Northwestern Pacific Railroad

Northwestern Pacific Railroad

Reporting mark	NWP
Locale	California's North Coast from Marin County to Eureka
Dates of operation	1907 (original line), 1996 (current operator)–present
Successor	Southern Pacific Transportation Company
Track gauge	4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Previous gauge	80 miles (130 km) of system originally 3 ft (914 mm)
Headquarters	Schellville, California
Website	North Coast Railroad Authority Northwestern Pacific Railroad

The Northwestern Pacific Railroad (reporting mark NWP) is a regional railroad that serves the North Coast of California. Its main line is 271 miles (436 km) long and runs between Schellville and Eureka. An additional portion of the line runs from the Ignacio Wye to the edge of San Rafael. Currently, only the 62 mi (100 km) stretch between Schellville and Windsor is in operation with freight trains and SMART commuter trains.

The portion of the NWP main line between the Ignacio Wye in Marin County and the depot in Healdsburg is owned by Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART), a commuter railroad. The Schellville–Ignacio and Healdsburg–Eureka portions are owned by the North Coast Railroad Authority.

Train at Santa Rosa, California in 1911.

NWP #1922 near Petaluma, California, October 21, 2011

Vegetation encroaches on Swauger Creek trestle near Loleta.

History

In the late 1800s both the Southern Pacific Railroad ("SP") and the Santa Fe Railroad had great interests in building lines north from San Francisco to Humboldt County to transport logs south. Both railroads planned to build a line north, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway ("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 Marin, 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 in the Eel River Canyon, 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 Schellville, California to Eureka. Construction was finally completed through the unstable Eel River canyon in October 1914 when a "golden spike" ceremony and celebration was held to mark the accomplishment. The Southern Pacific Railroad controlled the southern end of the line from Willits south to Marin and Schellville, while the AT&SF controlled the northern end from Willits to Eureka. There were also dozens of miles of narrow gauge trackage in Marin, which was controlled by SP.

The railroad service became popular; a 1911 daily NWP timetable shows 10 passenger trains each way, plus dozens of freights.

In 1929 the AT&SF sold its half-interest to the Southern Pacific, making the NWP a full SP subsidiary.

The SP Era

Revenue freight traffic, in millions of net ton-miles (P&SR not incl)

Year	Traffic
1925	150
1944	348
1960	604
1970	421

Source: ICC annual reports

Passenger service boomed until the 1930s, when improved roads and highways made traveling and shipping by motor vehicle more accessible, and by 1935 both freight and passenger service slowed to a crawl because of the Great Depression. It did not pick up again until World War II, which created a great demand for freight shipment. Freight service on the NWP picked up heavily again in the 1950s as a large increase in the demand for lumber came about 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 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 branch from Fulton to Duncans Mills after rails were removed in 1935.^[1]:57 During March, 1958, with the exception of the tri-weekly Willits-Eureka Budd Rail Diesel Car passenger service, all mainline passenger service was discontinued. The "Budd car" made its last run in 1969.

Freight traffic remained high until the 1970s. 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.^[2]

Many Humboldt County mills began shipping lumber in trucks when a fire in the Island Mountain tunnel closed the line north of Willits in 1978, and only half of that traffic returned to the rails when the line reopened in 1979.^[2] 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.^[3] 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 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 revamped tourist train service as well as promising reliable freight traffic, the line was bankrupt within several years after hardships with the Eel River Canyon. In 1989, the North Coast Railroad Authority was founded by the California Legislature under the North Coast Railroad Authority Act to save the NWP from total abandonment.

In 1992, what was left of the Eureka Southern was sold to the NCRA, who operated it as their "North Coast Railroad" until 1995 when severe flooding of the Eel River led to an almost total washout. As a result, the north end of the NWP has not been in active service since 1995.

Beginning in the late 1980s, the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District began to purchase sections of the NWP's south end from the Southern Pacific Railroad. The SP began to lease the line to the California Northern Railroad in 1993, until the entire south end was purchased by a combination of the GGBHTD and Marin and Sonoma Counties, which operational control was merged on April 30, 1996 with the NCRA.

In 1996, the California Northern Railroad lease was terminated, and the NCRA took over operations of the line between Schellville and Willits. Using "Black Widow" EMD GP9 and SD9 locomotives, the "new" NWP ran from 1996 until 1998, but was plagued by harsh, wet El Nino storms, mismanagement and financial woes. Unsafe operating conditions, including washouts and bridge instability made even slow track speeds dangerous, and caused derailments on many occasions. In 1998, after financial problems caused a default on an equipment loans, the Black Widows were returned to their leaser Omni-trax, and former Southern Pacific SD9s, leased from BUGX, and former North Coast Railroad GP9s owned by the NCRA were pressed into service, and many are still in storage in Schelleville.

In 2001, the NWP resumed service for a month between Schellville and Cotati, but was shut down under the first and only Emergency Order issued by the Federal Railroad Administration.

