Contractors officially turned over the property to the operating department on July 1, 1911. 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. Keddie's first effort was the Oroville & Virginia City Railroad launched in 1869. [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. Western Pacific GP35 #3021, two other Geeps, and a U-boat lead a westbound freight through Quincy, California during August of 1969. Baltimore and Ohio B&O Railroad ⦠One of the engineering marvels of the Western Pacific's construction was Williams Loop in Northern California. 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. The city of Oakland held a large celebration later in the day to greet the first westbound transcontinental train. While the railroad boasted stunning scenery and the lowest grades through the Sierra Range, profits did not reflect these attributes. Needing to find a partner, Union Pacific offered to purchase its much smaller counterpart and the acquisition was made official on December 22, 1982. In spite of the Great Depression's onset, the Western Pacific continued improvements where it could. $19.50 + shipping. Other presidents such as Alfred Pearlman, an excellent railroader in his own right, followed Whitman and carried the company through that troubled decade. Overall, the Northern Electric operated about 93 miles. Huntington and his fellow businessmen, Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins, and Charles Crocker ("The Big Four"), added another corporate layer to their growing empire when the Southern Pacific Company was formed on August 14, 1884 to manage all properties under their direction. Western Pacific Railroad (The Feather River Route) "The Feather River Route" Western Pacific boxcar #3159. [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. Acquired on 7/7/1969. 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. With no further construction undertaken, it subsisted primarily on livestock and grain traffic, along with the aforementioned timber business. 780.7 Transcontinental Railroad- Site of Completion of Pacific Railroad, California Historical Landmark No. In the end, Gould and Keddie were rewarded for choosing the river as it afforded much easier grades, resulting in lower operational costs (Union Pacific even spent $30 million to rebuild the route in 1997 after landslides placed 100 miles out of service). History Locomotive 94 was built by the American Locomotive Company, Brooks works, in September 1909. After the 1868 Hayward earthquake bankrupted the San Francisco and Alameda Railroad (SF&A), the CP subsidiary also purchased in August 1869 the majority of stock in SF&A, which provided ferry service from San Francisco and train service from Alameda Terminal to the quake-damaged terminal at Hayward, California. [22], By September 5, 1869, the railroad from Vallejo Mills (now Niles) to San Leandro was completed, including a connection at bay side of San Leandro to the existing tracks of SF&A, purchased a month before in August 1869, which led to the functioning Alameda Wharf. Following a few name changes it became the Nevada-California-Oregon Railway on January 1, 1893. Such a project had been tried many times but noted tycoon Collis P. Huntington, who controlled the SP, used his influence to stop each attempt. 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 ⦠The line below belongs to the Southern Pacific, which is now abandoned. From Niles, the line split in opposite directions, reaching Oakland and San Jose. [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. Union Pacific operates North America's premier railroad franchise, covering 23 states in the western two-thirds of the United States. years Western Pacific moved freight along its well-engineered corridor that, in total, spanned slightly over 1,000 miles. According to James Griffin's book, "Rio Grande Railroad," Gould used his D&RG/RGW railroads to finance Western Pacific's enormous construction costs (the two would contribute a total of $31.5 million to the endeavor, or roughly 40%). Currently on display at the Travel Town Museum in Griffith Park, Los Angeles, California. Portland & Western Railroad, Inc. (503) 930-8222 Assistant Vice President, Safety and Compliance: Steve Guthrie Genesee & Wyoming Railroad Services, Inc. (605) 515-3233. Western Pacific Railroad Sales Educational Trip, December 1952. All content copyright American-Rails.com (unless otherwise noted). Author's work. According to Dr. George Hilton's and John Due's book, "The Electric Interurban Railways In America," the SN was composed primarily of two predecessors, the Northern Electric Railway and the Oakland, Antioch & Eastern Railway. fighting for survival. [10] On the morning of November 8, 1869, the first transcontinental train to use the expanded ferry terminal at Oakland Pier traversed the SF&O and the Western Pacific Railroad to reach Sacramento, and continue eastward on the Central Pacific Railroad. built. Its length is 923 miles from this city to its terminal in Oakland. In 1888, the