San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad

The San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railroad was a California rail line between Stockton and Bakersfield constructed in the late 1890s and very shortly thereafter purchased by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad and became their Valley Division.

[1][2] The impetus for building the line was the monopoly position of the Southern Pacific Railroad, it being thought that a competitor would lower the prices being charged to farmers to ship their crops to San Francisco.

Claus Spreckels, a leading sugar manufacturer, pledged $500,000 for the building of the line in January 1895, if $3,000,000 more could be raised.

In both cases, news reports trumpeted how the towns were now free of the "tyranny" of Southern Pacific's monopoly.

[2][4] The quick sale to the Santa Fe before the end of 1898[5][6] disappointed many, but many backers believed combining with a larger partner was key to the line's success.