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The Northwestern Pacific Railroad is a regional shortline railroad utilizing a stretch of the 271 mile mainline between Schellville and Windsor with freight and Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) commuter trains. Formerly, it was a
regional railroad In the United States, a regional railroad is a railroad company that is not Class I, but still has a substantial amount of traffic or trackage (and is thus not a short line). The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has defined the lower bound ...
primarily used for logging that served the entire North Coast of California, with a main line running from Schellville to Eureka, along with an additional portion of the line running from the
Ignacio Ignacio is a male Spanish language, Spanish and Galician Language, Galician name originating either from the Roman family name Egnatius (disambiguation), Egnatius, meaning born from the fire, of Etruscan origin, or from the Latin name "Ignatius" ...
Wye to the edge of San Rafael. The "Southern End" of the line, including Schellville to Willits and from Ignacio to San Rafael is owned by SMART, while the "Northern End" was formally owned and managed by the now-dissolved
North Coast Railroad Authority The Northwestern Pacific Railroad is a regional shortline railroad utilizing a stretch of the 271 mile mainline between Schellville and Windsor with freight and Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) commuter trains. Formerly, it was a regi ...
but is now saved for use in California's 2018 Great Redwood Trail Act, which repurposes the unused railroad right-of-way from Eureka to Willits for future use as the
Great Redwood Trail The Great Redwood Trail is a proposed multi-use rail-to-trail project connecting San Francisco and Humboldt bays in Northern California. Most of the trail will be built on the rail bed of the defunct Northwestern Pacific Railroad along the Ee ...
.


History

In the late 1800s both the
Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...
(“SP”) and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (“AT&SF”) had great interests in building lines north from San Francisco to Humboldt County to transport lumber south. The Southern Pacific Railroad controlled the southern end of the line from Willits south to Marin and Schellville, while the AT&SF controlled line south from Eureka through Humboldt County. Both railroads planned to build a line north, the AT&SF starting with a boat connection in present-day Larkspur, California, and the Southern Pacific, starting at its interchange in American Canyon, north through Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Humboldt counties to finally terminate in Eureka, California. As plans went forward it became clear that only one railroad would be profitable serving Mendocino and Humboldt Counties, so the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe entered into a joint agreement, and in 1906 merged 42 railroad companies between Marin and Humboldt Bay to create one railroad line stretching from Sausalito to Eureka. Completion of the project was disrupted by the
1906 San Francisco earthquake At 05:12 Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, April 18, 1906, the coast of Northern California was struck by a major earthquake with an estimated moment magnitude of 7.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (''Extreme''). High-intensity sha ...
; plans and right-of-way documents were destroyed in the subsequent fire. After a time-expedient "punt" of the route through the unstable Eel River Canyon, construction was finally completed in October 1914 when a "golden spike" ceremony and celebration was held to mark the accomplishment. There were also dozens of miles of narrow-gauge trackage in Marin and Sonoma Counties. The railroad used ferries of San Francisco Bay for freight transfer until connected to the national rail network at Napa Junction by the Santa Rosa and Carquinez Railroad in 1888. The Santa Rosa and Carquinez remained part of SP independent of the NWP with a primary freight interchange at Schellville. SP's Santa Rosa branch continued from Schellville through Sonoma to a separate terminal yard on North Street in
Santa Rosa Santa Rosa is the Italian, Portuguese and Spanish name for Saint Rose. Santa Rosa may also refer to: Places Argentina *Santa Rosa, Mendoza, a city * Santa Rosa, Tinogasta, Catamarca * Santa Rosa, Valle Viejo, Catamarca *Santa Rosa, La Pampa * Sa ...
. Freight interchange was predominantly through Ignacio, but there was a second connection to the SP in Santa Rosa until the line through the Valley of the Moon was abandoned in 1935. The railroad service became popular; an early daily NWP timetable shows 10 passenger trains each way, plus dozens of freights. The rail line soon replaced steam schooners as the main means of getting lumber from Humboldt County to market. Rail service to inland areas facilitated local development of the lumber industry. In 1929 the AT&SF sold its half-interest to the Southern Pacific, making the NWP a full SP subsidiary.