The new NWP (2009-present)

Beginning as early as 2009, the NCRA began to rebuild and repair the NWP between Schellville and Windsor, and in July 2011 it resumed light freight service between those two points after many legal hurdles including a lawsuit with the City of Novato. Trains today on the NWP run from the Lombard interchange with the California Northern Railroad, up to Windsor. Currently, usual shipments over the NWP by various customers include grain and lumber transloads, as well as car storage in the Schellville yard. NWPco also offers services to the SMART train, a commuter railroad that runs over much of the former NWP right-of-way, including construction and MOW trains.

Plans for the future of NWP freight are hazy, as plans and rumors about reconstruction of the line north have been spread for years. While SMART will eventually extend commuter service to Cloverdale, NCRA and NWPco have both publicly announced plans to open the line to the Skunk Train connection and major yard facility in Willits, although no timeline was established. Both agencies plans are dependent on state and federal grants and income to the NCRA and NWPco, and the success of the SMART train.^[4] There are no established plans to reopen the Eel River Canyon segment, however, multiple tourist companies have expressed interested in possibly opening an excursion and dinner train that would traverse Humboldt and Arcata bays, but have been faced by many legal hurdles and financial issues.

Predecessor lines

Northwestern Pacific Railroad
Technical
Line length	462.6 km (287.4 mi)
Track gauge	4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Route map Legend Northwestern Pacific Railroad main line Legend 462.6 Samoa 461.1 California State Route 255 455.8 Mad River Slough 449.8 Arcata 447.4 Gannon 444.6 Bracut 441.8 Brainard 438.8 Freshwater Slough 438.0 California State Route 255 436.4 Eureka 430.4 Elk River 426.3 South Bay 424.0 U.S. Route 101 418.9 Salmon Creek 416.8 Tunnel 40 415.4 Loleta 414.9 Swauger Creek & Eel River Dr 411.7 Fernbridge 408.4 U.S. Route 101 407.6 Fortuna 405.7 Strong's Creek 405.0 Rohnerville 402.1 Alton 400.6 Van Duzen River 396.2 Stone 393.0 Nanning Creek 391.7 U.S. Route 101 391.6 Yoder 391.5 Wildwood Avenue 390.8 Scotia 387.9 Glynn 385.6 U.S. Route 101 384.2 Stitz Creek 376.8 Tunnel 39 376.3 Panther Creek 375.7 Shively Creek 374.8 Shively 371.8 Tunnel 38 369.0 Larabee Creek 368.5 Larabee 365.1 Weber Creek 361.8 Eel River 361.5 South Fork 359.8 Dyerville Loop Road 356.2 Tunnel 37 350.2 Sonoma Creek 347.9 Tunnel 36 346.6 Tunnel 35 345.0 Tunnel 34 342.0 Eel Rock 336.6 Brock Creek 328.4 Fort Seward 321.8 Tunnel 31 320.5 Fort Seward Creek 317.1 Tunnel 30 316.2 Alderpoint 315.4 Zenia Road 312.2 Eel River 303.3 Tunnel 29 302.3 Kekawaka 301.8 Kekawaka Creek 301.5 Tunnel 28 300.5 Queatchumpah Creek 294.9 Quarry Spur 294.0 Tunnel 27 293.3 Eel River 293.0 Island Mountain 282.8 Tunnel 24 277.8 Bell Springs Creek 276.7 Bell Springs 274.8 Tunnel 23 274.4 Blue Rock Creek 269.8 Spy Rock 268.5 Tunnel 22 266.8 Shell Rock Creek 263.4 Tunnel 21 262.6 Nashmead 262.3 Tunnel 20 256.2 Woodman Creek 256.1 Tunnel 18 255.6 Woodman 252.8 Tunnel 17 249.6 Berger Creek 249.0 Tunnel 16 248.2 Dos Rios 243.6 Tunnel 15 239.3 Tunnel 14 237.2 Outlet Creek 234.8 Farley 233.5 Outlet Creek 233.3 Outlet Creek 231.6 Outlet Creek 231.4 Tunnel 13 225.8 Longvale 225.1 Outlet Creek 223.6 Outlet Creek 222.8 U.S. Route 101 221.8 Tunnel 12 220.6 Outlet Creek 218.9 Outlet Creek 218.2 Outlet Creek 217.4 Outlet Creek 214.9 Outlet Creek 214.7 Tunnel 11 210.7 Outlet Creek 207.8 Little Lake 205.0 Willits 200.5 U.S. Route 101 194.9 U.S. Route 101 191.9 Ridge 180.2 Laughlin 177.5 Russian River 177.2 Redwood Valley 174.6 California State Route 20 174.6 Russian River 173.8 Calpella 169.0 Norlake 167.4 Ackerman Creek 167.1 Presswood 166.1 U.S. Route 101 164.2 Ukiah 160.5 U.S. Route 101 158.4 Robinson Creek 142.0 Hopland 141.4 Feliz Creek 139.6 U.S. Route 101 133.6 Tunnel 9 132.2 Tunnel 8 Squaw Rock 128.4 Commiskey Creek 124.4 Tunnel 7 122.6 Tunnel 6 121.0 U.S. Route 101 118.8 Tunnel 5 118.1 Cloverdale 111.9 Asti 105.0 Omus 103.1 Geyserville 96.8 Lytton 90.6 Healdsburg 90.0 Russian River 89.3 Bailhache 88.3 U.S. Route 101 88.0 Grant 85.8 Old Redwood Highway 82.4 Windsor 79.3 Shiloh 77.0 Mark West Creek 75.4 Fulton 67.9 Santa Rosa 67.5 Santa Rosa Creek 67.3 California State Route 12 62.9 Todd Rd 59.7 U.S. Route 101 55.6 Cotati 47.4 Crown 45.7 U.S. Route 101 45.4 Petaluma River 44.5 Park Siding 44.0 Petaluma River 43.4 Petaluma 41.9 U.S. Route 101 41.3 Petaluma River 31.9 Burdell 26.3 Novato 24.2 Novato Creek 23.1 Ignacio 22.9 California State Route 37 22.0 Novato Creek 18.1 Petaluma River 17.9 Black Point 3.6 Sonoma Creek 0.0 Schellville

