The entrance to Montclair Village outside of Oakland is an empty wall above an old rail line where the historic Montclair Railroad once carried travelers. Per Hoodline, plans to paint a mural under this passage are in the works thanks to The Montclair Neighborhood Council and the Oakland Public Art Advisory Committee. 

The mural, titled “Train of Thought,” will be approximately 145 feet long and 25 feet high and would be installed on the wall on Mountain Boulevard. The piece of art, to be finished by Oakland muralist Andrew Johnstone, is a tribute to the location's history as part of the Sacramento Northern Railway.

Proposed Retail Building / Rendering Courtesy of the Montclair Neighborhood Council

The mural installation also ties into the recent addition of Short Line Pocket Park on

the corner of Thornhill Drive and Moraga Avenue, which was previously part of the same rail line.

With $22,000 of the $35,000 needed already raised, the Montclair Boulevard Railroad mural is expected to begin installation in September of this year.

Once that’s completed, the MNC already has their sights on the bare wall on the east side of the street for a future project.