The SP era

Passenger service boomed until the 1930s, when improved roads and highways made traveling and shipping by motor vehicle more accessible. By 1935 freight and passenger service diminished because of the Great Depression. With the onset of World War II, freight shipments rose while passenger service remained constant. Freight service on the NWP increased in the 1950s owing to an increase in lumber demand due to the post-war housing boom. Branch lines were dismantled during the 1930s. The Sebastopol branch became redundant following purchase of the
Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railroad Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railroad was a 600 volt DC electric interurban railway in Sonoma County, California, United States. It operated between the cities of Petaluma, Sebastopol, Forestville, and Santa Rosa. Company-owned steamboats provided ...
in 1932, and California State Route 12 adopted the former alignment between Leddy and Sebastopol. The Trinidad extension reverted to a logging line after NWP service ended in 1933. Sonoma County's River Road adopted the former alignment of the
Guerneville Guerneville ( , ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County, California, United States. The town is historically known for the logging community, formed in the late 1800s. Guerneville ...
branch from Fulton to Duncans Mills after rails were removed in 1935. Diesels were being used on all trains by 1953, with the exception of
ten-wheeler A 4-6-0 steam locomotive, under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, has four leading wheels on two axles in a leading bogie and six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles with the abs ...
s number 181 and 183 pulling passenger trains numbered 3 and 4 between San Rafael and Eureka with number 182 on standby. The #3/#4 trains offered sleeping cars, a cafe-lounge in addition to coach cars. Passengers from San Francisco would take Greyhound Buses from the San Francisco Ferry Building at the base of Market Street to San Rafael. NWP locomotives 112, 140, 141, 143, and 178 plus SP numbers 2345, 2356, 2564, 2582, and 2810 were stored at Tiburon for emergency use; but steam power had disappeared by 1955. On November 10, 1958, all mainline passenger service was discontinued south of Willits. The only remaining service was a tri-weekly Willits-Eureka round trip, operated by a single
Budd Rail Diesel Car The Budd Rail Diesel Car, RDC, Budd car or Buddliner is a self-propelled diesel multiple unit (DMU) railcar. Between 1949 and 1962, 398 RDCs were built by the Budd Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The cars were primarily adop ...
, which ran until April 30, 1971. When Amtrak took over intercity passenger rail service on May 1, 1971, it did not continue service on the NWP.


1964 flood damage

The catastrophic Christmas flood of 1964 destroyed of the railroad in Northern California, including three bridges over the Eel River, and permanently changed the topography of the area. The line was closed for 177 days while 850 men rebuilt the railroad through the Eel River canyon. The line was reopened on 16 June 1965. In the years following the 1964 flood, the rail line was less reliable due to increased landsliding in the Eel River Canyon; but freight traffic remained high until the 1970s, as improvements to US Highway 101 cut hauling times, making trucking competitive with the rail line. An example of a 1970s work day on the NWP might look something like the following: During the final decade of Southern Pacific operation, carloads of lumber left Eureka each morning pulled by six EMD SD9 locomotives called "Cadillacs" by their crews. The train might pick up a refrigerator car of butter from Fernbridge and more lumber cars from Fortuna and Scotia before making a meal stop for its crew at the Fort Seward depot. More lumber cars might be added at Alderpoint during the long, gentle climb up the Eel River canyon. A second crew took over at Willits, where more cars from the California Western typically swelled the train to approximately one hundred cars. Five miles of 2.25 percent grade from Willits to Ridge originally required helpers, but six "Cadillacs" typically moved the train from Willits to Ridge in two sections during later years. The remaining trip down the Russian River to Schellville included a meal stop for the crew at Geyserville.


1978 tunnel fire

Many Humboldt County mills began shipping lumber in trucks when a fire caused collapse of the
Island Mountain Island Mountain is a resistant formation of volcanic and metavolcanic rock in the Franciscan Assemblage of southwestern Trinity County, California. It was mined for sulfur metal deposits during the first half of the 20th century and was the fina ...
tunnel, or tunnel 27, closing the line north of Willits on 6 September 1978, and only half of that traffic returned to the rails when the line reopened on 10 December 1979. Remaining traffic revenues were insufficient for track maintenance through the Eel River Canyon, at that time the most expensive stretch of rail line in the United States. In September 1983, the SP announced that it was shutting down the maintenance-intensive NWP line north of Willits. This led to a contentious court battle since the SP did not properly notify the
Interstate Commerce Commission The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was a regulatory agency in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads (and later trucking) to ensure fair rates, to eliminat ...
of their intent to abandon the line. The line was ordered reopened by the U.S. Circuit Court in March 1984.


Sales and shortline development

In 1984, the SP sold the north end from Willits to Eureka to Bryan Whipple, who ran it as the Eureka Southern Railroad under the reporting marks EUKA. The Eureka Southern operated freight trains and revamped tourist train service until bankrupted by storm damage in the Eel River Canyon.


North Coast Railroad Authority (1989-2022)

