The Sacramento Northern Railway was once a critical interurban link between California's northern Central Valley communities, the state capital, and the Bay Area. Running through orchards, farmland, swamps, and cities, this electric railway began its life in 1905. Service eventually ran from Chico to Oakland, but after the Bay Bridge opened in 1939, the 186-mile route started in San Francisco's Financial District, crossed the bridge on the lower deck, ran through Contra Costa County towns like Moraga, Lafayette, and Pittsburg, across the Suisun straits on the massive rail ferry Ramon (which could hold an entire train), and into Sacramento, the halfway point. From there, the train continued through rolling hills and farms on to Marysville, and finally to Chico before making its return journey. The Sacramento Northern soldiered on until World War II, but eventually the growing car culture, along with competing diesel railroads, undid this splendid line. Interurban passenger service ended in 1941, and the various lines were gradually abandoned or dieselized. Today a 22-mile segment of the route remains in operation at the Bay Area Electric Railway Museum in Solano County.
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Review
Title: Books in Print
Publisher: Michigan Railfan Magazine
Author: David J. Mrozek
Date: July-August 2009
SACRAMENTO NORTHERN RAILWAY by Paul C. Trimble. Published
by Arcadia Publishing, 420 Wando Park Boulevard, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464. 128 pages, over 200 illustrations, acknowledgments, introduction, 6 1/2 x 9” format, softbound. Price $19.95 plus shipping. Available from publisher at address shown above, online at www.arcadiapublishing.com, toll free at 1-888-313-2665, and through local bookstores.
Like many interurban systems, the Sacramento Northern had
an interesting and colorful past. But what really stands out about this company was the unique physical plant over which its cars and electric freight trains operated. Between the main terminals at Chico and San Francisco, a passenger making the 185 mile trip would have encountered the following: third rail power between Chico and Sacramento, with trolley pole operation through the cities; overhead wire power south of Sacramento, with power pickup by trolley pole and pantograph; an interurban car ferry trip across Suisun Bay, a 3,200 foot tunnel in the Contra Costa hills just east of Oakland, and a Key System ferry trip across San Francisco Bay (or starting in January 1939, direct rail service from Oakland to San Francisco over the new Bay Bridge).
During its life as a going concern and even in its after life, the Sacramento Northern has been a favorite of rail enthusiasts. Its rich history has been well documented over the years through the efforts of Ira Swett and other authors, but those earlier works are now long out of print. This volume by Paul Trimble puts the Sacramento Northern story back in print and adds more than 200 unpublished images into the mix from his extensive collection of SN material. Of particular interest was an outstanding image, spread across two pages, showing a 3-car Concord local passing a crowded bathing beach at Lake
Temescal (near Oakland) in 1940. Unfortunately, the talented photographer that made this image (and several others in the book) was not identified or was unknown. The action oriented photos of the Sacramento Northern contained here bring this fascinating railway back to life for all to enjoy.
Publisher: Michigan Railfan Magazine
Author: David J. Mrozek
Date: July-August 2009
SACRAMENTO NORTHERN RAILWAY by Paul C. Trimble. Published
by Arcadia Publishing, 420 Wando Park Boulevard, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464. 128 pages, over 200 illustrations, acknowledgments, introduction, 6 1/2 x 9” format, softbound. Price $19.95 plus shipping. Available from publisher at address shown above, online at www.arcadiapublishing.com, toll free at 1-888-313-2665, and through local bookstores.
Like many interurban systems, the Sacramento Northern had
an interesting and colorful past. But what really stands out about this company was the unique physical plant over which its cars and electric freight trains operated. Between the main terminals at Chico and San Francisco, a passenger making the 185 mile trip would have encountered the following: third rail power between Chico and Sacramento, with trolley pole operation through the cities; overhead wire power south of Sacramento, with power pickup by trolley pole and pantograph; an interurban car ferry trip across Suisun Bay, a 3,200 foot tunnel in the Contra Costa hills just east of Oakland, and a Key System ferry trip across San Francisco Bay (or starting in January 1939, direct rail service from Oakland to San Francisco over the new Bay Bridge).
During its life as a going concern and even in its after life, the Sacramento Northern has been a favorite of rail enthusiasts. Its rich history has been well documented over the years through the efforts of Ira Swett and other authors, but those earlier works are now long out of print. This volume by Paul Trimble puts the Sacramento Northern story back in print and adds more than 200 unpublished images into the mix from his extensive collection of SN material. Of particular interest was an outstanding image, spread across two pages, showing a 3-car Concord local passing a crowded bathing beach at Lake
Temescal (near Oakland) in 1940. Unfortunately, the talented photographer that made this image (and several others in the book) was not identified or was unknown. The action oriented photos of the Sacramento Northern contained here bring this fascinating railway back to life for all to enjoy.
About the Author
Rail historian Paul C. Trimble, author of Arcadia Publishing's Railways of San Francisco, has amassed here a collection of vintage photographs of the Sacramento Northern's extensive and varied history shuttling people and freight throughout California. These images show the rail line in its prime, as powerful locomotives worked around the clock to supply a growing state with people, labor, and goods.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sacramento Northern fans, rejoice!,
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Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Sacramento Northern Railway (Images of Rail) (Paperback)
Fans of the Sacramento Northern have to search high and low for reasonably priced books on their favourite electric railroad. This book will please the casual fan and the detail freaks alike. There is good reproduction quality of the photos, some of which have surfaced for the first time. My only quibble is the need for more detailed maps. But then, I'm a map freak.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interurbans,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Sacramento Northern Railway (Images of Rail) (Paperback)
I'm very interested in interurban's history and rolling stock, regardless of their geographical location. Undoubtely, USA's interurbans are (were) the widest field of interest: among them, Sacramento Northern was a must for every railfan. This book helps who never have known this interurban (even for geographical reason: I live in Italy!) to achieve a comprehensive knowledge on what it was. Very enjoyable.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Photos of Sacramento Northern,
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Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Sacramento Northern Railway (Images of Rail) (Paperback)
Nice assortment of photos but a little on the folksy side.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
What would later he called the North End of the Sacramento Northern Railway was incorporated on June 14, 1905, as the Northern Electric Railway. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
third rail shoes, trolley poles, electric railway Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Sacramento Northern, San Francisco, Western Railway Museum, Key System, South End, Shafter Avenue, Rio Vista, Western Pacific, Hall Scott, Solano County, Yuba City, Shafter Shops, Southern Pacific, Steve Graves, Woodland Branch, Cincinnati Car Company, Eastern Railway, Key Pier, Key Route, Sacramento City Lines, Tom Gray, Feather River, Orange Empire Railroad Museum, Tidewater Southern, Valle Vista New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
What would later he called the North End of the Sacramento Northern Railway was incorporated on June 14, 1905, as the Northern Electric Railway. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
third rail shoes, trolley poles, electric railway Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Sacramento Northern, San Francisco, Western Railway Museum, Key System, South End, Shafter Avenue, Rio Vista, Western Pacific, Hall Scott, Solano County, Yuba City, Shafter Shops, Southern Pacific, Steve Graves, Woodland Branch, Cincinnati Car Company, Eastern Railway, Key Pier, Key Route, Sacramento City Lines, Tom Gray, Feather River, Orange Empire Railroad Museum, Tidewater Southern, Valle Vista New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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