electrification

Tidewater Southern Railway

Electrification Map

Accepted canon on the Tidewater Southern's electrification is that it was totally confined to the Stockton-Modesto mainline. Some sources even state that the TS never actually offered electric freight operations outside of Modesto and that the steeplecab locomotives were confined to Modesto switching for their entire service careers, not just post 1932. In his 1956 Pacific Railway Journal article, John Dodge reports that there is doubt even baggage-express motor 300 (listed as 100 in the article) was ever used much under wire.

In spring 2002, however, Ted Benson was kind enough to share with me a highly detailed 1920 offical map of the north end of the Tidewater. It showed everything, including the locations of support buildings, weight of rail, land ownership info and locations of line poles.

What was most striking about this map was its indication that the Manteca Branch was electrified. No label was found stating "proposed" or "under construction" on the electrification. It was presented on the map as existing fact with line pole locations clearly marked. In addition, the same article by Dodge clearly states that the Manteca Branch was electrified.

Ted has since informed me about a WP AFE (Authorization For Expenditure) that shows the Manteca Branch electrification being approved for removal and reinstallation on the Sacramento Northern as part of its new connection from the Sacramento-Oakland mainline at Creed to the isolated Suisun/Vacaville branchline cluster at Cordero. Based on paperwork I have received from Jeff Asay, this occured some time in 1930.

Quite a bit of additional information on the Tidewater's electrification can found in the paperwork Mr. Asay saved. There were obviously electrified spurs along the main line in Modesto and northward, and on the Manteca Branch. The interchange at Ortega with the WP was under wire, as was the North Modesto Yard. The North Yard wire survived after the end of mainline electrification in 1932, supporting the idea that electric freight switching survived in Modesto.

Perhaps the most interesting finds so far are numerous references to abandonment of the electric overhead on many spurs and the Ortega interchange about the same time that the Manteca Branch was deelectrified. Based on these references, it appears that the TS ended or began to end electric freight service north of Aurora during 1930, two years before the interurban service ended.