• California Midland Railroad extended the Eel River and Eureka Railroad 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 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 in 1901, and was merged into SF&NW in 1904.
• Cloverdale and Ukiah Railroad extended the SF&NP from Cloverdale to Ukiah in 1889.
• Eel River and Eureka Railroad 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 24-mile (39 km) 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 15-mile (24 km) SF&NP branch from Fulton to Guerneville in 1877.
• Marin and Napa Railroad extended the Sonoma Valley narrow gauge 8 miles (13 km) from Sears Point to connect with the SF&NP at Ignacio in 1888.
• North Pacific Coast Railroad built a 3 ft 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 was formed in 1903 for Southern Pacific Railroad to assume control of logging lines around Arcata at the north end of Humboldt Bay.^[5]:9 Selected lines to Trinidad were merged into Northwestern Pacific in 1911.^[5]:12 The Trinidad extension reverted to Hammond Lumber Company control in 1933 and operated as logging branches of the Humboldt Northern Railway until 1948.^[5]:10–15
• Pacific Lumber Company built 7 miles (11 km) of track in 1885 to connect their mill at Scotia with the Eel River and Eureka Railroad 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 on the Petaluma River in 1864. Purchased by SF&NP in 1876.
• San Francisco and Eureka Railway formed by Southern Pacific Railroad in 1903 to build a connection from Willits to Eureka. Merged into NWP in 1907.
• San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad (SF&NP) built from Donahue landing on the Petaluma River to Santa Rosa 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 to Ukiah by the Cloverdale & Ukiah in 1889. Merged in NWP in 1907.
• San Francisco and Northwestern Railway (SF&NW) formed by Santa Fe Railroad in 1903 to consolidate the California and Northern Railway from Arcata to Eureka, the Eel River and Eureka Railroad 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.^[6]
• Santa Rosa, Sebastopol and Green Valley Railroad built the 6-mile (9.7 km) SF&NP branch from Santa Rosa to Sebastopol in 1890.
• Sonoma and Santa Rosa Railroad extended the Sonoma Valley narrow gauge from Sonoma to Glen Ellen in 1882.
• Sonoma Valley Prismoidal Railway was an early wooden monorail that was to be built from Petaluma River landing 5 miles (8.0 km) 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 purchased Sonoma Valley Prismoidal Railway in 1878, converted it to a conventional 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge, and extended it into Sonoma in 1879. Extended from Sonoma to Glen Ellen 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 convention of distance from San Francisco:^[7]

• 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 - bridge over Petaluma River
• Milepost 38.5 - Petaluma
• Milepost 46.1 - Cotati
• Milepost 53.8 - Santa Rosa
• Milepost 58.5 - Fulton (formerly junction with Guerneville branch)
• Milepost 62.9 - Windsor (Northern-most operationable and open point on NWP Today)
• Milepost 67.6 - bridge over Russian River
• Milepost 68 - Healdsburg
• Milepost 75.8 - Geyserville
• Milepost 85.2 - Cloverdale
• Milepost 100.1 - Hopland
• Milepost 114 - Ukiah
• Milepost 120 - Calpella
• Milepost 122.1 - Redwood Valley
• 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 in 2020
• Milepost 166.5 - line enters Eel River Canyon at Dos Rios
• Milpost 194.8 - bridge over Eel River at south entrance of Island Mountain 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
• Milepost 295.2 - Korblex (formerly interchange with Northern Redwood Company Arcata and Mad River Railroad)
• Milepost 300.5 - Samoa (formerly interchange with Hammond Lumber Company Humboldt Northern Railway)

North Coast Railroad Authority

Derailed box cars remain adjacent to Outlet Creek at milepost 152 near Longvale.

