I keep on finding out more about our location’s past; this time it’s about the Newport Railroad built in the late 1800′s.  To read more about Newport Beach’s history, browse my “Local History” section in my blog.

SP Station at Newport Beach, C. 1908

The Newport Railroad was built by the McFaddens and Joseph Bright and Company.  The first train over the tracks ran on January 12, 1892.  In 1899, the railway and pier were purchased by the Southern Pacific.

Depot and Wharf at Newport Beach, c. 1909

The Southern Pacific purchased the pier and railway with the intention of killing the shipping industry in Newport.  By raising wharfage rates to a prohibitive figure, they forced lumber cargoes to go elsewhere.  In January 1907, the last commercial shipment to pass over the pier was from Australia.

All photos, history, and descriptions are from Jeff Delaney’s book Newport Beach, published in 2005.