Interurbans In Marin County: Electrified Commuter Trains Of The Northwestern Pacific

This presentation was originally produced for the 2017 SP/NWP Convention in Rohnert Park, CA. After a lot of positive reception, it is now here for everyone to enjoy!
The Northwestern Pacific Railroad is known mainly for its heavy lumber trains coming out of the Redwood Empire of Humboldt, and Mendocino Counties, but few fail to realize the rich history of the railroad in Marin and Sonoma Counties, mainly the electric operation to the south. This video explains the entire history of the operation, and its conversion from steam narrow gauge to standard gauge. Then the decline in revenue is discussed after the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge in 1937, bringing the operation to an end in 1941. Enjoy this look at Interurbans in Marin County!

[@chineechik]

Great production. I used to walk through alto tunnel in the late 1960’s as a kid. A local switch job still used the tunnel a couple of times per week. Never got caught in the tunnel at the same time as the train.

[@thelazyfarmer]

Same here. I lived in San Rafael from 1961 through 1999. As a kid, I used to hike the rail line all the time.

[@AshHammaneggs]

I find the idea of the NWP so interesting, a dual-gauge third-rail electrified interurban that handled countryside communities in what's now a pretty well developed part of the bay area. Do there happen to be any images of Detour and/or San Clemente/Meadowsweet stations?

[@Bluesjanet]

Thank you!

[@iannarita9816]

Thank you.

[@grahamsawyer831]

If they hadn't been so stubborn regarding the golden gate bridge maybe they could have run across it!!

[@RobertLeyland]

Exactly. The bridge was built to support trains on a deck below the cars!

[@LearnwithJanice]

Hello from Kansas 🇺🇸

[@jasonschoenmann2308]

As a Marin resident and both former and model railroader. Thank you for this awesome production

[@cambridgeh.lutece6658]

Theres a website that uses google maps to track the old NPCRR railway. The railway embankments from Tomales Bay to the town of Tomales are very visible.

[@tracerbullet8563]

what is the website?

[@L-Taraval]

Very impressive system, just too early for its own success.

[@truebras]

I think that I found another reason for higher ridership numbers for 1930. So, prohibition law was quite established. It is well known that residents from San Francisco came to Marin County to drink because it was harder to enforce this law. Just think, many of historic bars in Marin County still just very short distance the NWP tracks. Examples: 2 am Club, Silver Peso, Matteucci’s, all bars on Broadway st in Fairfax, The Paper Mill at Forrest Knolls.

[@jacktaylor6929]

What a fantastic job of compiling and producing this information @Hunter Lohse! Much appreciated and I'll keep my eyes open for any future information issued regarding this fantastic old railroad system.

[@davidbowman8008]

wish we had this now, maybe smart can get back some of the routes

[@HunterLohseRRVideos]

Larkspur is as far south in Marin as they will go

[@davidbowman8008]

@@HunterLohseRRVideos big rip but thats still pretty good tho

[@jreichel1]

@@HunterLohseRRVideos What we are missing, everywhere in the Bay Area that has ferry service, is the concept that the train is faster than the ferry; therefore, the train should go as far as possible and then transfer people to the ferry for the minimum number of miles across water. That's why we used to have long, long piers going out to the ferries, with trains going right out to the boats. So in Marin, it was much more efficient to take people farther south by rail and then put them on the ferry, but the Larkspur ferry started long after NWP ended. And locals wanted the remaining trackage south to disappear, and the famous "Clint Eastwood trestle" did get demolished thanks to a suspicious traffic accident. I don't think Larkspur is a very sensible location, as the station doesn't go right up to the ferry, and it's not as far south as it could be for fastest service, but it's what we've got. Great video!

[@joelmorris1735]

@@HunterLohseRRVideos would be wonderful if it did go to Sausalito. The lack of vision is very clear. No interest in going beyond Willits. Stupid train is the wrong size to link up with other lines, because of the platforms 🙄. No reason besides money that the smart train doesn't link up to vacaville.

[@timothyboles6457]

Well done Hunter!

[@Jeff-uj8xi]

Interesting to hear the proper pronunciation of Tamalpais. I always thought the accent was on the second syllable.

[@mintaka57]

Wow, loved your well-researched and very well edited documentary with its many hi-res old images . it is noteworthy. Kudos and thanks for sharing ♥

[@truebras]

Great documentary. By watching it I was able to identify parts of Marin where the NWP rails used to be. Note, in the slide where you show the 1930 x 1940 ridership, you have to take in account that the Golden Gate Bridge was open in 1937. So, traveling by bus and crossing the bridge was likely faster than train and ferry. I also think that taking a bus and crossing the bridge was the sign of modern times coming in. For good or bad.

[@theoverloader5110]

In 10 months the US would have entered ww2 and that might have kept the line going until the 50's at least.

[@trainrover]

how might dual tracking've come to eliminate "grades"..?

[@joelmorris1735]

We are 100 years behind what once was in the bay area. Wasted money on Bart, stupid train and the high speed rail. We don't have anything close to what once existed. We are so green, not.

[@Snooksville]

I love this video...and I hate it. What's the rush? I found myself pausing and re-starting constantly to get a look of the incredible photographs as they flashed by.

[@Harmonikaklange]

And now we have the silly “SMART” train choo-choo. An abject failure sold as the magical solution to northbay transportation problems resulting in a slow, sensitive and idiotic train that wastes taxpayer money.

[@joelmorris1735]

I call it stupid train. Was so excited, when lived in Santa Rosa. Moved there in 2013 August. The idiots charge too much for rides. It doesn't run long enough. A real idea would have been to run cars that fit regular platforms. It is also very stupid not to fix the entire line up to Eureka. Giving a boom to parts of the state and small towns top much to ask. They will just waste more billions on high speed. And other sustainable lol systems. Disgusting. Sitting in Sacramento now, because the morons don't manage the forests well here. The 🔥 sucked.