UNBELIEVABLE NWP/SOUTHERN PACIFIC EUREKA TO SAN RAFAEL, CA

From our "Railroad Treasure Vault" here is a chapter from our full length DVD "Historic SP Around the Greater Bay" Full movie available at www.cspmovies.com
Look back to a great era with steam and early diesel trains filmed by the most prominent railfans of the time. We extensively cover Northern California and the San Francisco Peninsula to San Jose and Los Gatos in the early 1950s. Many classes of SP steam, diesels and FM Train Masters pulling commutes are shown when it mattered. ! Marvel at the parade of early freight cars from around the US and SP cabooses and Passenger Cars, that are a real highlight!
Unbelievable scenes of the NWP Railroad running with Steam and Black Widow units! Look back in time at Island Mountain and Old "Alton" station when they were important locations. The NWP Line North all the way to Eureka, with freight and passenger trains, real lineside stations, bridges, tunnels, lumber towns, and a way of life that has vanished forever! The never-before-seen crystal clear Kodak Movie Film has waited up to 70 years for your viewing! The picture and sound quality are incredible in this 2 HR 1 Minute movie!
This is a must for any SP or NWP fan, or fans of real railroading who remember or want to see how it really was!
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[@charlessmileyvideos]

This a super chapter from our 2 hour movie "Historic SP Around the Greater Bay" available at www.cspmovies.com

[@KennethStone]

How cool! Thanks for posting this. Considering I'm a millennial, this was all gone YEARS before I was born.

[@charlessmileyvideos]

It is amazing what kind of railroading was happening in this area even into the 1980's. These are really priceless images almost 70 years old. Check out our other historical "Bay Area and Donner Pass" movies.

[@johnypitman2368]

thanks for sharing this great film footage. Most people today know that there isn't any railway in Trinity County and they don't know that long ago there was Island Mountain in the southwest corner of trinity with NWP rails and service. Your film is proof positive.

[@charlessmileyvideos]

What an amazing area for railroading! Island Mountain and Scotia are the stuff of railroad legend!

[@gerrytierney6500]

What I would give to ride that line! It must have been amazing. Thanks for sharing this.

[@charlessmileyvideos]

That is just what we were thinking when we saw this film. What a ride it must have been for sure!

[@SPSteve]

Fantastic video! The color from the 1950's and early 1960's really held up well and looks terrific! No shortage of inspiration for modelers in this video!

[@charlessmileyvideos]

The 16mm film was untouched, virgin material until the Pacific Coast Chapter found it a couple of years ago. Some of the films had never been played making for incredibly sharp images. It was a SF Bay Area railroad treasure for sure!

[@charliepress6629]

Thank you for the outstanding video! I surely do miss the NWP -- may it rest in peace...

[@charlessmileyvideos]

Thank you for supporting our channel! We agree the NWP was an epic railroad, I know so many people who miss it for sure!

[@danwhitton7966]

This is awesome video of the NWP. I model 1970 and have been looking for reference like this for years!

[@charlessmileyvideos]

Thanks danwhitton, yeah the NWP was a cool railroad. We also have NWP in the 1970's a full 25 minute chapter in our DVD "SP When"! That might help you more in your modeling efforts!

[@danwhitton7966]

@@charlessmileyvideos I have the 1970s DVD from you. It's great. We need to see some Arcata and Mad River action with their 44 tonners!!!

[@danwhitton7966]

And PS&R out in Graton and Sebastopol switching the canneries in the 60s-70s!

[@jamesrea329]

Thanks for sharing this. I’ve always thought that Charles Smiley Productions has the best historical railfan videos. I have several dozen of your VHS tapes and DVDs, mostly acquired at Winterail over the years. But these days it’s really a pain to watch them, especially the tapes. So it’s great to see some of this material here on KZbin, especially “new” material like this.

[@mikewaller1702]

A real shame the storms and floods along this route destroyed the tracks. It was such a beautiful ride

[@davewitter6565]

This is the best NWP historical posting I have ever seen, thank you for your dedication to preserving this railroad history.

[@minichols5472]

Awesome work! I Love it

[@charlessmileyvideos]

Thank you, the film was from the "Pacific Coast Chapter" and was beautiful 16 mm material!

