The Eureka Southern Railroad ( reporting mark EUKA ) was a shortline freight and excursion railroad that ran over former Northwestern Pacific trackage in California from Willits to Eureka .
61-613: On September 8, 1981, Bryan Whipple purchased the soon-to-be abandoned northern end of the Northwestern Pacific mainline from Willits, California to Eureka, California . His Eureka Southern Railroad holding company purchased the segment of the line from the Southern Pacific Railroad for $ 5 million, and commenced operations on November 1, 1984. The company began service with rented Southern Pacific locomotives, then acquired four new locomotives. Over
122-496: 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
183-442: A combined 65.3% “yes” vote in the two-county District but ultimately failed to meet the “2/3 supermajority.” In 2008, Measure Q passed providing funding for the construction of a commuter railroad through a quarter-cent sales tax. Though it was thought that this would provide enough initial funding, it did not. Consequently, the railroad would be constructed in stages over several years. In 2009, SMART began initial electrical work on
244-640: A connection to the national railroad system at Schellville . The railroad has gone through a complex history of different ownership and operators but has maintained a generic name of reference as the Northwestern Pacific Railroad, despite no longer being officially named that. Currently, only a 62-mile (100 km) stretch of mainline from Larkspur to the Sonoma County Airport in Windsor and east to Schellville on
305-538: A constant battle with the elements in the Eel River Canyon, historically one of the most expensive to maintain stretches of track in the United States. On December 15, 1986, the road filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy , but continued operations. The line operated an excursion train, the "North Coast Daylight", as a joint venture with Sierra Western Corp., the owners of historic passenger cars. Several of
366-503: 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. Prior to completing the line to Eureka, operations over the southern portion of the Northwestern Pacific included daily freight trains #112 and #113 between Willits and Santa Rosa , train #133 between Santa Rosa and Tiburon , trains #153 and #154 between Petaluma and
427-600: A large piece of equipment for Pacific Gas and Electric , has provided construction trains for SMART, bulk car storage, and currently hosts the Golden Gate Railroad Museum storage lot on a former lumbar yard spur in Schellville. Regular passenger trains operated by SMART began in late Spring 2017 between Sonoma County Airport and San Rafael, later opening the Larkspur station with a connection to
488-681: 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. 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
549-545: A part of their long-term lease agreements for their main stretch of trackage in the Napa, Fairfield, and Woodland areas. The CFNR generally 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 was owned by the precursor to SMART, and the CFNR had trackage rights granted from Schellville to Willits where interchange occurred with
610-687: A separate terminal yard on North Street in Santa Rosa . 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
671-465: Is in some places nonexistent. Experts who surveyed the trackage in the late 2000s estimated a $ 20 million price tag to bring the line up to FRA minimal operating standards. The NCRA denied plans to abandon the line, but has not mentioned any plans to resume operations from Willits north. Many freight cars still dot the line, including four boxcars still in the river from a 1987 derailment and a string of flatcars trapped at Island Mountain. As of March 2022,
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#1732780465885732-636: The Eel River Canyon by the Great Redwood Trail Agency. The southern portion will be built by Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) along their commuter rail line. The trail route is within 5 counties, 14 cities and the ancestral territory of many tribes. Some portions have already constructed by local jurisdictions with more being developed in cooperation with local governments. The Great Redwood Trail Agency
793-581: The Guerneville branch to Duncans Mills , train #102 between Glen Ellen and Tiburon, train #109 between Tiburon and Sausalito , train #145 over the narrow gauge between Occidental and San Anselmo , train #202 between Willits and Sherwood, and train #251 operating over the logging branches out of Sherwood. Passenger trains #131 and #132 ran between Sausalito and Willits, trains #21 and #22 between Sausalito and Ukiah , train #23 between Sausalito and Healdsburg , trains #17 and #20 between Sausalito and
854-549: 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. From the early 1970s into the 1980s the SP began substantially cutting back non-core routes. In 1971, the line from Sausalito, once a major terminal on the line, was abandoned and converted into a walking path connecting to similar trails throughout Marin built upon