In 1992, the North Coast Railroad Authority (NCRA) purchased the Eureka Southern and leased the line to the newly formed North Coast Railroad. The NCRA was created by state law in 1989 to preserve the Northwestern Pacific line from future abandonment. In 1996, the North Coast RR and the former "south end", owned by the Southern Pacific RR, became the "new" Northwestern Pacific Railroad under public ownership. The goals of the new Northwestern Pacific Railroad include handling more freight by rail along the Highway 101 corridor, establishing passenger excursion trains, and eventually providing regular passenger commuter service. In 1998 the railroad, which had more than 208 damaged sites along 216 mi (350 km), became the first and only railroad in the United States to be officially closed by the Federal Railroad Administration. In January 2001, the NWP was reopened between Willits and Novato, but service was temporarily discontinued in September 2001 because the operator lacked capital to continue operations. The track from Lombard to Healdsburg is owned by the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District; the California Northern Railroad (CFNR) has trackage rights granted from Schellville to Willits.^[8]

On May 31, 2006, NCRA announced that it had selected a new operator for the revamped freight line. The winning bidder was NWP, Inc., led by CEO John H. Williams who had been instrumental in setting up Caltrain service on the San Francisco Peninsula. NCRA announced approval of a 5-year contract with NWP Co. in September 2006.^[9] The new NWP currently operates the line from Eureka to Schellville over the length of the original route of the NWP.

By late 2007, the NCRA was granted 500 million dollars to restore the original line from Napa to Willits. With Marin and Sonoma counties' Measure Q passing in 2008, the new SMART Rail began construction, with regular passenger trains beginning in late 2016 between Windsor and San Rafael, with bus connections to the Larkspur ferry landing and city of Cloverdale.

The NCRA and Northwestern Pacific Railroad originally planned to start regular freight service on the line in late fall 2009,but a lawsuit filed by the City of Novato pushed the date back to early 2010. Work forces began tie and ballast reconstruction from Schellville to Windsor in 2009, and electric crews have replaced and worked on many of the railroad crossings. When the freight service comes back, the North Coast Rail Authority will run trains of eight cars or fewer, and carry no hazardous materials. Reballasting and replacement of bad ties between Schellville and Windsor was completed by October 2009, with Federal Railroad Authority (FRA) inspections due to be finished in early 2011. An earlier target date in 2010 was delayed when the Federal Railroad Administration ruled NCRA's petition to reopen the line was dependent upon approval from Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART), with whom the NWP will share some trackage. This ruling was reversed in November 2010, with a joint-operating agreement following shortly after.

In June 2011, the Northwestern Pacific reopened the line and began operations over the section of track between Napa and Windsor, California. Service consists of about three trips weekly over the line. The railroad has hauled grain for dairy and poultry farms in Sonoma County, and lumber products out of Windsor and Schellville. Occasional construction trains for SMART have also been an integral part of NWP carloads. At Napa, the railroad exchanges freight carloads with the California Northern Railroad in American Canyon.

