Sacramento Northern Railway
The Sacramento Northern Railway was a true electric empire. The entire mainline spanned 185 miles not including the numerous branch lines, streetcar lines, bus lines. The Sacramento Northern also had a ferry boat, which brought both passenger and freight trains across Suisun Bay. It was the longest and grandest interurban in North America. The Sacramento Northern was originally two separate electric railways: the Oakland Antioch & Eastern and the Northern Electric Railway. The OA&E completed its line from San Francisco to Sacramento in 1913 and in 1920, both railroads merged. Passenger service stopped in 1941 and freight service in the Oakland Hills stopped in 1957 with the close of the Redwood Tunnel in Shepherd Canyon. The galleries below are different portions of the railroad from the south (Oakland) to the north (Sacramento, Chico). Click to view a vintage full system map The South EndOakland to Pittsburg
The Southern end of the line started at 40th & Shafter in Oakland and ran through central Contra Costa County to a ferry slip near Pittsburg called Mallard. Passenger trains ran to the pier and across the Bay Bridge via the Key System's Line C (Piedmont) tracks. Picnic trains ran from San Francisco to Lake Temescal and to other nice spots in Contra Costa County. Trains also brought students to Saint Mary's College in Moraga. Suisun Bay to SacramentoA lot of trackage remains in this section of the mainline mainly due to the Western Railway Museum. The section starts at Chipps, the northern ferry slip on Suisun Bay. From Chipps until Molena (the southern end of the Western Railway Museum's property), there are sections of trestle that are in various stages of decay. After a lot of these trestles, we get to Molena, where trackage remains all the way until Dozier. These 15 miles of trackage are the Western Railway Museum's. The right of way is well preserved and about 5 miles of it are restored for electric operation with more to come in the future. It is a great place to visit to ride equipment and to learn about the history of the Bay Area's railroads and other railroads too. Riding trains at the museum is pretty much the same as it was 100 years ago: same equipment and same landscape. After Dozier, where the Vacaville branch turns off, the track disappears all the way to Sacramento. Some of the coolest trackage on this section was across the landmark Tower Bridge in Sacramento. I have heard rumors that rail might once again return to this bridge. Click to view a map of the mainline and the SN's streetcar lines in Sacramento. Danville Branch - [no photos]Learn more at the Museum of the San Ramon Valley in Danville, CA. Clarksburg Branch - [no photos]Pittsburg Branch - [no photos]Vacaville/Fairfield Branch - [no photos]The Vacaville Branch has had two lives. The first branch left the mainline at Creed. Then, when Travis Air Force base was built, because the branch trackage went right through the base, the army relocated the track to the north at no cost. The new track intersected the mainline at Dozier, where it still does today. Some years later, the UP bought the right of way, and after abandonment, the Western Railway bought it for preservation and as their primary and only connection to the mainline. The North EndSacramento to ChicoWoodland Branch - [no photos]Colusa Branch - [no photos]Oroville Branch - [no photos]Related Books and FilmsBooks:Sacramento Northern (Interurban Special #9) - Ira Swett (1950) Films and Movies:California Electric Trilogy Links
Sacramento Northern On-Line
SacNorthern Group
Bay Area Rails
Western Railway Museum |