915-572: The Southern Pacific Railroad (“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
976-481: The dual-gauge San Francisco Belt Railroad . After the flooded Russian River destroyed the 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ) standard gauge NWP 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
1037-523: 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
1098-530: 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 (8 km) of 2.25 percent grade from Willits to Ridge originally required helpers, but six "Cadillacs" typically moved
1159-618: 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 in 1932, and California State Route 12 adopted
1220-665: The Guerneville branch to Duncans Mills, trains #9, #10, and #14 between Sausalito and Glen Ellen, trains #6 and #7 between Sausalito and San Quentin , train #4 between Tiburon and San Rafael , train #92 over the narrow gauge between Sausalito and Cazadero , train #84 over the narrow gauge between Sausalito and Point Reyes , and #101, a mixed freight and passenger train operated on the Sebastopol . Sunday and holiday passenger trains often required two locomotives and sometimes two or more sections. Independence day traffic required borrowing 25 or 30 Southern Pacific coaches. Completion of
1281-521: 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 scrapped 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 for Sonoma County students attending school in Tomales. A freight engine stationed at Duncans Mills
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#17327804658851342-593: The Larkspur ferry landing. Plans still remain to extend the line north to the city of Cloverdale. While SMART will eventually extend commuter service to at least Cloverdale, NCRA and NWPco had plans to open the line to the Skunk Train connection and major yard facility in Willits , but no timeline was established or attempts made before NCRA was dissolved and as of 2024 there is little interest by SMART. Both agencies' plans were dependent on state and federal grants, and
1403-806: 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, freight service is operated by SMART. Freight services continue to use locomotives previously both owned and leased by NWPco, now by SMART, in various “Northwestern Pacific” themed schemes. NWP mileposts conform to Southern Pacific Railroad convention of distance from San Francisco : The NWP 3 ft ( 914 mm ) narrow-gauge line
1464-580: The NCRA, were then pressed into short-lived service before additional washouts, mechanical failures, and low revenue again closed the line. 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
1525-780: The NCRA. Maintenance and repair orders by the Federal Railroad Administration that were not addressed ultimately led the FRA to shut down all operations over the entire length of the line on November 22, 1998 under Emergency Order 21, the first and only time it had ever done so until the 2023 shutdown of the Blackwell Northern Railroad. The six EMD locomotives, defaulted on their lease, were returned to their lessor Omni-trax in 1998. Former SP SD9s, leased from Diesel Motive Company (reporting mark BUGX), and former North Coast Railroad GP9s, owned by
1586-724: The NWP run from the Lombard interchange with the California Northern Railroad, up to Windsor. Service consists of about two to three trips north to Petaluma weekly over the line, generally at night to avoid conflict with SMART's daytime-only passenger schedule, and two to three trips to the interchange at Lombard, generally during the day. The railroad predominantly carries grain for dairy and poultry farms in Sonoma County , but also has provided shipment of lumber products out of Windsor, Petaluma and Schellville,
1647-906: The North Coast Railroad and the California Western Railroad. When the CFNR lease of the NWP was terminated, the NCRA via a contractor 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 to 1998 causing significant washouts and bridge instability on top of already deferred infrastructure maintenance and mismanagement. The six EMD locomotives, defaulted on their lease, were returned to their lessor Omni-Trax in early 1998 and replaced by SP SD9s leased from Diesel Motive Company (reporting mark BUGX) and former North Coast Railroad GP9s owned by
1708-473: The cars had originally been Southern Pacific Daylight cars; others were a hodge-podge of vintage passenger, diner, and dome cars of the same era, painted in the iconic "Daylight" orange-striped scheme. The trains were pulled by Eureka Southern locomotives. On Saturday mornings, the "North Coast Daylight" passengers rode excursion buses from the San Francisco Bay area to Willits, where they boarded
1769-754: The city in September 2021. A section in the city of Willits is being planned. The trail will pass through the Eel River Canyon Preserve which includes the Grand Canyon of the Wild and Scenic Eel River, home to dozens of endangered species and rare wildlife. The trail alignment through the Eel River will be challenging due to erosive geology and some failing infrastructure, including tunnels, bridges, and trestles. The project also has to deal with private property owners on either side of
