The Sierra Northern Railway is a

common carrier A common carrier in common law countries (corresponding to a public carrier in some civil law systems,Encyclopædia Britannica CD 2000 "Civil-law public carrier" from "carriage of goods" usually called simply a ''carrier'') is a person or compan ...

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

company operating in

California 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 m ...

. The company owns several

right of way Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...

s originating from those of the former

Sacramento Northern Railroad The Sacramento Northern Railway (reporting mark SN) was a electric interurban railway that connected Chico in northern California with Oakland via the California capital, Sacramento. In its operation it ran directly on the streets of Oakland ...

, Northern Electric Railway, Sierra Railway Company Of California,

Western Pacific Railroad The Western Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was formed in 1903 as an attempt to break the near-monopoly the Southern Pacific Railroad had on rail service into northern California. WP's Feather River Route dire ...

, and Yolo Shortline Railroad. It handles all freight operations and track maintenance for its parent company, the

Sierra Railroad The Sierra Railroad Corporation is a privately owned common carrier. Its Sierra Northern Railway freight division handles all freight operations for all branches owned by the Sierra Railroad. The company's Mendocino Railway group operates th ...

Company. The tracks that are maintained by Sierra Northern are also used by the Sierra Railroad Company's tourist trains.

History

In August 2003, the

and the Yolo Shortline Railroad merged to form the Sierra Northern Railway. According to the AAR, the line operates of track in

. It serves a number of industrial areas in the state and interchanges with the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

, the BNSF Railway and the

Northwestern Pacific Railroad 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 reg ...

Routes

The company operates trains over two primary routes: *

Oakdale, California Oakdale is a city in the San Joaquin Valley and Stanislaus County, California. It is part of the Modesto Metropolitan Statistical Area. Oakdale goes by the slogan "Cowboy Capital of the World." The population was 23,181 at the 2020 census, up f ...

to Standard, California – *

Woodland, California Woodland is a city in and the county seat of Yolo County, California, located approximately northwest of Sacramento, and is a part of the Sacramento metropolitan area. The population was 61,032 at the 2020 census. Woodland's origins date to 1 ...

West Sacramento, California West Sacramento (also known as West Sac) is a city in Yolo County, California, United States. The city is separated from Sacramento by the Sacramento River, which also separates Sacramento and Yolo counties. It is a fast-growing community; the ...

–

Junctions with other railroads

The Oakdale and West Sacramento (Lovdale)–Woodland lines have junctions with BNSF Railway and

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pac ...

. The Fort Bragg–Willits line, which has been closed since the collapse of a tunnel in 2012, has a junction with the defunct

in Willits.

References

External links

Sierra Northern Railway
California railroads Transportation in Mendocino County, California Transportation in Sacramento, California Transportation in Stanislaus County, California Transportation in Yolo County, California Oakdale, California West Sacramento, California Woodland, California {{California-transport-stub

History

Routes

Junctions with other railroads

See also

References

External links