The California Legislature formed the NCRA in 1989 to save the NWP from total abandonment. NCRA purchased the Eureka Southern in 1992 and leased the line to the newly formed North Coast Railroad which operated until late 1996, when severe flooding of the Eel River led to widespread landslide damage and destruction of roadbed which remained unrepaired as of 2020. The
Federal Railroad Administration The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is an agency in the United States Department of Transportation (DOT). The agency was created by the Department of Transportation Act of 1966. The purpose of the FRA is to promulgate and enforce rail saf ...
(FRA) prohibited any train operation north of Willits in 1998. This order was amended in 1999 to allow the connecting California Western Railroad to resume operation to Willits Depot and turn trains on the wye at Willits Yard. While
Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District is a special-purpose district that owns and operates three regional transportation assets in the San Francisco Bay Area: the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, the Golden Gate Ferry system and t ...
began purchasing sections of the NWP's south end from the SP, and SP began to lease the line to the California Northern Railroad (CFNR). CFNR operated one train from Willits to Hopland, where freight cars were transferred to a second train from Hopland to Schellville. The track from Lombard to Healdsburg is owned by SMART, and the CFNR had trackage rights granted from Schellville to Willits. When the CFNR lease was terminated, the NCRA took over operations using EMD GP9 and SD9 locomotives painted in the SP "Black Widow" colors running both freight service and occasional passenger excursion service from 1996 to 1998. The line was plagued by a series of harsh El Nino storms from 1997-1998 causing significant washouts and bridge instability and when coupled with deferred annual and preventative maintenance, ultimately led the FRA to shut down all operations over the entire length of the line, the first and only time it's done so. The six EMD locomotives were returned to their lessor Omni-trax in 1998. Former SP SD9s, leased from BUGX, and former North Coast Railroad GP9s, owned by the NCRA, then were pressed into short lived service, ultimately becoming trapped at key points throughout the line by 1999 due to shut downs, washouts, and mechanical failure. By 2016, several movements including scrapping of former equipment in Eureka and returning of leased and privately stored equipment in Willits, Petaluma and Schellville had begun. In January 2001, the NWP briefly resumed service between Schellville and Cotati using three leased locomotives with reporting mark "NWPY", but service was discontinued in September 2001 because the operator lacked capital to continue operations.


New NWP (2009–2019)

In 2009, SMART began initial electrical work on the line which was paralleled by reballasting and replacement of bad ties between Schellville and Windsor. NCRA contracted NWPco, under reporting mark "NWP," reopened the line and began operations in June 2011 over the section of track between Napa and Windsor, California, 62 miles. In July 2011 the first freight train delivered grain to Petaluma. Trains on the NWP run from the Lombard interchange with the California Northern Railroad, up to Windsor. Service consists of about three trips weekly over the line, generally at night to avoid conflict with SMART's daytime-only passenger schedule. The railroad has hauled grain for dairy and poultry farms in Sonoma County, and lumber products out of Windsor and Schellville as well as has provided occasional maintenance of way work for SMART and bulk car storage in Schellville. The only interchange with the national railroad network occurs with the California Northern Railroad in American Canyon. Regular passenger trains operated by SMART began in late Spring 2017 between Sonoma County Airport and San Rafael, with bus connections to the Larkspur ferry landing and city of Cloverdale. While SMART will eventually extend commuter service to Cloverdale, NCRA and NWPco had plans to open the line to the
Skunk Train The California Western Railroad , AKA Mendocino Railway popularly called the Skunk Train, is a rail freight and heritage railway, heritage railroad transport railway in Mendocino County, California, United States, running from the railroad's he ...
connection and major yard facility in Willits, but no timeline was established before NCRA was dissolved. Both agencies' plans were dependent on state and federal grants, and the success of the SMART train. Although tourist companies along with local historical groups have expressed interest in possibly opening an excursion and dinner train that would traverse Humboldt and Arcata bays, there are no plans to reopen the Eel River Canyon segment.


SMART Takeover (2019 - now)

Financial disarray and legal troubles beginning before the turn of the millennium have caused the North Coast Rail Authority to fall out of favor with state officials and the public, who have moved to replace the length of the former railroad with pedestrian trails. California's 2018
Great Redwood Trail The Great Redwood Trail is a proposed multi-use rail-to-trail project connecting San Francisco and Humboldt bays in Northern California. Most of the trail will be built on the rail bed of the defunct Northwestern Pacific Railroad along the Ee ...
Act includes detailed plans for investigating and resolving the Authority's debts, dissolving the NCRA, and converting its rights-of-way to
rail-trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...
. Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) acquired from Healdsburg north to the Mendocino-Sonoma County border in September 2020, and in February 2022, took over NWP freight operations, having been approved by the US Surface Transportation Board. Today, NWPco remains contracted by SMART on a quarterly basis until studies on how to best manage the added responsibility of freight service are completed.


