Santa Fe Railroad Tugboats - Background

Background

The Santa Fe Railroad tracks only went as far west as Oakland, California. (The Southern Pacific Railroad had a line on the San Francisco Peninsula from San Jose, but blocked the Santa Fe from access.) The Santa Fe did have some isolated tracks in the city of San Francisco. To connect to them from Oakland the Santa Fe used a fleet of tugs and barges to move freight across the San Francisco Bay. This service began in 1900 and continued until 1984.

Prior to the end of World War II there were five tugs used at various times:

--- Richmond, built new for the Santa Fe in 1900. Sold to Crowley Tugboat Company in 1926.

--- A.H. Payson, built new for the Santa Fe in 1902. Remained in Santa Fe service its entire life, and was sold for scrap in 1950.

--- E.P. Ripley, built new for the Santa Fe in 1907, also sold for scrap in 1950. Ripley was president of the railroad from 1896-1920.

---W.B. Storey, built in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1919. Storey was president of the railroad from 1920-1933. Purchased used by the Santa Fe in 1924. It was used for 25 years, then laid up for parts, the remains sold for scrap in 1966.

--- A.G. Wells, built at Superior, Wisconsin in 1919, purchased used by the Santa Fe in 1926. Commandeered by the U.S. Government in 1943 and not returned.

During World War II the US Army had many tugboats built. As the war concluded the Santa Fe acquired two of the LT (Large Tug) vessels for use in its cross-bay float service and another was built directly for them. All were named after prominent persons in the railroad:

--- Paul P. Hastings was the VP of Traffic for the railroad at the time of his retirement in 1941. He was the brother of Milo Hastings and grandson of Pardee Butler.

--- Edward J. Engel was the president of the railroad from 1939 to 1944.

--- John R. Hayden was the assistant to Mr. Engel.

Various cargo was carried by the float service. The railcar barges held fourteen 40-foot (12.2 m) railcars. Some of the railcars were chlorine tankers bound for the water treatment plant. Another cargo was Kessler Whiskey for the Seagram’s facility in South San Francisco. In a famous incident a whiskey tanker was among cars that rolled off the barge in mid-bay during foul weather. Another cargo was box cars of newsprint for the San Francisco Chronicle.

Transportation patterns changed with time. Piggy-back truck service increased as direct railcar service declined. The Chronicle at the urging of the railroad switched to piggy-back truck delivery. As use of the cross-bay float service declined the Santa Fe reduced the tug fleet. The Engel was sold in 1969, and the Hayden was sold in 1976. The Hastings continued as the only tug until 1984. On May 4, 1984 a fire at the Richmond ferry slip killed cross-bay float service, and the Hastings was sold.

All three tugs had steel hulls. All entered service powered by a steam engine driving a single screw. In the mid 1960s the Hastings and Hayden were dieselized, but the Engel never was.