The amount of information found there is quite staggering; historical backgrounds of wheel arrangements, types used by virtually every railroad, preserved and operational examples, and even those used in other countries (North America and beyond). After the WP acquired the southern segment it was quickly converted to standard gauge, completing the process on January 30, 1918. The Western Pacific Railway Company was in operation from 1903 (incorporated June 6, 1903) until it was reorganized and renamed the Western Pacific Railroad Company on June 6, 1916. Sacramento Northern's "Southern Division" was the work of the Oakland & Antioch Railway. lives on through the Feather River Route, Keddie Wye, "Inside Gateway" and the California Zephyr, the name of which survives under Amtrak (albeit following a slightly altered route). [6][7] It had also laid out the rest of the line through Alameda Cañon, through Livermore Valley, over Livermore Pass (now Altamont Pass), and on to Stockton and Sacramento, before running out of money and halting all construction. As a result, WP's 924-mile line remains in service today under successor Union Pacific. The NE was funded and promoted by H.A. Afterwards, a series of freight branches were added reaching Hamilton City (October, 1907), Woodland (July, 1912), and Colusa (June, 1913). Baltimore and Ohio B&O Railroad ⦠These included 43 tunnels ranging in length from 58 to 7,318 feet (the longest included a 5,676 bore near Jasper, Nevada; a 6,000-foot tunnel at Chilcoot beneath the Sierra Nevada Mountains; a 7,318-foot tunnel at Spring Garden; and finally a 4,287-foot tunnel at Niles Canyon) and a number of trestles spanning the Feather, American, and Humboldt Rivers. When completed in the early 20th century, the Western Pacific marked one of the last major projects of its kind ever undertaken. An official, 1934 system map of the Western Pacific Railroad. Western Pacific - Image Gallery. The first major accomplishment took place on November 9, 1908 when a connection was established with the Nevada Northern Railway at Shafter, Nevada. The 1950's brought excellent leadership, beginning with Frederic B. Whitman. Levey's other notable endeavors included acquisition of a pair of interurbans; the Sacramento Northern Railway (SN) and Tidewater Southern Railway (TS). * United States Railroad Administration (USRA) "Light Mikados" which were sold to the Wabash in 1920. the only surviving locomotive of the original Western Pacific. On the other two fronts, Turton, Knox & Ryan had a larger force of upwards of 2,000 men, mostly Chinese, some deployed working eastward from the middle of Alameda Cañon towards Livermore Pass and some working southward from Sacramento towards Stockton. The Oakland News says:", "Railroad Bridges- San Joaquin County: First bridge across San Joaquin River. Western Pacific Railroad Sales Educational Trip, December 1952. Western Pacific GP35 #3004, U30B #3061, and GP40 #3520 through the fall colors of Northern California in October, 1972. IRS 501(c)3 Letter - EIN 68-0002774 Information about the FRRS at Charity Navigator Help support the museum and society with a monetary donation via PayPal: Description Western Pacific Railroad 94 is an oil-fired steam locomotive with a 4-6-0 wheel arrangement. Seller 100% positive. Welcome Western Pacific Fans. For nearly 80 In 1984, Southern Pacific deeded the Pleasanton - Niles right-of-way to Alameda County, California. [8]:408,739 n35 Subsequently Central Pacific concluded that the route via San Jose to San Francisco was too long and that it would be better to change to a route using ferryboats from the planned CPRR's Oakland Pier in Oakland. The completion of the San Joaquin River railroad bridge at Lathrop and the first through train from Sacramento to Alameda on September 6, 1869, were commemorated by two California Historical Landmarks, in Lathrop CHL 780-7 and Alameda CHL 440, respectively. Details about WESTERN PACIFIC RAILROAD 1925 SYSTEM MAP ROUTES CONNECTING RRs. Today, there are tens of thousands of miles scattered throughout the country. The Western Pacific Railroad (1862-1870) was formed in 1862 to build a railroad from Sacramento, California, to the San Francisco Bay, the westernmost portion of the First Transcontinental Railroad. Central Pacific Railroad, built 1869. In 1979, the Southern Pacific obtained trackage rights over the 1903 route from its old rival, The Western Pacific Railroad Company. This latest idea planned to link Stockton with Oroville (via Sacramento) before continuing northeastward through Beckwourth Pass, following the Feather River much of the way. The Western Pacific Railroad (1862-1870) was formed in 1862 to build a railroad from Sacramento, California, to the San Francisco Bay, the westernmost portion of the First Transcontinental Railroad. The information includes original numbers, serials, and order numbers. The SP went on to blossom into one of the West's most powerful railroads and denied any attempts at a second transcontinental connection at Salt Lake City. Alas, this scheme met a similar fate. Many were