Predecessor lines

* California Midland Railroad extended the
Eel River and Eureka Railroad The Eel River and Eureka Railroad company was organized on November 14, 1882, by a group of Eureka businessmen led by John M. Vance (b. Nova Scotia October 1, 1821 – d. January 1892). One of the other founders of the line was William Carso ...
up the Van Duzen River to Carlotta, and was merged into SF&NW in 1903. * California Northwestern Railway formed in 1898 for
Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...
to assume control of the SF&NP and extend the line from Ukiah to Willits in 1902. An extension was built from Willits to Sherwood in 1904. Merged into NWP in 1907. * California and Northern Railway was formed by Santa Fe Railroad to build north from Eureka to
Arcata Arcata (; Wiyot: ''Goudi’ni''; Yurok: ''Oket'oh'') is a city adjacent to the Arcata Bay (northern) portion of Humboldt Bay in Humboldt County, California, United States. At the 2020 census, Arcata's population was 18,857. Arcata was first ...
in 1901, and was merged into SF&NW in 1904. * Cloverdale and Ukiah Railroad extended the SF&NP from
Cloverdale Cloverdale may refer to: Place names ;Australia *Cloverdale, Western Australia ;Canada *Cloverdale, Edmonton, Alberta, a neighborhood *Cloverdale, Surrey, British Columbia * Cloverdale, New Brunswick * Cloverdale, Nova Scotia *Cloverdale Mall in T ...
to Ukiah in 1889. *
Eel River and Eureka Railroad The Eel River and Eureka Railroad company was organized on November 14, 1882, by a group of Eureka businessmen led by John M. Vance (b. Nova Scotia October 1, 1821 – d. January 1892). One of the other founders of the line was William Carso ...
connected Humboldt Bay with the Eel River town of Fortuna in 1884, and was merged into SF&NW in 1903. * Fort Bragg and Southeastern Railroad formed in 1905 for Santa Fe Railroad to assume control of the isolated Albion River Railroad built in 1891. Merged into NWP in 1907, but never connected to the remainder of the NWP system. * Fulton and Guerneville Railroad constructed the SF&NP branch from Fulton to
Guerneville Guerneville ( , ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County, California, United States. The town is historically known for the logging community, formed in the late 1800s. Guerneville ...
in 1877. * Marin and Napa Railroad extended the Sonoma Valley narrow-gauge from Sears Point to connect with the SF&NP at Ignacio in 1888. * North Pacific Coast Railroad built a narrow gauge line from Sausalito via the Tomales Bay coast to the Russian River in 1876. Became North Shore Railroad in 1902. * North Shore Railroad formed to assume control of the North Pacific Coast narrow-gauge in 1902. Merged into NWP in 1907. *
Oregon and Eureka Railroad Southern Pacific Transportation Company formed the Oregon and Eureka Railroad in 1903 in an agreement to use logging railroads as part of a line connecting Humboldt County (California) sawmills with the national rail network. Northwestern Pacif ...
was formed in 1903 for
Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...
to assume control of logging lines around
Arcata Arcata (; Wiyot: ''Goudi’ni''; Yurok: ''Oket'oh'') is a city adjacent to the Arcata Bay (northern) portion of Humboldt Bay in Humboldt County, California, United States. At the 2020 census, Arcata's population was 18,857. Arcata was first ...
at the north end of
Humboldt Bay Humboldt Bay is a natural bay and a multi-basin, bar-built coastal lagoon located on the rugged North Coast of California, entirely within Humboldt County, United States. It is the largest protected body of water on the West Coast between Sa ...
. Selected lines to Trinidad were merged into Northwestern Pacific in 1911. The Trinidad extension reverted to Hammond Lumber Company control in 1933 and operated as logging branches of the Humboldt Northern Railway until 1948. * Pacific Lumber Company built of track in 1885 to connect their mill at Scotia with the
Eel River and Eureka Railroad The Eel River and Eureka Railroad company was organized on November 14, 1882, by a group of Eureka businessmen led by John M. Vance (b. Nova Scotia October 1, 1821 – d. January 1892). One of the other founders of the line was William Carso ...
at Alton. Branch lines were subsequently built up the Eel River; and these lines merged into SF&NW in 1903. * Petaluma and Haystack Railroad built from Petaluma to
Haystack Landing Haystack Landing is a historic property in Sonoma County, California, now owned by Dutra Materials. Haystack Landing was a passenger and freight connection on San Francisco Bay via the Petaluma River and San Pablo Bay. The landing is currently the ...
on the Petaluma River in 1864. Purchased by SF&NP in 1876. * San Francisco and Eureka Railway formed by
Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...
in 1903 to build a connection from Willits to Eureka. Merged into NWP in 1907. *
San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad (SF&NP) provided the first extensive standard gauge rail service to Sonoma County and became the southern end of the regional Northwestern Pacific Railroad. Although first conceived of by Asbury Harpend ...
(SF&NP) built from Donahue landing on the Petaluma River to
Santa Rosa Santa Rosa is the Italian, Portuguese and Spanish name for Saint Rose. Santa Rosa may also refer to: Places Argentina *Santa Rosa, Mendoza, a city * Santa Rosa, Tinogasta, Catamarca * Santa Rosa, Valle Viejo, Catamarca *Santa Rosa, La Pampa * Sa ...
in 1870 and extended to Cloverdale in 1872. Extended from Petaluma to San Rafael in 1879. Extended from San Rafael to Tiburon by the San Francisco & San Rafael in 1884. Extended from
Cloverdale Cloverdale may refer to: Place names ;Australia *Cloverdale, Western Australia ;Canada *Cloverdale, Edmonton, Alberta, a neighborhood *Cloverdale, Surrey, British Columbia * Cloverdale, New Brunswick * Cloverdale, Nova Scotia *Cloverdale Mall in T ...
to Ukiah by the Cloverdale & Ukiah in 1889. Merged in NWP in 1907. *
San Francisco and Northwestern Railway San Francisco and Northwestern Railway (SF&NW) was an Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway subsidiary formed in 1903 to connect Humboldt Bay to the Santa Fe rail system. The Eel River and Eureka Railroad had been built in 1884 to provide Humbold ...
(SF&NW) formed by Santa Fe Railroad in 1903 to consolidate the
California and Northern Railway California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the mo ...
from
Arcata Arcata (; Wiyot: ''Goudi’ni''; Yurok: ''Oket'oh'') is a city adjacent to the Arcata Bay (northern) portion of Humboldt Bay in Humboldt County, California, United States. At the 2020 census, Arcata's population was 18,857. Arcata was first ...
to Eureka, the
Eel River and Eureka Railroad The Eel River and Eureka Railroad company was organized on November 14, 1882, by a group of Eureka businessmen led by John M. Vance (b. Nova Scotia October 1, 1821 – d. January 1892). One of the other founders of the line was William Carso ...
from Eureka to Alton, The California Midland from Alton to Carlotta, and the Pacific Lumber Company lines from Alton up the Eel River. Merged into NWP in 1907. * San Francisco and San Rafael Railroad extended the SF&NP from San Rafael to Tiburon in 1884. * San Rafael and San Quentin Railroad (SRSQ) was a narrow-gauge railroad formed on 25 February 1869 to connect a ferry landing at Point San Quentin with San Rafael. * Santa Rosa, Sebastopol and Green Valley Railroad built the SF&NP branch from
Santa Rosa Santa Rosa is the Italian, Portuguese and Spanish name for Saint Rose. Santa Rosa may also refer to: Places Argentina *Santa Rosa, Mendoza, a city * Santa Rosa, Tinogasta, Catamarca * Santa Rosa, Valle Viejo, Catamarca *Santa Rosa, La Pampa * Sa ...
to Sebastopol in 1890. * Sonoma and Santa Rosa Railroad extended the Sonoma Valley narrow-gauge from Sonoma to
Glen Ellen Glen Ellen is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, United States. The population was 784 at the 2010 census, down from 992 at the 2000 census. Glen Ellen is the location of Jack London State Historic Par ...
in 1882. * Sonoma Valley Prismoidal Railway was an early wooden monorail that was to be built from Petaluma River landing to Schellville in 1876. However, only the segment from Norfolk landing (later called Wingo) on Sonoma Creek was ever completed. The line ceased operations in May 1877 and was converted to the narrow-gauge Sonoma Valley Railroad beginning in 1878. *
Sonoma Valley Railroad Sonoma may refer to: * ''Sonoma'' (beetle), a genus of beetles * Sonoma County, California, a county in northern California in the United States ** Sonoma, California, the city for which the county is named ** Sonoma Valley, the region in Sonoma ...
purchased Sonoma Valley Prismoidal Railway in 1878, converted it to a conventional narrow-gauge, and extended it into Sonoma in 1879. Extended from Sonoma to
Glen Ellen Glen Ellen is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, United States. The population was 784 at the 2010 census, down from 992 at the 2000 census. Glen Ellen is the location of Jack London State Historic Par ...
by the Sonoma & Glen Ellen in 1882. Extended from Sears Point landing to rail connection at Ignacio by Marin & Napa in 1888.


