Belt Railroad Engine House and Sandhouse

The Belt Railroad Engine House and Sandhouse consists of two reinforced concrete buildings finished in cement plaster, occupying a triangular block bounded by Lombard Street, Sansome Street, and the Embarcadero. Built in nineteen thirteen and nineteen fourteen, the facility provided maintenance for the State Belt Railroad, a shortline that once moved cargo between waterfront ships and major rail networks. Locals famously gave the line nicknames like the Toonerville Trolley and the Wooden Axle Line, but the railroad operated an extensive system spanning from south of Market Street all the way to the Presidio.