 |
   |
|
2010 Archives Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul 2009 Archives Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec 2008 Archives Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec 2007 Archives Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec 2006 Archives Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec 2005 Archives Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec 2004 Archives Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec 2002 Archives Oct |
Tracking history By Jennifer Morey - 07/23/2006 Times-Standard More Info on This Book: Northwestern Pacific Railroad ”Perhaps no other railroad in the United States packed so much variety into 570 miles of track as did the Northwestern Pacific Railroad.” This quote from the foreword in the newly published pictorial history book, “Northwestern Pacific Railroad,” pretty much says it all. The NWP, as it's commonly referred to, comprised a wide variety of rail technologies, connections to other forms of transportation, track systems and passenger accommodations. It included narrow-gauge, standard-gauge, steam, diesel-electric, gas-electric and straight-electric trains. They carried freight, passengers and mail, connecting with dozens of other systems including ferryboats for passengers, railcars, automobiles and a tugboat. Written by Fred Codoni and Paul C. Trimble for the Santa Rosa-based Northwestern Pacific Railroad Historical Society, the book is a veritable “what's what” of the railroad that was an amalgamation of 42 different railroads and franchises that connected the entire North Coast region of California. It includes many vintage photographs that have never been published before, and is organized into eight chapters: “The Narrow Gauge,” “The South End Standard Gauge,” “The North End,” “The Branch Lines,” “Interurbans and Doodlebugs,” “Ferries to San Francisco,” “Into Public Ownership” and “Junctions.” Codoni, who grew up in San Rafael just 100 feet from the tracks, has had a lifelong interest in the NWP. ”I spent many hours watching trains climb the grade just north of town and plunge into the long tunnel under Puerto Suello Hill,” said Codoni in a written interview. His interest in all things rail-related came to fruition when he went to work for the railroad, first in the summer of 1953 and then permanently in 1956. He retired in 1988 as manager of loading services for Southern Pacific Railroad, the owner of NWP. The NWP was formed in 1907 from a merger of several other railroads operating in Mendocino, Sonoma, Marin and Humboldt counties. The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway had built a railroad from Eureka south to Shively, and originally it was planned to reach all the way to San Francisco. At the same time, the Southern Pacific Railroad was extending its rails north from Willits to the Eel River, intending to reach Eureka. The two competitors realized by 1906 that only one railroad could survive and be profitable on the North Coast, and this led to the merger. The NWP was jointly owned until the Santa Fe sold its interest to Southern Pacific in 1929. Taking the train from the Golden Gate to the Redwood Empire soon became a popular excursion for those wishing to view the “spectacular scenery” along the Eel River, as the authors describe it. ”From the beginning of the Northwestern Pacific, passenger traffic out of Sausalito was heavy, with trains running to Willits and intermediate points on the San Rafael-Willits main line,” write the authors in Chapter Two. “By 1924, summer Sundays saw 14 scheduled steam trains in each direction.” The coming of the automobile and the convenience of freight trucks began eventually to cut into the railroad's business, and by 1935 there were only two daily passenger trains each way between Eureka and Sausalito. Freight traffic also declined during the Great Depression but picked up again during World War II, when the NWP began to haul thousands of carloads of war freight. Soon the post-war housing boom dramatically increased the demand for forest products from the Redwood Empire with up to four freight trains per day -- each with up to 100 cars -- bringing lumber and other products from the North Coast to connect with the NWP's Southern Division, move the freight to the San Francisco Bay Area, and from there to the rest of the nation. The NWP in its final configuration comprised three railroads: narrow gauge from Sausalito to Duncan Mills (west of Santa Rosa), standard gauge from Sausalito to Willits and standard gauge from Willits to Eureka. The railroad's north end began as a group of small lines that mainly served the purpose of extending lumber companies' reach into the abundant redwood forests of the region. Examples of the branch lines described in the book include the Carlotta Branch, which extended five miles from Alton to Carlotta and connected with the Pacific Lumber Co.'s private railroad, which headed up Yager Creek into the woods. While Palco's logging railroad is long gone, the NWP's Carlotta Branch rails are still in place to this day. Researching the information for the book, Codoni said, involved both the use of the NWP Railroad Historical Society's extensive archives plus his own collection of railroad relics such as timetables, posters, books and “approximately 2,000 photographs.” Codoni's wish for the book is that it will “Help people remember the railroad that built the Redwood Empire.” Co-author Paul Trimble says he has had a love affair with rails for most of his 65 years. He still owns the first electric train set that his parents bought him for Christmas in 1949 at the age of 5. Trimble's hope for the book is that by reading it, people of today will “come to understand how people traveled before the days when the ubiquitous autos came to dominate our lives.” ”Northwestern Pacific Railroad” is part of the Images of Rail series published by Arcadia Publishing, which has also published histories of Humboldt County and various local communities in conjunction with local historical societies in its Images of America series. All proceeds from the book will go to the Northwestern Pacific Railroad Historical Society to help it preserve the history of rail travel in the Redwood Empire. The book lists for $26.99 and can be ordered through local booksellers or online. Buy It Now: Northwestern Pacific Railroad $26.99 |
| Arcadia Pressroom | Arcadia Catalog Search | New and Coming Soon | ||||
 |
||||||
|
|
|||||
| © 2010 Arcadia Publishing | Privacy Policy | Job Opportunities |