1830-464: The course of its life, the line struggled to make money. Though wood products had historically been the top source of revenue for the Northwestern Pacific and subsequently the Eureka Southern, historic overharvest on private lands limited timber availability, and coupled with rising environmental restrictions in the area caused traffic numbers to fall consistently. The Eureka Southern also faced
1891-538: 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. Diesels were being used on all trains by 1953, with the exception of ten-wheelers 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,
Eureka Southern Railroad - Misplaced Pages Continue
1952-548: The former interurban lines. 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, selling the railroad and most equipment by 1992. In 1984 and 1989, the former Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railroad line from Santa Rosa to Sebastopol
2013-475: The line between Willits and Eureka was disrupted by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake ; plans and right-of-way documents were destroyed in the subsequent fire. Engines 8, 12, 19, 104, 153 and 154 were shipped to Eureka by boat in 1911. 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
2074-417: The line which was paralleled by reballasting and replacement of bad ties between Schellville and Windsor. In 2006, NCRA awarded a 99-year lease to NWPco, who would operate trains under reporting mark "NWP." In June 2011, the line was reopened for freight traffic and operations began between Schellville and Windsor, California , 62 miles. In July 2011 the first freight train delivered grain to Petaluma. Trains on
2135-456: 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. 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
2196-613: The maintenance of the same. Beginning in the late 1990s, the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District began purchasing sections of the NWP's south end from the Southern Pacific to save for a potential commuter train route thanks to growing suburbs in Marin and Sonoma counties. The SP required the California Northern Railroad (CFNR) to take over freight operations on the NWP in 1993 as
2257-472: The northern end of the line has officially been abandoned. The southern end of the NWP is now a commuter rail line, and the line will be converted into Great Redwood hiking and biking trail . Northwestern Pacific Railroad The Northwestern Pacific Railroad is a 271-mile (436 km) mainline railroad from the former ferry connections in Sausalito, California north to Eureka , with
2318-635: The public. In 2020, the SB 69 Great Redwood Trail Act was passed, tasked with dissolving the NCRA and the creation of a 320-mile public trail. California's 2018 Great Redwood Trail Act includes detailed plans for investigating and resolving the Authority's debts, dissolving the NCRA, and converting its rights-of-way to rail-trail . In the bill, the Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) acquired 21 miles (34 km) from Healdsburg north to
2379-425: 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
2440-411: The railroad expensive and unreliable after switching to truck traffic made repairs difficult to finance and complete. The Federal Railroad Administration (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 after agreeing to assist in
2501-484: 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
Eureka Southern Railroad - Misplaced Pages Continue
2562-489: The route passes through the cities of Novato , Petaluma , Rohnert Park , Santa Rosa , Windsor , Healdsburg , Cloverdale , Ukiah , Willits, Fortuna , Rio Dell , Eureka , Arcata , and Blue Lake . The first completed segment of the trail was celebrated by State Senator Mike McGuire in Ukiah in February 2020. The city approved the construction of the final trail segment for the entire 3-mile length (4.8 km) within
2623-539: The sale, so the NCRA used a mixture of leased Southern Pacific GP9s and SD9s, as well as a purchased former Central California Traction Railroad GP9, #70. Most of the locomotives ended up marooned on the line in Eureka, and were scrapped in the fall of 2015 after sitting idle for nearly 20 years, including #70. Faced with constant washouts, derailments, unreliable schedules and a dwindling customer base, operations shut down in 1995 and have not reopened. The Eel River canyon segment of trackage, faced with two decades of no repair,
2684-404: The southern end of the line from San Francisco Bay to Point Reyes Station 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
2745-491: 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. Financial disarray and legal troubles beginning before the turn of the millennium caused the NCRA to fall out of favor with local and state officials as well as
