The Ocean Shore Railroad operated between 1906 and the early 1920's. It was somewhat doomed from the beginning because of the 1906 earthquake, but they continued to attempt to link San Francisco to Santa Cruz by rail. The construction from San Francisco southward made it about 30 miles, and the construction northward from Santa Cruz was less successful. The two halves never met. This old structure was possibly built to serve as a halfway point, because in addition to a lobby and ticket office, there were several small rooms built upstairs, possibly to serve as sleeping quarters. It's not clear. But the house survived many years before being purchased in 1989 by Alice and John, who spent many years lovingly restoring it. We have lived here since 2012, and continue to enjoy its legacy.

You can read more about the Ocean Shore Railway here on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_Shore_Railroad