Old Sacramento State Historic Park

October 1, 1907

On this day in 1907, the Pacific Fruit Express (PFE), formed by the Southern Pacific and Union Pacific Railroad companies, began operation with a fleet of 6,600 refrigerator cars built by the American Car and Foundry Company. The PFE was established to provide a faster and more efficient transportation of perishable fruits and vegetables across the United States. Within a year, the PFE purchased all Armour Lines owned ice making facilities in California and in 1908 the company built a giant ice making and car icing facility in Roseville.

Ice was stored on each end of the train cars. In 1908, the Roseville ice making plant had the storage capacity of 11,000 tons of ice. By the spring of 1909, the completed $250,000 ice making plant had the capacity to make 300 tons of ice per day and a storage capacity of 17,000 tons. It had the distinction of being the largest ice manufacturing facility in the world.

In 1908, its first full year of operation, the PFE transported 40,000 carloads of fruit, vegetables, and other perishable foods from California to eastern states. At its height in the 1930s, the PFE had over 41,000 ice refrigerator cars and was the largest refrigerator car operator in the world.

The number of cars owned by the company declined after the Second World War and the joint ownership of the Union Pacific and Southern Pacific dissolved in March 1978. The Southern Pacific was able to keep the PFE name. The Roseville ice plant was shut down in 1973 as self-refrigerated boxcars made the ice cars obsolete. The structures were removed in 1974.

View of the Roseville yards in 1922 taken from the top of the Pacific Fruit Express icing and loading platforms from the Southern Pacific Bulletin December 1922 publication.

On your next visit to Old Sacramento, you may find portions of the riverfront boardwalk have been fenced off. The City is replacing the wooden boardwalk along the riverfront with a stamped concrete replacement. Here are some details:
http://cbsloc.al/2sX59Nh

Univision is live in Old Sacramento!
https://www.facebook.com/Univision19/posts/1739838662709394

Univision, an international Spanish language TV Network is here in today. From 2:00 to 4:00 pm PDT they will be broadcasting Primer Impacto, their flagship news show. Locally in Sacramento it will be shown on channel 19, KUVS

We're getting lots of questions about the Sacramento River here in . The photos and data are current on Jan 10 2017 at noon local time.

The current river level is at 29.2 feet, about four feet below the flood stage. It's also raining steadily. The bike path along the river is flooded at low spots north of I Street and river access points are closed.

Realtime stream data is available at
http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?gage=sacc1&wfo=sto

It's not often that we get to see national television, rising water, and the I Street bridge open at the same time, but we never know what will happen at . Here's Paul Goodloe from the reporting live on rising water in the Sacramento river on January 7, 2017. We expect that rising waters will result in closure of part of the bike trail by Tuesday, so please stay alert and don't go past any closure signs or barriers.

Thanks!

Paul Goodloe from the is live from today as we watch the river rise from this weekend's heavy storm. As a bonus, we get to see the I Street bridge open for boat traffic!

The river is predicted to rise much higher than this by Tuesday. Visitors should expect closures along the riverfront as the water level rises.

Did you know that the and the in are open daily? This is Park Interpreter Debbie Hollingsworth conducting training for some of our volunteers who will staff the theatre.

Here's a very quick walk through of the 1874 Central Pacific Passenger Depot in Old Sacramento, which is now open daily! Come on by. One ticket gets you int our Museum, the Depot and the Eagle Theatre, all here in Old Sacramento SHP

https://www.periscope.tv/w/arWG3DF4a2pEWXFtcU1iRXp8MXZBeFJMclh3TE5HbEyXbx3miSqhmMJ-wrtgHl7-BpjeM-x86RzpNC91hxhz

CA State Museums @CAstatemuseums Central Pacific Depot in Old Sacramento State Historic Park — Sacramento, CA, United States

For the first time in nearly ten years, the Central Pacific Passenger Station and Eagle Theatre will be open daily for visitors to the California State Railroad Museum. Your Museum ticket will get you into the Passenger Depot, a reconstruction of Sacramento's 1874 railroad station. Stop by when you're in the neighborhood!

Will you be coming down to Gold Rush Days in Old Sacramento? We're bringing back the past for Labor Day weekend and the weather couldn't be better! Here's a quick look via Periscope.

CA State Museums @CAstatemuseums Untitled — Sacramento, CA, United States

Swearing in Sarah, the first rider eastbound from Sacramento for the annual commemorative ride. Ten days to St. Jo!