2806-497: The towns from the coast to the central county. Mileposts conform to Southern Pacific Railroad convention of distance from San Francisco. 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
2867-408: The tracks below, and passengers were asked not to flush while the train was stopped in the stations at Willits and Eureka. The North Coast Daylight was never financially stable, and operation was interrupted several times by reorganizations and damaged tracks. The service lasted, off and on, from about 1985 through 1990. The vintage cars were "marooned" in several rail yards when all rail service south
2928-536: 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. Many Humboldt County mills began shipping lumber in trucks when a fire caused collapse of the Island Mountain tunnel, or tunnel 27, closing the line north of Willits on 6 September 1978, and only half of that traffic returned to
2989-479: The train. The train followed the scenic Eel River Valley north to Eureka (a route never served by the original Southern Pacific Daylight trains). Passengers stayed overnight in Eureka, then boarded again on Sunday mornings for the return trip to Willits and (by bus) to the Bay Area. The cars were unheated, air conditioning often failed, and meals often were late. The vintage rail car toilets emptied their contents onto
3050-566: The “south end” is operated by Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART), which operates both commuter and freight trains with plans for future extension north to Cloverdale . The “north end” from Willits to Eureka (which includes connections to the California Western Railroad ) is currently out of service, but saved by 2018 legislation to be converted into the Great Redwood Trail . In the late 1800s both
3111-534: Was a major source of redwood lumber for rebuilding San Francisco after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake . The NWP narrow-gauge obtained additional freight cars from the South Pacific Coast Railroad (SPC) as the SPC was converted to standard gauge between 1907 and 1909. Ferries Lagunitas , Ukiah , and Sausalito carried narrow-gauge freight cars across San Francisco Bay from Sausalito to
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#17327804658853172-496: Was abandoned. Several have been scrapped, though at least one has been "rescued." In September 1988 the ES purchased the 7-mile (11 km) shortline Arcata and Mad River Railroad from Simpson Timber Company for $ 300,000. The A&MR had been closed for the two-year period prior to its purchase by the Eureka Southern. In 1991, the line was shut down due to an earthquake and related landslide that caused expensive washouts. The railroad
3233-782: Was acquired by the Sonoma County parks department, and converted into the Joe Rodota Trail for walking and biking. The California Legislature formed the North Coast Railroad Authority (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 In late 1996, severe flooding of the Eel River led to widespread landslide damage and destruction of roadbed which remained unrepaired and halted most service. A lack of capital along with previous customers now finding
3294-682: 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. Freight traffic was heavy as the lower Russian River valley
3355-461: Was discontinued in September 2001 because the operator lacked capital to continue operations. Except for the brief SMART hy-rail inspection trip and few speeder tours, the line lay dormant and out of service until 2007. By 2002, the GGBHTD has purchased most of the “South End” and formed the “SMART District” to oversee funding and potential future operations. In November 2006, Measure R was passed with
3416-444: 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 , 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. The catastrophic Christmas flood of 1964 destroyed 100 miles (160 km) of the railroad in Northern California, including three bridges over
3477-620: Was established in March 2022. The agency took over management of the railroad corridor from the North Coast Railroad Authority to begin preparing a master plan to develop the trail. The California Coastal Conservancy is providing staff for the agency since they have decades experience with the California Coastal Trail . Situated in Marin , Sonoma , Mendocino , Trinity , and Humboldt Counties,
3538-408: 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
3599-415: Was held to mark the accomplishment. 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
3660-443: 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 of
3721-527: Was then sold at court order to the North Coast Railroad Authority in 1992, as a protection by local government agencies to ensure continued railroad service to the counties. The line was renamed the North Coast Railroad , and consisted of many former employees of the Eureka Southern. The North Coast Railroad continued to run "North Coast Daylight" trains into the mid-1990s, using the same passenger cars. The EUKA GP38 locomotives were not included in
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