Route

NWP mileposts conform to
Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...
convention of distance from San Francisco: * Milepost 40.4 – Schellville (formerly junction with Sonoma Branch) * Milepost 28.7 – Black Point bridge over Petaluma River * Milepost 25.8 – Ignacio junction with San Rafael branch * Milepost 27.8 – Novato * Milepost 37.2 – Haystack bridge over Petaluma River * Milepost 38.5 – Petaluma * Milepost 46.1 – Cotati * Milepost 53.8 –
Santa Rosa Santa Rosa is the Italian, Portuguese and Spanish name for Saint Rose. Santa Rosa may also refer to: Places Argentina *Santa Rosa, Mendoza, a city * Santa Rosa, Tinogasta, Catamarca * Santa Rosa, Valle Viejo, Catamarca *Santa Rosa, La Pampa * Sa ...
* Milepost 58.5 – Fulton (formerly junction with
Guerneville Guerneville ( , ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County, California, United States. The town is historically known for the logging community, formed in the late 1800s. Guerneville ...
branch) * Milepost 62.9 – Windsor (Currently the northernmost operational and open point on NWP) * Milepost 67.6 – bridge over Russian River * Milepost 68 – Healdsburg * Milepost 75.8 –
Geyserville Geyserville (formerly Clairville) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Sonoma County, California, USA. Located in the Wine Country, Geyserville has a small selection of restaurants, bed and breakfasts, and wineries ...
* Milepost 85.2 –
Cloverdale Cloverdale may refer to: Place names ;Australia *Cloverdale, Western Australia ;Canada *Cloverdale, Edmonton, Alberta, a neighborhood *Cloverdale, Surrey, British Columbia * Cloverdale, New Brunswick * Cloverdale, Nova Scotia *Cloverdale Mall in T ...
* Milepost 100.1 – Hopland * Milepost 114 – Ukiah * Milepost 120 – Calpella * Milepost 122.1 –
Redwood Valley Redwood Valley (formerly Basil) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Mendocino County, California, United States. It is located north of Ukiah, the county seat, at an elevation of , and comprises the northern portion of the Ukiah Valley. It is ...
* Milepost 131.4 – Ridge summit between Russian River and Eel River drainages is highest point on line * Milepost 139.5 – Willits interchange with (formerly Union Lumber Company) California Western Railroad (AKA Skunk Train), which is still operational as a tourist line. A reconnection is planned, but as of late 2022, no timetable for this is in place. * Milepost 166.5 – line enters Eel River Canyon at Dos Rios * Milpost 194.8 – bridge over Eel River at south entrance of
Island Mountain Island Mountain is a resistant formation of volcanic and metavolcanic rock in the Franciscan Assemblage of southwestern Trinity County, California. It was mined for sulfur metal deposits during the first half of the 20th century and was the fina ...
tunnel * Milepost 206.5 – bridge over Eel River * Milepost 209 – Alderpoint * Milepost 237.7 – South Fork bridge over Eel River * Milepost 255.6 – Scotia (formerly interchange with Pacific Lumber Company) * Milepost 261.8 – bridge over Van Duzen River * Milepost 262.7 – Alton junction with Carlotta Branch * Milepost 266.1 – Fortuna * Milepost 271 – Loleta * Milepost 284.1 – Eureka * Milepost 292.5 –
Arcata Arcata (; Wiyot: ''Goudi’ni''; Yurok: ''Oket'oh'') is a city adjacent to the Arcata Bay (northern) portion of Humboldt Bay in Humboldt County, California, United States. At the 2020 census, Arcata's population was 18,857. Arcata was first ...
* Milepost 295.2 – Korblex (formerly interchange with Northern Redwood Company
Arcata and Mad River Railroad The Arcata and Mad River Railroad , founded in 1854, was the oldest working railroad in California. It operated on a unique narrow gauge until the 1940s when standard gauge rails were laid. Service ceased in 1983 due to landslides. It is Californ ...
) * Milepost 300.5 – Samoa (formerly interchange with Hammond Lumber Company Humboldt Northern Railway)