pulled up in the 1970's and 1980's although others were removed long before that. First, he opened a branch to nearby San Jose and then acquired 64 miles of the narrow-gauge Nevada-California-Oregon Railway (N-C-O) on June 17, 1917. Another route was projected to run south of Reno but no serious efforts were ever carried out on this extension. The first five were built in 1864 by the Norris Locomotive Works plant at Lancaster, Pennsylvania. An A-B-B-A set of F7s, led by #914-A, lead an eastbound manifest freight through Altamont Pass during February of 1970. The SN was a longtime subsidiary of Western Pacific and one time electrified interurban. ), 2 (Built as Union Pacific #1000-1001. By early April, 1913 it had extended to Sacramento and a connection with the Northern Electric. [14], By July 1869, Strobridge had 500 Chinese workers on the leg from Vallejo Mills towards Oakland. Roger Puta photo. Directed by Sam Newfield. A year later electrified service was initiated (November 15, 1913). See more ideas about railroad, pacific, train. The report also noted: "The difference in price is, allowing $5 a week for board, $29 50 per month, and yet the men who receive the higher sum do less work than those who receive the lower! Regularly scheduled freight service commenced on December 1st that year while passenger service launched several months later on August 22, 1910. History Locomotive 94 was built by the American Locomotive Company, Brooks works, in September 1909. The canyon was extremely rugged with unstable rock that caused many slides. Western Pacific's Keddie Wye Through Northern California, Sacramento Northern Railway, Long-Time Western Pacific Property, Denver & Rio Grande Western, "Mainline Thru The Rockies", California Zephyr: (Chicago - Denver - Salt Lake City - Oakland/San Francisco), Feather River Express: (Oakland - Portola, California). [21] The first passenger train passed through the tunnel on September 1, and a large force was working to finish the San Joaquin River railroad bridge, which became the controlling link of the line from Sacramento to San Francisco Bay. Electro-Motive Corporation/Electro-Motive Division, * #805B (1st) became #915C (2nd) on 4/12/1970, * #915C (1st) became #805B (2nd) on 4/21/1970, * #916D (1st) became #804D (2nd) on 4/14/1970, * #920A became #913A in 10/1971, renumbered again as #913 in 7/1975, * #920B became #806B on 6/14/1967, renumbered back to #920B on 4/5/1971. Western Pacific Railroad (The Feather River Route) "The Feather River Route" Western Pacific boxcar #3159. A popular pastime for many is studying and/or exploring abandoned rights-of-way. While the route avoided the treacherous steep granite cliffs found along Donner Pass, the Feather River carried its own difficulties. Not only did the Feather River Canyon's unstable geography frustrate the railroad (with numerous mud and rock slides) but strong competition from the Southern Pacific hampered potential. [1][8]:335â339 In September 1867, Governor Stanford led a party to show them the projected WP line, which would captured his interest that it would soon be dubbed "The Governor's Road". In 1910 the OA&E reached Walnut and a year later was opened to Lafayette. Built 1921 for Western Pacific Railroad; demolished June 2020 Timber stringer bridge over Los Gatos Creek on Three Creeks Trail Demolition started late June 2020, new ⦠Part of the difficulty was that federal land grants were not available where Mexican land grants had previously been made. As a joint endeavor with the Rio Grande and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, the train whisked travelers from Chicago to Oakland/San Francisco offering top-notch services and incredible views of the American West. Following a few name changes it became the Nevada-California-Oregon Railway on January 1, 1893. Henry Brueckman photo. [13], After the Central Pacific completed the western half of the first transcontinental railroad from Omaha to Sacramento with the golden spike ceremony on May 10, 1869, at Promontory Summit, J. H. Strobridge with some crew and equipment went to Vallejo Mills (now Niles) at the west end of Alameda Cañon to commence in June 1869 to build a new rail line from Vallejo Mills northward towards Oakland. At its peak, the Sacramento Northern maintained a network of 183 miles. ). After a short legal battle the N-C-O acquired full control of the so-called Plumas Branch on January 1, 1915, a lumber spur that ran 32 miles from Plumas Junction to Clio. At this time the Western Pacific enjoyed its greatest extent, operating a network of 1,138 route miles. In 1870, the Western Pacific Railroad dissolved, and its routes absorbed by the Central Pacific Railroad. [19][20] By the end of August, the tunnel at Livermore Pass was completed. Currently on display at the Travel Town Museum in Griffith Park, Los Angeles, California. The original WP operated a total of 151.06 miles and was merged into the CP on June 23, 1870. It was intended to interchange with the Central Pacific at Reno and act as a bridge line connecting Northern California with the