Large Scale Central

Rail Service Returns to the NWP

Prototypes
#1

Yesterday’s Santa Rosa, CA Press Democrat had an article along with a couple of pictures on the return of rail service to what used to be the Northwestern Pacific (NWP) Railroad, now operated by the North Coast Railroad Authority. The resurrected operation provides freight service on a 62-mile stretch of the NWP from Brazos Junction east to US 101, and extending north along US 101 through the cities of Novato, Petaluma, Cotati, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa and Windsor. First train was 5 car loads of grain for a feed mill at Petaluma. A load of lumber will be delivered today (Friday) to Standard Structures in Windsor. No information on outgoing loads, but they have several customers signed up including some wineries, aggregate suppliers and other large item shippers. They currently plan to do three round trips / week. Here is a pix of one of the NWP engines:

Good to see this historic line returning to service!! Happy RRing, Jerry

#2

Nice to see an old Geep in service and looking good as well. We used to have one on teh local line here, but it was retired and sold off a few years ago.

#3

Thanks Jery,
That is great news.
One can only hope that someday it will be running up the canyon again.
Rick

#4
Rick Marty said:
Thanks Jery, That is great news. One can only hope that someday it will be running up the canyon again. Rick
Rick: Don't we all wish!!

The current plan is for service only as far north as Windsor.

One bad news item is that a timber-lined tunnel just north of Cloverdale burned about two weeks ago. No estimates on rebuilding it, but that means another major project / expenditure is required to get freight service back north of Cloverdale. Even Ukiah and Willits would seem to be a very long way away!!

The SMART commuter trains are supposed to run as far as Cloverdale sometime after 2014, but no further north. SMART is in financial trouble, and there are at least two lawsuits that would force them to quit building. One is to repeal the tax that was approved two years ago, and the other claims the trains will cause pollution and traffic jams that have not been properly evaluated in the now over 10 years of environmental impact studies.

The pollution / traffic lawsuit seeks to terminate both the SMART passenger service and the NCRA / NWP freight service permanently.

Happier RRing,

Jerry