Historic Freight Depot

Birds eye view of Niles, circa 1910. 1901 Niles passenger depot with train in station and Niles freight depot to upper right of passenger depot (blocked by freight cars). Note there is no 70-foot open shed extension on freight depot which shows in later photos. Niles Main Street Association Collection.

Niles Freight Depot, early 1920s. Note 70' open shed extension on right end of building and two-tone paint scheme that matches 1901 passenger depot. The wood frame freight platform (dock) measured 33' wide by 246' long. The freight house (enclosed portion) measured 18' wide by 97' long. The open shed extension on the north end measured 18' wide by 70' long.

Southern Pacific Niles freight depot, 1941. The construction date is unknown because SP's records were destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The freight depot could be as old as the original 1870 Niles passenger depot. Because the construction date is unknown, the freight depot may have been constructed by the Central Pacific.

Niles freight depot roof sign. Date unknown, but before May, 1953. SP retired 3,440 sq. ft. of the frame platform and 35' of the open shed on May 29, 1953. The remaining 35' of the open shed was retired on March 31, 1954. Only the original enclosed freight house portion remains today.

Newspaper photo accompanying story about a sniper who shot and injured two Southern Pacific railroad employees from the roof of a building across the street. Complete story and articles are on display at the Niles Depot Museum. Fremont Argus photo, NDHF Museum Collection.

Niles Freight Depot in 1971. Note the open shed extension has been cut back. The parade is celebrating 150 years of Alameda County. Photo by Al Lopez

Southern Pacific continued to use the freight depot well into the 1990s as an office and storage space for local maintenance-of-way crews. Shortly after Union Pacific acquired SP in 1996 it condemned the depot. Photo by Robert Souter

August 5, 2001. Photo by John Haskey.

March 2004. Photo by Art Fisher.

March 2004. Photo by Art Fisher.

March 2004. Photo by Art Fisher.

March 2004. Photo by Art Fisher.

March 2004. Photo by Art Fisher.

March 2004. Photo by Art Fisher.

March 2004. Photo by Art Fisher.

March 2004. Photo by Art Fisher.

March 2004. Photo by Art Fisher.

March 2004. Photo by Art Fisher.

March 2004. Photo by Art Fisher.

2008. Photo by Brian Liljeblad.

2008. Photo by Brian Liljeblad.

2008. Photo by Brian Liljeblad.

2008. Photo by Brian Liljeblad.

2008. Photo by Brian Liljeblad.