Roster

Steam locomotives

Number	Builder	Type	Date	Works number	Notes
1	Baldwin Locomotive Works	4-4-0	1884	7400	ex-Eel River and Eureka Railroad #2 then San Francisco and Northwestern Railway #2 retired in 1916
2	Baldwin Locomotive Works	4-4-0	1883	7013	ex-Eel River and Eureka Railroad #1 then San Francisco and Northwestern Railway #1 retired in 1920
3	Baldwin Locomotive Works	4-4-0	1887	8947	ex-Los Angeles County Railroad #3 then Eureka and Klamath River Railroad #6 then Oregon and Eureka Railroad #6 retired in 1923
4	Norris Locomotive Works	4-4-0	1862	1009	ex-San Francisco and San Jose Railroad #2 then San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad #1 retired 1920
5	Booth	4-4-0	1873	17	ex-San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad #5 scrapped 1911
6	Booth	4-4-0	1870	14	ex-San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad #2 destroyed by boiler explosion 1915[10]^:44
7	Booth	4-4-0	1870	15	ex-San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad #3 retired 1920
8	Baldwin Locomotive Works	4-4-0	1881	5485	ex-San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad #8 retired 1925
9	Grant Locomotive Works	4-4-0	1883	1664	ex-San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad #9 reboilered 1917 retired 1938[10]^:53 & 72
10	Grant Locomotive Works	4-4-0	1883	1665	ex-San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad #10 reboilered 1917 scrapped 1937[10]^:72
11	Grant Locomotive Works	4-4-0	1878		ex-San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad #6 scrapped 1912
12	Grant Locomotive Works	4-4-0	1878		ex-San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad #7 retired 1926[10]^:53
13	Baldwin Locomotive Works	4-4-0	1875	3831	ex-Santa Fe Railroad #07 then San Francisco and Northwestern Railway retired 1929
14	Grant Locomotive Works	4-4-0	1888		ex-San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad #14 reboilered 1915 retired 1926[10]^:72
15	Baldwin Locomotive Works	4-4-0	1878	4416	ex-New Mexico and Southern Pacific Railroad #203>#503 then Santa Fe Railroad #103>#049 then San Francisco and Northwestern Railway #7 scrapped 1930
16	Pennsylvania Railroad	4-4-0	1886	1031	ex-Pennsylvania Railroad #452 then Chicago, St. Louis and Pittsburgh Railroad #452 then Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad #8298>#298>#343 then Pacific Lumber Company #3 then Eel River and Eureka Railroad#4 then San Francisco and Northwestern Railway #4 retired 1930
17	Rogers Locomotive Works	4-4-0	1889	4155	ex-San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad #17 scrapped 1935[10]^:72-73[11]^:33
18	Rogers Locomotive Works	4-4-0	1889	4154	ex-San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad #16 wrecked 1910[10]^:48
19	Rogers Locomotive Works	4-4-0	1884	3305	ex-San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad #12 reboilered 1917 scrapped 1937[10]^:52
20	Rogers Locomotive Works	4-4-0	1884	3306	ex-San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad #13 reboilered ~1916 retired ~1932[10]^:58 & 72
21	Baldwin Locomotive Works	4-4-0	1904	24035	ex-San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad #24 scrapped 1937[10]^:71
22-23	American Locomotive Company	4-4-0	1908	44959-44960	scrapped 1938[10]^:70–71 and 1949[10]^:41 & 71[11]^:28
51-54	American Locomotive Company	4-4-0	1914	54580-54583	scrapped 1938
99	E. Jardine	0-4-0T	1887		purchased by San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad 1898 sold 1910 North Bend Lumber Company[10]^:44
101	Rogers Locomotive Works	4-6-0	1889	4212	ex-San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad #18 scrapped 1928
102	Grant Locomotive Works	4-6-0	1888		ex-San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad #15 retired 1929
103	Richmond Locomotive Works	4-6-0	1901	3304	ex-San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad #20 scrapped 1935
104	Richmond Locomotive Works	4-6-0	1901	3303	ex-California Northwestern Railway #31 scrapped 1936
105	American Locomotive Company	4-6-0	1902	25620	ex-San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad #21 scrapped 1934
106	American Locomotive Company	4-6-0	1902	25621	ex-California Northwestern Railway #32 then San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad #25 scrapped 1934
107-108	Baldwin Locomotive Works	4-6-0	1904	23933 & 23951	ex-San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad #22-23 scrapped 1937 & 1948[10]^:69[11]^:37
109	Baldwin Locomotive Works	4-6-0	1900	18179	ex-California Northwestern Railroad #30 scrapped 1948[11]^:35
110	Baldwin Locomotive Works	4-6-0	1900	17759	ex-San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad #19 scrapped 1937
111-114	American Locomotive Company	4-6-0	1908	44955-44958	#112 preserved California State Railroad Museum[10]^:73[11]^:33 #114 wrecked 1946[10]^:52&59[11]^:37 #111 & 113 scrapped 1949 and 1947[10]^:53
130-133	American Locomotive Company	4-6-0	1910	49089-49092	scrapped 1938
134-135	American Locomotive Company	4-6-0	1912	51536-51537	scrapped 1940
136-141	American Locomotive Company	4-6-0	1914	54578-54579 & 54975-54978	scrapped 1940-57[11]^:36–37
142-143	Baldwin Locomotive Works	4-6-0	1922	55356 & 55473	scrapped 1953
170-172	Baldwin Locomotive Works	4-6-0	1907	30105-30106 & 31094	ex-Las Vegas and Tonopah Railroad # 4, # 5 & # 8 purchased 1918 scrapped 1946-1950[11]^:34
178	Baldwin Locomotive Works	4-6-0	1906	29726	ex-Bullfrog Goldfield #13 > #11 purchased 1917 scrapped 1954[11]^:33–35
179	American Locomotive Company	4-6-0	1907	44753	ex-Las Vegas and Tonopah Railroad #12 purchased 1917 scrapped 1952
180-181	American Locomotive Company	4-6-0	1914	54979-54980	renumbered from #160-161 1918 scrapped 1952-1955
182-184	Baldwin Locomotive Works	4-6-0	1922	55351 & 55470-55471	# 184 destroyed in Scotia Bluffs slide 1953 - others scrapped 1955
201-202	Baldwin Locomotive Works	2-6-2T	1903	22446 & 22474	ex-California Northwestern Railway #33-34 tenders added 1910 scrapped 1930-1937
225	H. K. Porter, Inc	2-4-2T	1887	905	ex-National City and Otay Railroad #5 then Fort Bragg and Southeastern Railroad #1 scrapped 1937
226	Hinkley Locomotive Works	0-6-0	1880		ex-Santa Fe Railroad #122>#2232 then Fort Bragg and Southeastern Railroad #2 scrapped 1910
227-228	American Locomotive Company	0-6-0	1910	48037-48038	scrapped 1948-1949
229-231	American Locomotive Company	0-6-0	1914	54981-54983	scrapped 1948-1950
251	Lima Locomotive Works	Shay locomotive	21 September 1904	909	ex-Northwestern Redwood Company #1 then California Northwestern Railway 2nd #32; leased to Northwestern Redwood Company of Willits, California; leased to Portland, Eugene and Eastern Railroad; sold 1935 to Washington construction firm[12]
255	Heisler	Heisler	1912	1254	ex-Jordan River Lumber Company #7 then Horseshoe Lumber Company #7 purchased 1922 sold Shaw Bertram Lumber Company 1924
300	Cooke Locomotive Works	2-6-0	1901	2624	ex-Southern Pacific Railroad #2140>#1714 leased 1929 retired 1934
301	Cooke Locomotive Works	2-6-0	1901	2626	ex-Southern Pacific Railroad #2142>#1716 leased 1929 retired 1934
351	Baldwin Locomotive Works	2-6-0	1887	8776	ex-Eel River and Eureka Railroad #3 then San Francisco and Northwestern Railway #3 renumbered from #151 1914 scrapped 1916
352	Baldwin Locomotive Works	2-6-0	1886	8092	ex-Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad #65>#314 then Santa Fe Railroad #0179 then San Francisco and Northwestern Railway #5 renumbered from #152 1914 scrapped 1929
353-354	American Locomotive Company	2-6-0	1908	45284-45285	renumbered from #153-154 1914 scrapped 1935

