Undated US Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District History
On 22 March 1943, the United States leased 29.80 acres from the Western Pacific Railroad. The site was used by San Francisco Port of Embarcation as a railroad classification yard (i.e., a switchyard for sorting railcars by destination to make up trains). The site was declared surplus on 4 December 1945 and the 29.80-acre lease was terminated on 31 January 1947. During the period of Army use, the site was part of a larger railroad classification yard owned by the Western Pacific Railroad. The yard was developed during the 1930's and a part of it was used by the Army for the war effort between 1943 and 1945. There is no record of any structures built there by the Army. The old structures which remain were built before the war; the old railroad turntable was built between 1908 and 1920, and the former yard shop (now a renovated office building) was built during the 1930's. Since the war, the yard has been dismantled, built over, and expanded. There is no record or knowledge of the use of hazardous or toxic materials on the site during Army use; it is presumed that the use of fuels, lube oils, and solvents was according to common practice (diesel engines did not replace the coal-fired steam engines until 1952). The Union Pacific Railroad bought Stockton Yard from the Western Pacific Railroad in 1982.
Additional Online Information
US Army Corps of Engineers Real Estate Map