Roster


Steam locomotives


Diesel locomotives 1996–1998


Diesel locomotives 2001


Diesel locomotives post 2006


Narrow-gauge line

The NWP narrow-gauge line was built as the North Pacific Coast Railroad in 1873 from a San Francisco ferry connection at Sausalito to the Russian River at
Monte Rio Monte Rio (Spanish: ''Monte Río'', meaning "River Mountain") is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sonoma County, California along the Russian River near the Pacific Ocean. The town of Guerneville lies northeast of Monte Rio, and Jenner is to ...
. Rails were extended downriver to Duncans Mills in 1876, and up Austin Creek to Cazadero in 1886. This narrow-gauge line became the Shore Division of the NWP formed by Santa Fe and
Southern Pacific The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...
in 1907. Freight traffic was heavy as the lower Russian River valley was a major source of redwood lumber for rebuilding San Francisco after the
1906 San Francisco earthquake At 05:12 Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, April 18, 1906, the coast of Northern California was struck by a major earthquake with an estimated moment magnitude of 7.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (''Extreme''). High-intensity sha ...
. The NWP narrow-gauge obtained additional freight cars from the
South Pacific Coast Railroad The South Pacific Coast Railroad (SPC) was a narrow gauge steam railroad running between Santa Cruz, California and Alameda, with a ferry connection in Alameda to San Francisco. The railroad was created as the Santa Clara Valley Railroad, founde ...
(SPC) as the SPC was
converted Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series * "The Conversion" ...
to standard gauge between 1907 and 1909. Ferries ''Lagunitas'', ''Ukiah'', and ''Sausalito'' carried narrow-gauge freight cars across San Francisco Bay from Sausalito to the dual-gauge San Francisco Belt Railroad. After the flooded Russian River destroyed the NWP
Guerneville Guerneville ( , ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County, California, United States. The town is historically known for the logging community, formed in the late 1800s. Guerneville ...
branch bridge at Bohemia on 19 March 1907, NWP rebuilt the bridge one-half mile downriver; and extended the Guerneville branch from Monte Rio to Duncans Mills as dual-gauge by 1909. Redwood lumber was then shipped out over the Guerneville branch. A freight transfer shed was built at San Anselmo so narrow-gauge tracks could be removed from the ferries in 1910; and more than half of the narrow-gauge freight cars were
scrap Scrap consists of Recycling, recyclable materials, usually metals, left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap Waste valorization, has monetary ...
ped by 1912. A daily freight train operated from Occidental to San Anselmo in the morning and returned to Occidental in the afternoon. The train included a
coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...
for Sonoma County students attending school in Tomales. A freight engine stationed at Duncans Mills was operated by the Guerneville branch freight crew as needed to bring infrequent freight down from Cazadero for transfer to the Guerneville branch until the line up Austin Creek to Cazadero was standard-gauged in 1926. Summer tourists from San Francisco still visited Russian River vacation spots via joint narrow-gauge/standard-gauge NWP "triangle" excursions until 1927 when automobile travel became more popular.
Standard-gauging A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...
of the southern end of the line from
San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay is a large tidal estuary in the U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the big cities of San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland. San Francisco Bay drains water from a ...
to
Point Reyes Station Point Reyes Station (formerly, Marin and Olema Station) is a small unincorporated town in western Marin County, California, United States. Point Reyes Station is located south-southeast of Tomales, at an elevation of . Point Reyes Station is loc ...
at the head of Tomales Bay was completed on 5 April 1920. Freight service between Point Reyes Station and Occidental was reduced to thrice weekly with freight transfer at Point Reyes Station. Lumber production from the lower Russian River valley was ended by a wildfire on 17 September 1923. After the standard-gauge line was extended to Cazadero, service north of Point Reyes was reduced to a daily (except Sunday) mixed train to Camp Meeker and return until the last narrow-gauge train ran on 29 March 1930; and the remaining narrow-gauge line between Monte Rio and Point Reyes Station was dismantled that autumn. The route of the dual-gauge line from Fulton to Duncan Mills later became the popular River Road connecting all the towns from the coast to the central county.