Diesel Locomotives

Number	Builder	Type	Date	Works number	Notes
1322	EMD	GP7u	1/1952	15799 5110-2	BUGX 1322; ex BNSF 1322; née ATSF 2109. Returned to lessor Summer 2016. Painted in Santa Fe Yellowbonnet scheme.
1501	EMD	MP15DC	12/1974	73625-5	Ex GMTX 212; ex UPY 1293; née SP 2694. Unit bought 4/2016. In Service out of Schellville. Painted in SP Bloody Nose colors.
1922	EMD	GP9	8/1957	22740 5505-21	Ex BUGX 337; Ex BNSF 1628; ex BN 1922; née NP 337. Leased from BUGX. In Service out of Schellville. Painted in SP Bloody Nose colors.
2009	Railpower	RP20BD	12/2007	19234 5321-B29	Originally leased from RJ Corman, later purchased. In Service out of Schellville. Built as UP GP9B #158B in 2/1954.
5076	EMD	GP38-2	10/1973	72745-18	Ex NS 5076; née SOU 5076. Unit bought 8/18/2016.[13] In Service out of Schellville. Painted in Norfolk Southern Catfish scheme.
TCRY 007	Baldwin/EMD	VO-1000m	1/1944	70126	Unit bought 2/2013. Built as SLSF VO-1000 #215. Repowered with an EMD 567 in 1957.
70	EMD	GP7	5/1953	18418 5250-10	Ex NCRR 70; ex EUKA 70; ex CCT 70; née RDG 618. 1996-1998; formerly stored in Eureka, CA. Scrapped in 2015
2872	EMD	GP9E	1956	22897 ?	Ex NCRR 2872; ex SP 2872. 1996-1998; stored out of service (Eureka, CA)
3190	EMD	GP9E	1955	19980 ?	Ex NCRR 3190; ex SP 3190. 1996-1998; stored out of service (Eureka, CA)
3779	EMD	GP9E	1957	22922 ?	Ex NCRR 3779; ex SP 3779. 1996-1998; stored out of service (Eureka, CA)
3786	EMD	GP9E	1957	22945 ?	Ex NCRR 3786; ex SP 3786. 1996 c.1998; stored out of service (Willits, CA)
3804	EMD	GP9E	1957	22943 ?	Ex NCRR 3804; ex SP 3804. 1996 c.1998; stored out of service (Schellville, CA)
3825	EMD	GP9	4/1959	25133 5595-34	Ex SP 3825; ex SP 3696; née SP 5833. 1996-?; to OMLX 3825; out of service (Loveland, CO)
3840	EMD	GP9E	2/1959	25146 5596-2	Ex SP 3840; ex SP 3654; née TNO 450. 1996-199x; to OMLX 3840; to RailServe (Prentiss, AB) 3840, 2000
3844	EMD	GP9	1959	25137 ?	Ex SP 3844; ex SP 3700; née SP 5837. 1996-1997; wrecked in 1997; stored out of service (Willits, CA)
3850	EMD	GP9	1959	25116 ?	Ex SP 3850; ex SP 3679; née SP 5816. 1996-1997; wrecked in 1997; stored out of service (Willits, CA)
3857	EMD	GP9E	1959	25139 ?	Ex NCRR 3857; ex SP 3857. 1996-1998; stored out of service (Eureka, CA)
4323	EMD	SD9	1954	19440 ?	Ex SP 4323; ex SP 3812; née SP 5351. c.1998; disposition unknown
4324	EMD	SD9	1954	19441 5322-13	Ex SP 4324; ex SP 3813; née SP 5352. 1996-?; to OMLX 4324
4327	EMD	SD9	1955	20229	Ex SP 4327; ex SP 3856; née SP 5378. 1996-?; to OMLX 4327; now Great Western of Colorado 4327 (still in NWP Paint as of 1FEB14)
4423	EMD	SD9	1956	21297 5435-9	Ex SP 4423; ex SP 3946; née SP 5472. 1996-?; to OMLX 4423
5305	EMD	SD9	1957	22808 ?	Née DRGW 5305. 1996-?; to OMLX 5305
6595	EMD	GP35	1964	29569 ?	OMLX 6595; ex SP 6595; née SP 7483. 1996-1996; to OMLX 6595, 1996; to HBRY 2502, 1997
6600	EMD	GP35	1964	29705 ?	OMLX 6600; ex SP 6600; née SP 7703. 1996-1996; to OMLX 6600, 1996; to HBRY 2503, 1997

Narrow Gauge Line

Mesa Grande station was served by dual-gauge track.