[@donaldschacht7719]

At 11:20 it is Greenbrae. Thank you for the great video's!!!

[@panhandletrains]

Wow - priceless footage 👍

[@charlessmileyvideos]

Thanks, this is some of the best film we have ever had!

[@charlessmileyvideos]

Thanks this is some of the best material we have ever had for a movie!

[@mikehawk2003]

I still remember when reopening service to Willits and possibly Eureka was still being actively discussed by the North Coast Rail Authority and their cost estimates put it at less than six figures. Oh how I miss those times.

[@chineechik]

I lived in alto in the late 60’s. 1000 would pass heading to Sausalito every Saturday afternoon about 1 pm. Return would pass north at about 5 pm. I also walked thru tunnel 1 many times

[@jamesghiorzoe107]

This whole video is absolutely priceless As a side note, look at the trash right next to the water at 11:30 😮

[@SPEEDOFDOG]

We’ve lost so much. I think it’s a shame to have just let it all go away.

[@charlessmileyvideos]

Now, you can barely find a train anywhere in these parts. This was a magical time in California Railroad History!

[@jimevans6885]

Rear marker was not a blinking light but complex MARS oscillating red light. Great material.

[@camauedd8042]

The Van Duzen river flows into the Eel River just west of the RR crossing in this video...the Eel River flows into the Pacific Ocean south of Humboldt Bay...

[@seanwitt2463]

So sad. As kid, I got the tail end of watching the Eureka Southern switch in Eureka yard.

[@jamesborden4805]

At 10:57 yes that is the same trestle that Clint used in D.H.

[@fj-revisited]

The remark near the end about how built up the San Raphael area has become. No kidding. I was trying to match up the areas with Street View. Not easy.

[@charlessmileyvideos]

Yes, it is sad what it has become! It is kind of hard to match street views with some of these scenes but you can do it if you look hard enough. So much has changed though!

[@fj-revisited]

@@charlessmileyvideos One area I *think* was a match: where the white Chevy rail car passes US 101. I recognized it as the area of PCH and the Mill Valley bike path at 101. Do you know if the bike path built the old RR right of way?

[@mow4ncry]

Well today scheville is were the yard for the Golden gate railroad Museum is, and the line north of Cloverdale is now used by them for rail bike trips

[@charlessmileyvideos]

Schellville was a really cool location to see NWP and SP action! Lots of SD-9 High Hoods everywhere!

[@myexpressways4106]

Great footage and narration. Do you have any video of the SP line that ran south into Danville in Contra Costa County? I grew up there in the 1950s and recall following along on my bicycle as a switcher would bring cars to the lumber yard and the concrete plant. Your modeling of the Walnut Creek area is spectacular. Fond memories remain in my mind every time I see these videos and return to the area. Thanks again, Charles.

[@jasonalperin9414]

Now serves as Iron Horse Trail!

[@charlessmileyvideos]

@@jasonalperin9414 Wow, thanks Jason didn't realize that! Must have been special to see trains on that line!

[@erdingtown]

Railroad services cannot be private

[@charlessmileyvideos]

The NWP and other short lines provide valuable service in these remote areas!

[@jasonalperin9414]

Except for the Modern SMART portion from Larkspur to Santa Rosa the line is now in Complete Disrepair/unusable!

[@charlessmileyvideos]

Are the tracks still in place?

[@jasonalperin9414]

Yes they are but many parts of the line north of Santa Rosa/Cloverdale/Ukiah are washed out with Tunnels Partially or completely collapsed and more or less been that way since 1997,98!

[@erdingtown]

Theses Videos show how dumb cslifornia was für getting rid of a train travel and electric trains in sonoma

[@ktloz2246]

Not if u r losing money on service line.

[@charlessmileyvideos]

@@ktloz2246 Yeah, once people starting using their own cars it was the beginning of the end for passenger rail service!

[@darylcheshire1618]

that’s why you have Amtrak, government funded passenger services. The private companies are not interested in passenger rail.

[@ktloz2246]

@@darylcheshire1618 Amtrak got almost 7 billion in fed appropriations last yr. NO private company could afford to be losing that much money on a yearly basis. I think the only reason govt is funding it, is because railroads come in mighty useful for moving men and supplies during time of war.