Pacific Northwest (at The Dalles, Oregon) while circumventing the Sierra-Nevada and Cascade Mountains. [12][13], Since Central Pacific had decided to make Oakland the west coast terminus of the First Transcontinental Railroad, its subsidiary purchased in August 1868 the majority of stock in San Francisco and Oakland Railroad (SF&O), which provided ferry-train service from a San Francisco ferry terminal connecting with railroad service through Oakland to San Antonio. Itinerary for a Western Pacific salesman training trip visiting several industrial areas and businesses along the WP. It began from Bay Point, near Oakland, where a connection was achieved with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (Santa Fe) and progressed eastward. The Sacramento Northern Railroad was created in 1914 when the NE went into receivership. #1000 began life as demonstrator #889. According to Brian Solomon's book, "Southern Pacific Railroad," the very first "Western Pacific Railroad Company" dates back to the Transcontinental Railroad, incorporated on December 13, 1862 by Collis Huntington to give the then-Central Pacific Railroad (CP) direct access into the Bay Area. The most notable was establishing a link with the Great Northern through a joint project known as the "High Line," "Inside Gateway," or "Northern California Extension.". The FRRS is a 501(c)3 Non Profit Organization. The Western Pacific Railroad Company Special Instructions #1 - Effective May 2, 1967 The Western Pacific Railroad Company California Zephyr Time Table - October 29, 1967 The Western Pacific Railroad Company - January 1, 1974 Condensed Track Chart Just like the "Big Four" he had no interest in sharing his railroad's monopoly but with Gould's support and financial backing the Western Pacific project moved forward. It could be strongly argued the Western Pacific should have never been 1 (Built as Missouri Pacific #9129. Here, a freight train, led by U23B #2261, passes over itself near Spring Garden, California in October, 1972. Keddie finally outmaneuvered his nemesis by partnering with another mogul, George Gould. However, the "Big Four" quickly used their leverage to end this threat by turning investors away and successfully lobbying Congress to deny it land grants. Just six years later the OA&E found itself in a similar predicament and was renamed as the San Francisco-Sacramento Railroad (the so-called "Sacramento Short Line"). Acquired on 2/12/1970. This interchange enabled originating shipments of copper ore to be transported east to Salt Lake City. [35] From 1879 on, the original 1862-69 WP route through Altamont Pass and Niles Canyon became a secondary route between the East Bay and the San Joaquin Valley. Although relatively small, the Western Pacific is remembered for many things; operating one of the most successful streamliners of all time, constructing the famous Keddie Wye, and maintaining the important "Inside Gateway.". This colorful 10 inch round plaque featuring the Western Pacific will easily fit in any train room, man cave or child's room. Train Addiction Help Line: 1 866 840 77771 866 840 7777 Together, they opened a competing line through the beautiful Feather River Canyon. The Northern Electric was incorporated in 1905 and later purchased the Chico Electric Railway (1906), a small streetcar system serving its namesake community. It reached its final length on January 10, 1912 when it opened to Lakeview, Oregon. Finally, on November 1, 1909 a Golden Spike ceremony was held within the Feather River Canyon at Keddie, California marking the railroad's formal completion. These covered wagons were acquired from the New York, Ontario & Western after it shutdown in 1957. Unit # Notes Model Serial # Pictures : WP F7A: Refurbished as 913, donated to Sacramento Rail Museum The locomotive Mariposa, lettered G, was built by the Norris Locomotive Works in 1864. While the railroad boasted stunning scenery and the lowest grades through the Sierra Range, profits did not reflect these attributes. Several years later, Keddie tried a second time when he helped establish the San Francisco & Great Salt Lake Railroad, incorporated on May 21, 1892. From 1910 until merging with Union Pacific Railroad in 1982, the Western Pacific was one of the West's most popular railroads. Meanwhile, Turton, Knox & Ryan dispatched workers to continue the railroad in Alameda Cañon eastward from the point where the 1866 Western Pacific rails abruptly stopped. The Sacramento Bee remarks:", "The tunnel at Livermore Pass is completed", "The First Train Through the Tunnel. At one point, more than 14,000 men were at work on the CP -- mostly Chinese, along with a handful of Irish- and American-born railroaders. [11]:18â19 The CPRR briefly considered a shorter route west from Dublin/Pleasanton to the Hayward/San Leandro area (a route used by Bay Area Rapid Transit more than 100 years later), but decided that the grades were too much of a disadvantage compared to the 1% grade of the Alameda Cañon route. The Western Pacific Railroad Museum (WPRM), formerly known as the Portola Railroad Museum is part of the Feather River Rail Society and focuses primarily on preserving original equipment of the Western Pacific Railroad, the famed "Feather River Route". The Western Pacific Railroad (reporting mark WP) 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. Within a decade the company was in trouble and entered bankruptcy prior to World War I. It was reorganized as the Western Pacific Railroad on June 16, 1916. The new company took over on July 15th and its new president, Charles Levey, worked very hard to increase business. [34] Maps thereafter would show the Western Pacific route as one for the CPRR.