The NWP 3 ft (914 mm) 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. 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 in 1907. The 4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in (1,435 mm) standard gauge NWP Guerneville branch was extended to Monte Rio in 1907 and the line from Monte Rio to Duncans Mills was dual gauged in 1909. Summer tourists from San Francisco visited Russian River vacation spots via joint narrow gauge/standard gauge NWP "triangle" excursions until automobile travel became more popular. The southern end of the line was standard gauged from San Francisco Bay to Point Reyes Station at the head of Tomales Bay in 1920. The line up Austin Creek to Cazadero was standard gauged in 1926. The remaining line from Monte Rio to Point Reyes Station was dismantled in 1930.^{[10]: 11,13,19,26,28 & 30} The route of the narrow gauge line from Fulton to Duncan Mills became a popular back road connecting all the towns from the coast to the central county.

Route

Mileposts conform to Southern Pacific Railroad convention of distance from San Francisco.^[1]:88–89

• Milepost 6.5 - Sausalito^{[10]:8[14]:32–33,45,50,69,76,99,125 & 154}
• Milepost 11.7 - tunnel 1
• Milepost 12.6 - Corte Madera^[14]:78
• Milepost 13.4 - Larkspur
• Milepost 14.7 - Kentfield
• Milepost 16.5 - Junction later known as San Anselmo^{[14]:48,79 & 153}
• Milepost 18.3 - Fairfax
• Milepost 20.7 - tunnel 2
• Milepost 23.1 - Nicasio
• Milepost 27 - bridge over Paper Mill Creek and highway^[14]:113
• Milepost 35.6 - Arroyo San Geronimo trestle^[10]:22
• Milepost 36.4 - Point Reyes Station^{[14]:62 & 113}
• Milepost 45.4 - Marshall
• Milepost 50.5 - bridge over Keyes Creek^[14]:150
• Milepost 51.9 - tunnel 3^[14]:34
• Milepost 53.1 - Tomales^[14]:31
• Milepost 53.7 - tunnel 4
• Milepost 54.9 - Stemple Creek trestle
• Milepost 58.8 - Estero Americano Creek trestle
• Milepost 59.5 - Valley Ford
• Milepost 61.9 - Ebabias Creek trestle
• Milepost 62.2 - Bodega Road crossing^{[10]:17[14]:147}
• Milepost 62.7 - Salmon Creek trestle
• Milepost 63.7 - Freestone^{[14]:40 & 149}
• Milepost 65.2 - Salmon Creek trestle^[10]:17
• Milepost 66.9 - Brown Creek trestle (this 142-foot (43 m) high trestle was reputedly the highest of its kind in the United States when built in 1876)^{[10]:14[14]:5,36 & 96}
• Milepost 67.6 - Occidental^{[10]:16 & 30–31[14]:40,64,93,116 & 145}
• Milepost 68.7 - Maquire Creek trestle
• Milepost 69.0 - Camp Meeker^{[10]:39[14]:66 & 146}
• Milepost 70.5 - Larry Creek trestle
• Milepost 70.8 - bridge over Dutch Bill Creek
• Milepost 71 - tunnel 5
• Milepost 71.6 - bridge over Dutch Bill Creek
• Milepost 71.7 - bridge over highway
• Milepost 73.8 - Monte Rio^{[10]:1–4,16,53,60 & 62–63[14]:114}
• Milepost 77 - bridge over Russian River^{[10]:26–27[14]:36 & 38}
• Milepost 77.1 - Duncans Mills^{[10]:14–15,65 & 69}
• Milepost 82.1 - bridge over Austin Creek^{[14]:84–85,88–89 & 118}
• Milepost 84.3 - Cazadero^{[10]:10[14]:67,70,109 & 118} The D.H. McEwen Lumber Company operated narrow gauge 2-cylinder Shay locomotive C/N 1823 at Cazadero briefly beginning in 1906.^[15]:422