Route

Mileposts conform to
Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...
convention of distance from San Francisco. * Milepost 6.5 – Sausalito * Milepost 11.7 – tunnel 1 * Milepost 12.6 – Corte Madera * Milepost 13.4 – Larkspur * Milepost 14.7 – Kentfield * Milepost 16.5 – Junction later known as
San Anselmo San Anselmo () is an incorporated town in Marin County, California, United States. San Anselmo is located west of San Rafael, at an elevation of 46 feet (14 m). It is located about north of San Francisco. The town is bordered by San Rafael t ...
* Milepost 18.3 –
Fairfax Fairfax may refer to: Places United States * Fairfax, California * Fairfax Avenue, a major thoroughfare in Los Angeles, California * Fairfax District, Los Angeles, California, centered on Fairfax Avenue * Fairfax, Georgia * Fairfax, Indiana * Fa ...
* Milepost 20.7 – tunnel 2 * Milepost 23.1 –
Nicasio Nicasio ( ; Spanish for " Nicasius") is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Marin County, California, United States. It is located west-southwest of Novato, at an elevation of . As of the 2020 census the CDP population ...
* Milepost 27 – bridge over Paper Mill Creek and highway (former hamlet of Taylorville) * Milepost 35.6 – Arroyo San Geronimo trestle * Milepost 36.4 –
Point Reyes Station Point Reyes Station (formerly, Marin and Olema Station) is a small unincorporated town in western Marin County, California, United States. Point Reyes Station is located south-southeast of Tomales, at an elevation of . Point Reyes Station is loc ...
* Milepost 45.4 – Marshall * Milepost 50.5 – bridge over Keyes Creek * Milepost 51.9 – tunnel 3 * Milepost 53.1 –
Tomales Tomales is a census-designated place (CDP) on State Route 1 in Marin County, California, United States. The population was 187 at the 2020 census. Geography Tomales is located above Keys Creek, about northeast of Tomales Bay. The nearest city ...
* Milepost 53.7 – tunnel 4 * Milepost 54.9 –
Stemple Creek Stemple Creek is a long, westward-flowing stream in the California counties of Sonoma and Marin, which feeds into the Estero de San Antonio. Its waters ultimately reach Bodega Bay, part of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary o ...
trestle * Milepost 58.8 –
Estero Americano Americano Creek is a long westward-flowing stream in the California counties of Sonoma and Marin. It flows into the Estero Americano, a long estuary, and thence to the Pacific Ocean. This article covers both watercourses. Course Americano C ...
Creek trestle * Milepost 59.5 –
Valley Ford Valley Ford is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in western Sonoma County, California, United States. It is located on State Route 1 north of San Francisco. Like all of Sonoma County, Valley Ford is included in both ...
* Milepost 61.9 – Ebabias Creek trestle * Milepost 62.2 – Bodega Road crossing * Milepost 62.7 – Salmon Creek trestle * Milepost 63.7 – Freestone * Milepost 65.2 – Salmon Creek trestle * Milepost 66.9 – Brown Creek trestle (this high trestle was reputedly the highest of its kind in the United States when built in 1876) * Milepost 67.6 –
Occidental Occidental may refer to: * Western world (of or pertaining to) Places *Occidental, California, a town in Sonoma County, California, US * Occidental Park (Seattle) Other uses * Interlingue, a constructed language formerly known as Occidental * Oc ...
* Milepost 68.7 – Maquire Creek trestle * Milepost 69.0 –
Camp Meeker Camp Meeker is an unincorporated community, Sonoma County, United States, located on the Bohemian Highway, between Occidental and Monte Rio. It has approximately 350 homes on properties ranging from a couple thousand square feet to many acres, ...
* Milepost 70.5 – Larry Creek trestle * Milepost 70.8 – bridge over
Dutch Bill Creek Dutch Bill Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed March 9, 2011 north-flowing stream in the hills of western Sonoma County, California, which empties into the Russi ...
* Milepost 71 – tunnel 5 * Milepost 71.6 – bridge over Dutch Bill Creek * Milepost 71.7 – bridge over highway * Milepost 73.8 –
Monte Rio Monte Rio (Spanish: ''Monte Río'', meaning "River Mountain") is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sonoma County, California along the Russian River near the Pacific Ocean. The town of Guerneville lies northeast of Monte Rio, and Jenner is to ...
* Milepost 77 – bridge over Russian River * Milepost 77.1 – Duncans Mills * Milepost 82.1 – bridge over
Austin Creek Austin Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed March 9, 2011 southward-flowing stream in the mountains of western Sonoma County, California which empties into th ...
* Milepost 84.3 – Cazadero The D.H. McEwen Lumber Company operated narrow gauge 2-cylinder
Shay locomotive The Shay locomotive is a geared steam locomotive that originated and was primarily used in North America. The locomotives were built to the patents of Ephraim Shay, who has been credited with the popularization of the concept of a ''geared st ...
C/N 1823 at Cazadero briefly beginning in 1906.


