page_title: Santa Fe Railroad Tugboats
section_title: Background
hierarchical_section_title: Santa Fe Railroad Tugboats / Background
caption_attribution_description: English: Route map of the barge routes in the San Francisco Bay used by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company
context_page_description: The Santa Fe Railroad barged rail cars across the San Francisco Bay for much of the 20th century as there is no direct rail link to the San Francisco peninsula. In the post World War II period a fleet of three tugs moved the barges: the Paul P. Hastings, the Edward J. Engel, and the John R. Hayden. After cross-bay float service had ended and the tugs had been sold, the Hastings sank off Point Arena, California in water too deep to raise. The Engel sank off Alameda, California and is expected to be raised. The Hayden remains afloat and in service in Oregon.
context_section_description: 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 on San Francisco Bay at various times:
  --- Richmond, built new for the Santa Fe by Fulton Iron Works in 1899. Sold to Crowley Tugboat Company in December 1925.
  --- A.H. Payson, built new for the Santa Fe in 1902 by Boole & Sons, Oakland CA. Remained in Santa Fe service its entire life, retired in 1948 and was sold for scrap in 1950.
  --- E.P. Ripley, built new for the Santa Fe in 1907 by Cruse & Banks, North Bend OR, 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 as Basford by Bethlehem Steel. Purchased used by the Santa Fe in August 1923. It was used for 25 years, then laid up for parts, the remains sold for scrap in 1966. Storey was president of the railroad from 1920-1933.
  --- A.G. Wells, built at Superior, Wisconsin as Hukey in 1919, purchased used by the Santa Fe in September 1925. Commandeered by the U.S. Government in 1943 and not returned.
  Post-War additions
  --- Edward J. Engel Santa Fe contracted with Consolidated Steel at Newport Beach, CA to construct a new "streamlined" tug. Launched in May 1945 Engle served till the late '60s. Edward J. Engel was the president of the railroad from 1939 to 1944.
  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.
  --- 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.
caption: Barge routes in the San Francisco Bay used by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad. There were many routes. From the Santa Fe Collection, now owned by the BNSF Railroad.
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