Locomotives

Number	Builder	Type	Date	Works number	Notes[10]^:78[14]^:132–133
82	Baldwin Locomotive Works	4-4-0	1876	3842	ex-NPC/NS/NWP #11 scrapped 1911
83	Baldwin Locomotive Works	4-4-0	1875	3722	ex-NPC/NS/NWP #3 scrapped 1913[14]^:134
84	NPC Sausalito Shop	4-4-0	1900	1	ex-NPC/NS/NWP #20 retired 1920 scrapped 1924[10]^:16[14]^:129
85	Baldwin Locomotive Works	4-4-0	1884	7249	ex-South Pacific Coast Railroad #14 wrecked[10]^:34[14]^:120
86	Baldwin Locomotive Works	4-4-0	1884	7236	ex-South Pacific Coast Railroad #15 then NWP #19>#86 sold Duncan Mills Land & Lumber Company 1920 scrapped 1926[14]^:123 & 135
87	Baldwin Locomotive Works	4-4-0	1880	4960	ex-South Pacific Coast Railroad #10 then NWP #10>#87 scrapped 1917[10]^:25 & 33[14]^:135
90	Brooks Locomotive Works	4-4-0	1891	1886	ex-NPC/NS/NWP #15 operated last narrow gauge NWP train in 1930 scrapped 1935[10]^:10,16,25,35 & 39[14]^:124
91	Brooks Locomotive Works	4-4-0	1894	2421	ex-NPC/NS/NWP #16 scrapped 1935[14]^:6 & 135<[10]^:9,16,18,29 & 34
92	Brooks Locomotive Works	4-4-0	1891	1885	ex-NPC/NS/NWP #14 retired 1926 scrapped 1935[10]^:3,16 & 29[14]^:129
93	Baldwin Locomotive Works	4-4-0	1884	7249	1924 rebuild of wrecked #85 scrapped 1935
94	Baldwin Locomotive Works	4-6-0	1887	8486	ex-South Pacific Coast Railroad #20 then NWP #21>#144>#94 scrapped 1935[14]^:123>[10]^:25,29 & 35
95	Brooks Locomotive Works	4-6-0	1899	3418	ex-NPC/NS/NWP #18 then NWP #145>#95 retired 1929 scrapped 1935[10]^:3,24,32 & 35[14]^:125, 129 & 136
195	Baldwin Locomotive Works	2-6-0	1883	6611	ex-NPC/NS/NWP #13 scrapped 1912[14]^:136
321	Baldwin Locomotive Works	2-8-0	1880	4974	ex-Denver and Rio Grande Railroad #44 then NS/NWP #40 scrapped 1912
322	Baldwin Locomotive Works	2-8-0	1885	7676	ex-Hancock and Calumet Railroad #2 then Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railroad #33 then NS/NWP #33 scrapped 1914[14]^:135
323	Baldwin Locomotive Works	2-8-0	1885	7677	ex-Hancock and Calumet Railroad #3 then Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railroad #31 then NS/NWP #31 scrapped 1912[10]^:33

Railroad in film

The Northwestern Pacific Railroad has been featured in quite a few films, thanks to the historical and natural backgrounds offered by the route.

One of the most notable is in Alfred Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt, which was filmed in downtown Santa Rosa, California in the summer of 1942, using the stone depot and railroad yard as a background.

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.

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, loaned from the California State Railroad Museum.

In the 2003 film Cheaper by the Dozen, the Santa Rosa Railroad Square and depot area were used as backdrops.

See also

• List of U.S. Class I railroads
• Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit, a planned commuter line using the Northwestern Pacific's former right-of-way

References

1. Stindt, Fred A. (1978). The Northwestern Pacific Railroad: Redwood Empire Route (3rd ed.). Kelseyville, California: Fred A. Stindt. ASIN: B0007F4A2M.
2. Fox, Wesley. Northwestern Pacific Pictorial. Naperville, Illinois: Wesley Fox. pp. 7, 8, 35,40&43. ISBN 0-9604122-1-2.
3. Glionna, John M. (April 22, 2001). "Light at the End of the Tunnel for a Struggling Little Railroad". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
4. Martin, Nicole and Sobelman, Donald (11/20/2014) "Federal Preemption May Be The Key For Calif. Railroads" Barg Coffin Lewis & Trapp, LLP
5. Borden, Stanley T. (1963). Railroads of Eureka. The Western Railroader.
6. Codoni, Fred; Trimble, Paul C. (2006). Northwestern Pacific Railroad. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-3121-9.
7. Gale, V.J. and Valles, R.C.(Roadmasters) (1978). (untitled maintenance-of-way charts). Southern Pacific Railroad.
8. North Coast Railroad Authority (2009-12-12). "Public draft, environmental impact report, North Coast Railroad Authority, Russian River Division executive summary". Retrieved 2009-12-12.
9. North Coast Railroad Authority (2006-05-31). "NCRA Approves Operator Contract". Retrieved 2009-12-12.
10. Fred A. Stindt (1974). Trains to the Russian River. Pacific Coast Chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society.
11. Fred A. Stindt (1985). The Northwestern Pacific Railroad, 1964-1985. Stindt Books. ISBN 978-0-9615465-0-2.
12. Koch, Michael (1971). The Shay Locomotive Titan of the Timber. The World Press. p. 412.
13. http://www.nsdash9.com/NSauction082016.html
14. Dickinson, A. Bray (1974). Narrow Gauge to the Redwoods. Corona del Mar, California: Trans-Anglo Books.
15. Michael Koch (1971). The Shay locomotive: titan of the timber. World Press.

Additional reading

• Carranco, Lynwood (1982). Redwood Lumber Industry. San Marino, California: Golden West Books. ISBN 0-87095-084-3.
• Drury, George H. (2000). The Historical Guide to North American Railroads. Kalmbach Publishing, Co. ISBN 978-0-89024-356-5.
• Drury, George H. (1984). The Train-Watcher's Guide to North American Railroads. Waukesha, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing. ISBN 0-89024-061-2.
• Kneiss, Gilbert H. (1956). Redwood Railways. Berkeley, California: Howell-North.
• Lewis, Edward A. (1996). American Shortline Railway Guide (5th ed.). Waukesha, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing. ISBN 0-89024-290-9.
• Robertson, Donald B. (1998). Encyclopedia of Western Railroad History - Volume IV - California. Caldwell, Idaho: The Caxton Printers. ISBN 0-87004-385-4.
• Sievers, Wald & Stindt, Fred A. (1969). N.W.P. Narrow Gauge. The Western Railroader.

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