Before the Carquinez Bridge

For those who are curious about how folks crossed the Carquenez in the days before 1927:

The Solano and Contra Costa were the World's Largest Train Ferries and operated between 1879 - 1930. They ferried passenger and freight trains for one mile across the Carquinez Strait between Benicia (Army Point) and Port Costa (known earlier as South Benicia or Bull Valley). The ferryboats were named after the two counties served by the ferryboats as Benicia was located in Solano County and Port Costa was located in Contra Costa County.
The Solano was 424 feet long and 116 feet wide and were capable of carrying entire passenger trains or a 48-car freight train and locomotive. It was built in Oakland, California in 1878.
The Contra Costa was built in 1914 due to increased traffic over the line and the need for a second ferryboat. It was slightly larger and wider than the Solano.
Original traffic levels over the line could not justify the large capital expense of a long railroad bridge across the Carquinez Strait. However, by 1927 the two ferries were working at their maximum capacity. On May 31, 1928 the Southern Pacific authorized construction of the railroad bridge at Benicia. The bridge was completed eighteen months later and was formally dedicated on November 1, 1930. The bridge is 5,603 feet long and runs from Suisun Point (Martinez) to Army Point (Benicia).
The opening of the bridge marked the end of the ferry service at Benicia. According to historian Jerry Bowen, "(The) Solano was dismantled and the hull sank and rotted away at Morrow Cove (located at the California Maritime Academy in Vallejo). The Contra Costa was dismantled at Oakland and sold for junk."