History Timeline...1910-2001

Tidewater Southern Railway

Oct 4 1910

Tidewater and Southern Railroad incorporated.

early 1911

Tidewater and Southern Railroad announces plan to build from Stockton, through Modesto, to Turlock and other points south, including a connection with the Ventura County Railroad.  A branch from Atlanta to Ripon is also mentioned.

Company issues 750,000 shares of common stock and 250,000 shares of preferred.

Apr 18 1911

Tidewater and Southern Railroad leases the still-building Modesto Interurban Railroad.

Oct 17 1911

Lease of the Modesto Interurban is ended.  The MI is reincorporated as the Modesto and Empire Traction Company.

Feb 16 1912

Tidewater and Southern Transit Company incorporated.

Mar 11 1912

Tidewater and Southern Railroad and Tidewater and Southern Transit Company are consolidated as the Tidewater Southern Railway.  T&SRR president Byron Bearce is president of new company.

May 1912

Grading is completed between Escalon and the Stanislaus River north of Modesto.

Jul 1912

TSRy locomotive 1 arrives.  It is an 1882, Central Pacific built 2-6-2T.

Oct 1912

Mainline from Stockton to Modesto is open.  Total length is 32.23 miles.  Trains enter Stockton along Sharps Road east of the Southern Pacific and Western Pacific tracks, then use Stockton Electric lines to reach the Stockton Hotel and the waterfront..

late 1912

Jewett Car Company delivers 3 combination interurban cars, numbers 200-202.  Some time later, a fourth interurban, an express motor numbered 300, is also received from Jewett.

May 1913

Installation of 1200 volt DC overhead wire begins.

Nov 1913

Installation of overhead wire on mainline from Stockton to Modesto is completed.

Nov 15 1913

Passenger service between Stockton and Modesto begins with 3 daily roundtrips.

Jan 15 1914

Delivery of first electric freight locomotive, wooden body steeplecab 100.  Built by the Central California Traction Company as CCT 1. It would be rebuilt with 110 hp motors for a total of 440 hp in 1920.

mid 1916

24 trains daily operating between Stockton and Modesto.

Jul 1916

Line to Turlock opens.

Jul 1917

Line from Hatch to Hilmar opens.  Hilmar is considered the end of the mainline while Hatch to Turlock is the Turlock Branch.

Jan 1917

Tidewater Southern is purchased by the Western Pacific Railroad.

Jan 23 1918

Ex-WP126, a 4-6-0 is purchased as TS second 1.

late 1917?

Sharps Lane entry into Stockton is abandoned.  New line follows ex-Alameda and San Jouquin line from Ortega onto Stockton Electric trackage past Santa Fe depot to joint TS-CCT terminal in Stockton Hotel.

Jan 23 1918

Joint industrial district operation with Modesto and Empire Traction begins with goal of expanding industrial trackage south of downtown Modesto.

Joint operation would last until 1958, when the MET took over sole operation.

May 1918

Last major trackage added to the TS: a 6.6 mile branch opens from Manteca Junction to Manteca.  This line is electrified until about 1930.