Central Pacific routes were absorbed by the Southern Pacific Railroad. History []. [15][16][17], According to a report from the Sacramento Bee, for tunnel work at Livermore Pass in July 1869, white men were paid $45 per month with board, whereas the Chinese were paid $37.50 per month and had to board themselves. The nearby Tidewater Southern joined Western Pacific as another freight line. This colorful 10 inch round plaque featuring the Western Pacific will easily fit in any train room, man cave or child's room. For nearly 80 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. It began from Bay Point, near Oakland, where a connection was achieved with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (Santa Fe) and progressed eastward. In 1935 it experienced another bankruptcy but World War II witnessed record traffic which finally offered some consistency. They were originally assigned between Pittsburg and Antioch after electrification there was discontinued and later worked car ferry service across the delta. Details about WESTERN PACIFIC RAILROAD 1925 SYSTEM MAP ROUTES CONNECTING RRs. When completed in the early 20th century, the Western Pacific marked one of the last major projects of its kind ever undertaken. Keddie finally outmaneuvered his nemesis by partnering with another mogul, George Gould. Special Equipment Handling Instruction Book. 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. In addition, Union Pacific has honored the railroad by painting SD70ACe #1983 with an inspired Western Pacific livery. The original WP operated a total of 151.06 miles and was merged into the CP on June 23, 1870. F7A #913-A pops out of the tunnel along the Keddie Wye in Keddie, California as it heads back to the nearby yard during August of 1969. In 1984, Southern Pacific deeded the Pleasanton - Niles right-of-way to Alameda County, California. 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 All photos and videos, copyright individual owners/organizations. The locomotive and tender are 69 feet long and weigh 293,500 pounds ready to work. Photo by Ken Ziegenbein, 5/13/2007. Directed by Sam Newfield. A series of mergers left the railroad as a small fish in a huge pond, surrounded by giants like Union Pacific, Southern Pacific, and Burlington Northern. The modern WP's beginnings are symbolic of its entire corporate existence; always After he realized Keddie's intentions the two men joined forces to create the Western Pacific Railway on March 3, 1903. Posted on July 22, 2016. Jan 10, 2015 - Explore Gregory Giesen's board "Railroads-Western Pacific", followed by 154 people on Pinterest. 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. By the 20th Century his goal was nearing reality as he controlled the Missouri Pacific, Wabash, Western Maryland, Wheeling & Lake Erie, and the Rio Grande properties consisting of the Denver & Rio Grande (D&RG) and Rio Grande Western (RGW). © Copyright 2007-2021 American-Rails.com. 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). A Western Pacific freight train, led by U30B #3055 and several EMD units, sweeps over the Southern Pacific (now abandoned) on California's Altamont Pass in March, 1981. Its pass through the Sierra Nevada mountains went through Portola (instead of the famous Donner Pass), so here at their former maintenance facility is the Western Pacific Railroad Museum. The OA&E was hampered by a rugged profile due to its crossing of the Coast Range, requiring grades of 3% and 3,500-foot tunnel. Two months later, the rail connection to the San Francisco and Oakland Railroad was finally in place, as was the expansion of CPRR's Oakland Pier. Alas, in 2013 the site closed by thankfully Don Strack rescued the data and transferred it over to his. Later that year it abandoned the parallel Plumas Branch and dropped the 28-mile northern component to Hackstaff (in 1926 the Southern Pacific picked up the remainder of the N-C-O property). By early April, 1913 it had extended to Sacramento and a connection with the Northern Electric. * United States Railroad Administration (USRA) "Light Mikados" which were sold to the Wabash in 1920. Today, there are tens of thousands of miles scattered throughout the country. 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. The deal also comprised a northern component reaching Hackstaff (Herlong), California as well as N-C-O's western branch to Clio. At its peak, the Sacramento Northern maintained a network of 183 miles. The only trade-off was in overall length with Southern Pacific's line some 138 miles shorter (786 miles compared to Western Pacific's 924 miles). Here, a freight train, led by U23B #2261, passes over itself near Spring Garden, California in October, 1972. In 1916, the Western Pacific Railway Company was dissolved in bankruptcy. The Pacific Railway A Brief History of Building the Transcontinental Railroad. Part of the difficulty was that federal land grants were not available where Mexican land grants had previously been made. The new company continued to grow by opening branches to Clarksburg, Oxford and then reached downtown San Francisco via the new Bay Bridge in January, 1939. A popular pastime for many is studying and/or exploring abandoned rights-of-way. To reach the west coast he formed two small railroads, the Indian Valley and Butte & Plumas, which would build through the Feather River and link up with his Rio Grande systems at Salt Lake City. [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 locomotive Mariposa, lettered G, was built by the Norris Locomotive Works in 1864. The full text of this article is available to Classic Trains Magazine subscribers only. Drew Jacksich photo. Western Pacific F7's approach Dixon Landing Road between Fremont and Milpitas, California with a long freight train during the fall of 1978. The Western Pacific Railroad logo. 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.". In 1998 a gentleman by the name of Andre Kristopans put together a web page highlighting virtually every unit every out-shopped by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division. Western Pacific GP20 #2001, and a number of other Geeps, pull a freight through the Niles Canyon near Sunol, California during August of 1969. It is a must visit! Drew Jacksich photo. The Western Pacific Railroad then began to construct its line from San Jose northward. A pair of Sacramento Northern F3A's layover between assignments, circa 1960s. Niles Canyon Transcontinental Railroad Historic District (NCTR), "ASSIGNMENT BY THE CENTRAL PACIFIC RAILROAD COMPANY OF CALIFORNIA TO THE WESTERN PACIFIC RAILROAD COMPANY", "Sacramento Daily Union 3 October 1866 â California Digital Newspaper Collection", "Again in the field -- the Western Pacific Railroad", "Western Pacific Railroad: The last link in the line from New York to San Francisco approaching completion", "Bibliographic Essay for "The Chinese as Railroad Workers after Promontory, "Give the devil his due. Detectives for the Western Pacific Railroad investigate several murders, including one of a railroad ⦠In 1879, the Central Pacific shortened its route from Sacramento to the Oakland Pier by building a line from Sacramento to Benicia, crossing the Sacramento River there via large train ferry, the Solano and Contra Costa, to Port Costa, then along the south shore of Carquinez Strait and San Pablo Bay to Richmond, Berkeley, and Oakland to the Oakland Pier. Today, the Western Pacific may no longer exist but its legacy A popular pastime for many is studying and/or exploring abandoned rights-of-way. Sacramento Northern's "Southern Division" was the work of the Oakland & Antioch Railway. 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. 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). After the WP acquired the southern segment it was quickly converted to standard gauge, completing the process on January 30, 1918. 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"). The Western Pacific acquired the road in 1917 and it provided considerable business, largely in the areas of fruits, vegetables, and serving local wine producers. The canyon was extremely rugged with unstable rock that caused many slides. Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia built three more 30-ton 4-4-0 locomotives in 1866, and two similar locomotives were built by Mason Machine Works of Massachusetts in 1867.[33]. Sold in 1914 by the Southern Pacific to Stockton Terminal & Eastern #1. Drew Jacksich photo. If you are researching active or abandoned corridors you might want to check out the United States Geological Survey's (USGS) Historical Topographic Map Explorer. The website contains everything from historic (fallen flags) to contemporary (Class I's, regionals, short lines, and even some museums/tourist lines) rosters, locomotive production information, technical data, all notable models cataloged by the five major builders (American Locomotive, Electro-Motive, General Electric, Fairbanks-Morse, and Baldwin), and much more. Thanks to the book, "Western Pacific Color Pictorial: Volume One," by Adam Clegg for help compiling this diesel roster. [31], After November 1869, the Oakland Pier was the Pacific coast terminus of the transcontinental trains. It wasn't formed until 1906, with completion in 1909. Became Stockton Terminal & Eastern #1000-1001 in 8/1966. Alas, this scheme met a similar fate. [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. This interchange enabled originating shipments of copper ore to be transported east to Salt Lake City. ), 2 (Built as Union Pacific #1000-1001. 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. "[18], By mid-August 1869, the railroad was completed through Alameda Cañon eastward into Livermore valley. 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. Just type in a town or city and click on the timeline of maps at the bottom of the page! When completed in the early 20th century, the Western Pacific marked one of the last major projects of its kind ever undertaken. 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". Welcome Western Pacific Fans. 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. [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". ), 1 (Built as New York, Ontario & Western #503. In 1922 Western Pacific acquired the SN for its freight business, adding the Sacramento Short Line in 1927 for the same purpose. An A-B-B-A set of F7s, led by #914-A, lead an eastbound manifest freight through Altamont Pass during February of 1970. Unfortunately, without a strong freight base and few feeder branches, monetary issues materialized almost immediately. 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. Butters who quickly eyed a connection into Sacramento. Together, they opened a competing line through the beautiful Feather River Canyon. The new corridor handled freight from San Francisco/Oakland to the Pacific Northwest, and ultimately Chicago in competition against the SP. He oversaw a number of improvements such as installation of centralized traffic control (CTC) and acquisition of diesel locomotives for main line service (the second railroad to acquire such, behind only the Santa Fe). [8]:330,407 In October 1867, patterned after the structure of the ill-fated Crédit Mobilier of America, the Contract and Finance Company was incorporated to act as the stock/asset holding/laundering subsidiary formally independent of Central Pacific, but informally transferring stocks/assets back to the five CP Associates, to finance the construction and purchase of railroad. Regularly scheduled freight service commenced on December 1st that year while passenger service launched several months later on August 22, 1910. [32], The Western Pacific operated a total of ten locomotives. Mossdale Crossing", "The first through train on the Western Pacific Road", "Alameda Terminal of the First Transcontinental Railroad", "The opening of the Western Pacific Railroad", "CHL # 780.7 Transcontinental Railroad- Site of Completion of Pacific Railroad San Joaquin", "CHL # 440 Alameda Terminal of Transcontinental Railroad Alameda", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Western_Pacific_Railroad_(1862â1870)&oldid=1001461812, Predecessors of the Southern Pacific Transportation Company, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, California Historical Landmark No. Its assets, including its 1903 route, were acquired by a new business entity, The Western Pacific Railroad Company. It is difficult to truly articulate just how much material can be found at this website. It reached its final length on January 10, 1912 when it opened to Lakeview, Oregon. 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). 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. My Account. Preservation of the History of the Western Pacific Railroad and its Subsidiaries In early 1868, contractors Turton, Knox & Ryan broke ground on the Western Pacific line from Sacramento southward to Stockton and beyond, including Livermore Pass. Other sections of the 1903 route are still operated by the Altamont Corridor Express, and the Union Pacific Railroad. 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. Train Addiction Help Line: 1 866 840 77771 866 840 7777 What railroad museum would be complete without a steam locomotive? longtime dream of Arthur Keddie who wanted to break the Southern Pacific's (SP) monopoly between San Francisco/Oakland and Salt Lake City. The NE was funded and promoted by H.A. A year later, the Sacramento Northern Railway was formed as a holding company, which later merged all WP's interurbans under this name. Drew Jacksich photo. Stanford, in a series of complex transactions and legislative compromise in April 1868. This line included two engineering challenges: boring a 1200-ft tunnel through hard material near Livermore Pass and bridging the San Joaquin River at Mossdale south of Stockton. The Western Pacific Railroad was incorporated in 1903 to compete with the Southern Pacific Railway. 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). Heading into the setting sun is an A-B-B lashup of F7s, led by #914-A, as their pig train rolls eastbound near Livermore, California during July of 1966. The Oakland News says:", "Railroad Bridges- San Joaquin County: First bridge across San Joaquin River. In 1979, the Southern Pacific obtained trackage rights over the 1903 route from its old rival, The Western Pacific Railroad Company. Western Pacific Marketing Department, March 1966. The FRRS is a 501(c)3 Non Profit Organization. Unit # Notes Model Serial # Pictures : WP F7A: Refurbished as 913, donated to Sacramento Rail Museum In addition, the region's remote and desolate nature only compounded problems. ). While the route avoided the treacherous steep granite cliffs found along Donner Pass, the Feather River carried its own difficulties. From 1910 until merging with Union Pacific Railroad in 1982, the Western Pacific was one of the West's most popular railroads. 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. [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.
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