OpenRailwayMap
What would make this super interesting to me would be a historical timeline and a way to contribute historical routes.<p>For example, here are some old branches off the main San Francisco Peninsula line:<p>• Hawthorne Avenue in Palo Alto (three blocks north of University) and Middlefield where it crosses San Francisquito Creek were originally a spur line that served the Catholic University (now Jesuit Seminary) in Menlo Park.<p>• What is now Fry's Electronics in Palo Alto and that row of buildings had loading docks in the back for the spur that branched off the main line there. This line went to where the Veterans' Hospital is now and then followed the path of Foothill Blvd, straight through the Trader Joe's parking lot at Homestead ends, then continued through to tracks that still exist on the other side of 280.<p>• If you ever wondered why Camden Avenue in Campbell/San Jose has that oddly smooth curve where it veers off Hillsdale, yes, it was another train line. This was the Campbell-Almaden line (thus the name cam-den) which started from the still-existing line that runs through Campbell (you can see some of the old loading docks from Railway Avenue). Where Camden bends right at Kooser, the train line continued straight through where the power lines are now, crossed a bridge to follow what is now Redmond Avenue in south San Jose, and on to the town of New Almaden.