Locomotives


Railroad in film

The Northwestern Pacific Railroad has been featured in several motion pictures and films, thanks to both the historical and natural backgrounds offered by the route. One of the most notable is in
Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
's ''
Shadow of a Doubt ''Shadow of a Doubt'' is a 1943 American psychological thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and starring Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotten. Written by Thornton Wilder, Sally Benson, and Alma Reville, the film was nominated for an Academy ...
'', which was filmed in downtown Santa Rosa, California in the summer of 1942, using the stone depot and railroad yard as a background, as well as stock footage shot from an NWP passenger train. The NWP trestle at Greenbrae, Marin County, (MP 14.61) was featured in the 1971 film '' Dirty Harry''. Clint Eastwood made a famous jump from the trestle onto a school bus loaded with kidnapped children passing underneath. Stock footage of a Eureka Southern "North Coast Daylight" train was used in an episode of ABC's TV show "Moonlighting," starring Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepard. The episode, titled "Next Stop Murder," aired on March 19, 1985 and was set on a murder mystery dinner train. Footage used included GP-38 #30 winding through South Fork and Shively, as well as a shot of the train passing through Tunnel #39. A 1991 television remake of ''Shadow of a Doubt'' was filmed at the Petaluma NWP depot, using former Daylight passenger equipment owned by the NCRA and
Southern Pacific 6051 Southern Pacific 6051 is an EMD E9 diesel locomotive. It was one of nine E9s built for SP by EMD in December 1954 for the Southern Pacific (SP). It entered service on January 4, 1955 at Los Angeles. These nine locomotives allowed the dieselizati ...
, loaned from the
California State Railroad Museum The California State Railroad Museum is a museum in the state park system of California, United States, interpreting the role of the "iron horse" in connecting California to the rest of the nation. It is located in Old Sacramento State Historic ...
. In the 2003 film ''
Cheaper by the Dozen ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, published in 1948. The novel recounts the authors' childhood lives growing up in a household of 12 children. The bestsell ...
'', the Santa Rosa Railroad Square and depot area were used as backdrops. The film ''Bloodloss'' or ''Day of Vengeance'' utilized the tracks for a filming location just south of Dos Rios in the summer of 2008.


See also

*
List of U.S. Class I railroads In the United States, railroads are designated as Class I, Class II, or Class III, according to size criteria first established by the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) in 1911, and now governed by the Surface Transportation Board (STB). The S ...
* Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit, a commuter line using the Northwestern Pacific's former right-of-way * Eureka Southern Railroad * North Coast Railroad *
Arcata and Mad River Railroad The Arcata and Mad River Railroad , founded in 1854, was the oldest working railroad in California. It operated on a unique narrow gauge until the 1940s when standard gauge rails were laid. Service ceased in 1983 due to landslides. It is Californ ...
* California Western Railroad


Footnotes


References

* * * * * * * *


Further reading

* * * * * * *


External links


North Coast Railroad Authority
Current owner of the new Northwestern Pacific
Northwestern Pacific Railroad Historical Society
A non-profit California corporation dedicated to preserving the heritage of Redwood Empire railroading
Railroads and the Redwood Empire
NWP Pictures
Northwestern Pacific Today
A record of the rehabilitation and operation of the NWP starting in 2009
Northwestern Pacific Railroad Network
A social network dedicated to sharing the heritage of Redwood Empire railroading
Northwestern Pacific Railroad Company
The official website of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad
Video footage of the Eel River floodAn NWP official's account of flood damage
* Northwestern Pacific Railroad Company Records. Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. {{DEFAULTSORT:Northwestern Pacific Railroad California railroads 3 ft gauge railways in the United States Narrow gauge railroads in California Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Predecessors of the Southern Pacific Transportation Company History of Marin County, California History of Sonoma County, California History of the San Francisco Bay Area Transportation in Humboldt County, California Transportation in Marin County, California Transportation in Mendocino County, California Transportation in Sonoma County, California Former Class I railroads in the United States 1907 establishments in California Railway companies established in 1907 Railway companies disestablished in 1992 Railway companies established in 1996 Railway companies disestablished in 2001 Railway companies established in 2007 Interurban railways in California Non-operating common carrier freight railroads in the United States Eel River (California) Eureka, California American companies established in 1907 American companies established in 2007 Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit