Modesto and Empire Traction

Company History: Modesto & Empire Traction launched in 1911 to take over a line between Modesto, California and a connection with the Santa Fe 5 miles to the east. The line gave Modesto citizens a choice between the Southern Pacific (and later Tidewater Southern) and the Santa Fe for their travels. This was accomplished with gas-powered motor cars. Don’t let the “Traction” in the name fool you. The M&ET was never electrified.

Within just a few years, freight greatly surpassed passenger operations with the latter ending in 1918. The line was dieselized in 1953 with GE 70 ton switchers.

The railroad has always been owned by the Beard Land & Investment Company. Beard developed the Beard Industrial park on their line with the railroad giving them access to three area line haul carriers. This industrial park is massive. Although the M&ET mainline is just 5 miles, there are 49 miles of track in the park. Modesto is in the heart of California’s food processing region and that shows in the M&ET’s customers: Americold, Beard’s Quality Nut, Bunge Food, Miller Beer, Canteen Vending, Central Valley Ag Grinding, Del Monte, Budweiser, E&J Brandy, Frito-Lay, Gallo Winery, Great Spring Waters of America, JS West Milling, Hilmar Cheese, Kraft General Foods, Major-Sysco Food Services, Nestle, Newly Weds Foods, Rizo-Lopez Foods, Seneca Foods, Stanislaus Food Products, plus 59 other customers in other fields. There are more companies in the Beard Industrial Park, these are just the one’s served by the M&ET.

Brief History: The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for filmmaking.