[11]. While the Western Pacific Railroad Museum is well known for having one of the largest collections of historic diesels in the world, Portola is also home to Western Pacific Railroad Museum's steam program. fighting for survival. In 1930, the Solano and Contra Costa train ferry service was discontinued, and train traffic traveled into the Bay Area via the new steel Carquinez Bridge from Benicia to Martinez. WP's section included 111.8 miles running north from Keddie, a junction where two spectacular bridges and a short tunnel were completed to form a wye off the main line. [2] The amending Act of March 3, 1865 ratified and confirmed the assignment made by Central Pacific Railroad to Western Pacific Railroad and authorized Western Pacific Railroad as one of the charter companies.[3]. Roger Puta photo. You will be hard pressed at finding a better online resource regarding diesel locomotives than Craig Rutherford's TheDieselShop.us. [9][10] The decision to make Oakland the western terminus of the WP line was finally wrapped up, under the charge of Gov. Photo by Ken Ziegenbein, 5/13/2007. Special Equipment Handling Instruction Book. They say timing is everything and as Keddie's latest venture got underway, George Gould entered the picture. Western Pacific Railway operated routes across 3 states, this is an average amount across most railroads and is typical of small to mid size Eastern Railroads or mid size Western Railroads. In June 1867, the five Associates (Big Four plus E. B. Crocker) of the Central Pacific completed a complicated transaction with moribund Western Pacific (WP) and resuscitated it and its assets while Charles McLaughlin, the only Western Pacific owner left, retained rights to sell his land grants. In spite of the Great Depression's onset, the Western Pacific continued improvements where it could. 780.7 Transcontinental Railroad- Site of Completion of Pacific Railroad, California Historical Landmark No. One of the engineering marvels of the Western Pacific's construction was Williams Loop in Northern California. Keddie's first effort was the Oroville & Virginia City Railroad launched in 1869. Western Pacific's "California Zephyr" passes beneath Highway 50 on Altamont Pass in March of 1970 soon before the train was discontinued. The Western Pacific Railroad logo. The nearby Tidewater Southern joined Western Pacific as another freight line. In October 31, 1864, the Central Pacific Railroad assigned all the rights of the Pacific Railway Acts of 1862 and 1864 to the Western Pacific for the route between Sacramento and San Jose, including land grants. longtime dream of Arthur Keddie who wanted to break the Southern Pacific's (SP) monopoly between San Francisco/Oakland and Salt Lake City. In 1922 Western Pacific acquired the SN for its freight business, adding the Sacramento Short Line in 1927 for the same purpose. Apr 20, 2017 - Explore Bob Mitchell's board "Western Pacific Railroad" on Pinterest. It began construction in 1911 and opened from Stockton to Modesto as a standard, steam-powered system in October, 1912. Nevertheless, the project carried enough clout and financial backing that it eventually opened a 238-mile main line and 32-mile branch. However, operating in the shadow of giants like the Southern Pacific, Santa Fe and the Union Pacific, the relatively young ⦠Drew Jacksich photo. By 1918 it added three non-electrified branches reaching Turlock, Hatch, and Manteca that were designed solely for freight traffic. Wes Barris's SteamLocomotive.com is simply the best web resource in the study of steam locomotives. One of these was a 12-ton 4-2-0 while the others were of the more conventional 4-4-0 type weighing from 30 to 33 tons. In 1888, the Central Pacific routes were absorbed by the Southern Pacific Railroad. Alas, in 2013 the site closed by thankfully Don Strack rescued the data and transferred it over to his UtahRails.net site (another fine resource). In 1903, to compete with the Southern Pacific Railroad, a new Western Pacific Railway Company was formed to build routes between Oakland, San Jose, Sacramento, Stockton, and Salt Lake City. Became Stockton Terminal & Eastern #1000-1001 in 8/1966. After the completion of the railroad from Sacramento to Alameda Terminal on September 6, 1869, and then the Oakland Pier on November 8, 1869, which was the Pacific coast terminus of the transcontinental railroad, the Western Pacific Railroad was absorbed in 1870 into the Central Pacific Railroad.