as a location history or company. The following articles are some such stories, bits of history related to the railroad but not the railroad, and as such require their own place.

Directly Railroad-related:

• Blackburn Terrace
• Feasibility Studies to Restore the Mountain Route
• The Hihn Railroad Grade
• Local Railroads in Film
• Monterey Bay Area Static Locomotives
• Non-Existent Stations
• The Ocean Shore Railway's 26-Mile Gap
• Proposed Routes Out of the San Lorenzo Valley
• Returning Passenger Service to the Santa Cruz Branch
• Storms and the Railroad
• The Sun Tan Special
• Sunset Magazine
• Travel Times and Speeds
• Urban Legends of Local Railroading

Historical Events:

• The Train Wreck of May 23, 1880
• The Earthquake of April 18, 1906

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk:

• The Beach before the Boardwalk
• The Casa del Rey Hotel
• Roller Coasters at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
• Skee-Roll at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Local Businesses and Resorts:

• Austrian Gulch
• Ben Lomond-Area Resorts
• Big Basin
• Big Trees Resorts
• Boulder Creek-Area Resorts
• Brookdale-Area Resorts
• Felton-Area Resorts
• Holy City
• Huckleberry Island and the Brookdale Club
• Laurel and Glenwood-area Resorts
• Railroad Hotels
• Railroad School and District
• Sea Beach Hotel
• Zayante-area Resorts

Journeys
Relics of the former railroads still survive in the mountains and in random odd places throughout the region. Many of these can be surveyed and hiked. During my years living in Santa Cruz, I followed many such trails but only a few received a forensic treatment such as these below.

• Harmony Acres to Waterman Switch (North Boulder Creek Region: April 27, 2013)
• Zayante Flag-Stop to Mountain Charlie Tunnel South Portal (Zayante Region: April 7, 2013)