PS Solano & Sunol (CA, USA)

[Roderick Smith]

Randy posted: 'Solano can be seen at 38* 01' 01.78" N x 121* 48' 18.21"W near the town of Antioch in the Carquinez Strait'.
I have found it on Google Earth.  It is a breakwater to shelter a small-boat mooring.
I had come across a second reference, only yesterday, while researching tram ferries.
http://cprr.org/Museum/Ephemera/Solano_Ferry_Model.html
According to the.pdf article at the bottom of the site, Solano still exists today - as an island breakwater near Antioch,
Interesting the staggered paddle wheels.  Presumably because the ships engines had to be down the centre line, to allow the train tracks to get
around a narrow engine casing.
I found a complete history of Solano with some extremely good photographs: http://cprr.org/Museum/Solano.
I also found another site with an interesting series of postcard images showing the real ship and some of her 'fleetmates'.  Quite the ferries they are..slide down towards the bottom of the page: http://shastaroute.railfan.net/SF-Oak.html

There is more information in the book Trimbole & Knorp 'Ferries of San Francisco Bay', Arcadia Publishing (www.arcadiapublishing.com), one of a consistent 'Images of America' series.  I brought home three of the series, plus a spare of the ferries one for onsale to an Australian enthusiast via this group or via Australian Ferry Society.  I will place a separate post.

While searching for a reference on Solano, I came upon this one for SWPS Sunol:
http://vallejomuseum.blogspot.com
There is a model of Sunol at Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum.


Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor

[mjt60a]

The model of Solano looks very impressive, the double steering wheel must've been gigantic!

[Roderick Smith]

I miscaptioned the Google Earth view: Solano was side wheel; Sunol was stern wheel.

Regards,
Roderick B Smith
Rail News Victoria Editor