SMART at Rohnert Park -- March 22, 2025

On 08-March-2025 we drove to Rohnert Park to visit my mother-in-law. I ran over to the train station to see the 12:39 northbound SMART train go by. The DMUs look nice and don't smell bad. Note the gauntlet tracks. The outer pair allows freight trains to pass the platform. SMART runs on the tracks of my favorite railroad, the Northwestern Pacific.

Travel in Comfort to San Francisco -- November 20, 2024

Cloverdale Reveille, 07-November-1924

The Northwestern Pacific -- and its predecessors -- has always been one of my favorite railroads. In this ad, it offered excursion service from Cloverdale in Sonoma County to San Francisco and back.

Cloverdale Reveille, 07-November-1924

The railroad faced competition from the Redwood Highway Stages, buses which ran down what is now CA-101 to Sausalito, where they boarded ferryboats to cross the bay, and then continued to Fifth and Mission Streets. "Direct to 5th and Mission streets without change." Riders on the train had to debark in Sausalito, board a ferry to San Francisco and then ride a streetcar or take a taxi to their destination. 

Local Time Tables -- January 22, 2024

Santa Rosa Press-Democrat, 11-January-1924

This handy page gave Santa Rosa residents all sorts of information about transportation schedules. 

The Northwestern Pacific -- and its predecessors -- has always been one of my favorite railroads. It offered southbound service to San Francisco via train and ferry and to San Rafael and Petaluma. Northbound service went to Healdsburg, Cloverdale, Willits and Eureka, and Russian River service went westward to Duncan Mills, Guernville and Cazadero.

The Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railroad was an interurban electric line that connected Petaluma and Santa Rosa. Branches went to Sebastopol and Two Rock. Steamboats carried passengers and freight between San Francisco and Petaluma. The company advertised that people should ship by steamer so the federal government would continue to dredge the Petaluma River. 

The Richmond and San Rafael Ferry Transportation Company survived until the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge opened in 1956.

Burke's (auto) Stage Lines offered service south to San Francisco and points in between. They also offered a bus to Calistoga, Mark West and the Petrified Forest. The Petrified Forest is fun to visit. 

Overnight Pullman Between Eureka and San Rafael -- November 15, 2022

Mendocino Coast-Beacon, 01-November-1947

The Northwestern Pacific -- and its predecessors -- has always been one of my favorite railroads. In 1947 you could ride overnight on a Pullman sleeper from Eureka south to San Rafael. It would have been a nice trip except the scenery would have been better on a daytime trip. The southern terminal was San RaFael instead of Sausalito because ferry service from Sausalito to San Francisco had ended in 1941.

Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railroad -- October 9, 2022

Santa Rosa Republican, 28-October-1922

The Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railroad was an interurban electric line that connected Petaluma and Santa Rosa. Branches went to Sebastopol and Two Rock. Steamboats carried passengers and freight between San Francisco and Petaluma. I am surprised I have not mentioned it before. The Northwestern Pacific Railroad purchased the PSR in 1932. Passenger service ended on 01-July-1932.

Got SMART -- August 25, 2017

SMART (Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit), which has been having a soft opening, had its formal start today.  They are using DMUs on the Northwestern Pacific right-of-way. Phase Onewill go from San Rafael to Santa Rosa. Phase Two will go to the Larkspur Ferry Landing.  Phase Three will extend to Cloverdale:
http://www.sonomamarintrain.org/#

The Northwestern Pacific is my favorite Railroad.  

Schedule Effective November 1, 1910 -- January 8, 2015

The Northwestern Pacific -- and its predecessors -- has always been one of my favorite railroads. This advertisement from the 15-January-1911 San Francisco Call describes its standard gauge steam service north through Marin and Sonoma counties, which had not yet reached Eureka, and its standard gauge third-rail suburban commuter service in Marin County. The 8:15am from Point Reyes Station and the 12:54pm from Cazadero are a remnant of the North Pacific Coast's narrow gauge steam service.

Vacation 1913 -- August 14, 2014

The Northwestern Pacific -- and its predecessors -- has always been one of my favorite railroads. Every year the NWP published Vacation, "a handbook of summer resorts along the line of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad."  The NWP was the way people from San Francisco reached the resorts along the Russian River.  This ad is from the 24-June-1913 San Francisco Call. 

North Pacifc Coast Railroad -- January 14, 2014

The narrow gauge North Pacifc Coast Railroad ran from Sausalito to the Russian River at Cazadero.  Ferries ran between San Francisco and Sausalito.  The railroad began in 1874 and ran into many financial issues until 1902, when it was taken over by new owners who changed its name to the North Shore and rebuilt part of it into a standard gauge electric commuter line.  Eventually the North Shore became part of the new Northwestern Pacific Railroad, my favorite.  NWP abandoned the remaining narrow gauge by 1930. 

A. Bray Dickinson's Narrow Gauge to the Redwoods, completed by Roy Graves, was one of the first railroad books that I read.  I was staying with my father in Cloverdale one week during the summer while he worked on Warm Springs Dam.  I couldn't go with him one day, so I went to the Cloverdale Library and looked for a book to read.  I enjoyed the mix of history, maps, photos and diagrams. 

North Pacific Coast 12, the Sonoma, an 1876 Baldwin, is on display at the California State Railroad Museum.  I took the photo in 2012. 

Ferry Eureka at the Hyde Street Pier -- November 9, 2013

In 1890, the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad built the ferry Ukiah to haul passengers and freight cars from Tiburon to San Francisco.  After the SF&NP merged into the Northwestern Pacific, Ukiah's terminal became Sausalito.  Ukiah was damaged by overuse during World War I, so the government paid for it to be rebuilt.  The resulting boat, renamed Eureka, was almost entirely new, except for the walking beam engine.  Eureka was designed to carry automobiles on her main deck.  She served the NWP until 1941, when it abandoned ferry service.  During WWII, Eureka carried troops.  After the war, she carried Southern Pacific passengers from Oakland to San Francisco until a crank pin snapped in 1957.  She became a jewel of the collection at the Hyde Street Pier.   

I took this photo of Northwestern Pacific ferry Eureka at the Hyde Street Pier in October, 2001.

Today we took a drive to Half Moon Bay and had lunch.  We bought a book at Bay Books.  Traffic was heavy heading back north.  

Winery Tour -- August 10, 2013

Today we drove to Rohnert Park to take a winery tour.  There was a sign advertising SMART by a stretch of track along the freeway.  I could see where some of the new crossing signals had been installed for SMART and the NWP. 

Our tour guide was Jeff Mathy, proprietor of Vellum Wines (http://www.vellumwines.com/).  It is always nice to talk to someone who is passionate and full of knowledge about his work.

The weather was not as warm as I would have expected in Sonoma County in August.  

Our first stop was Truett-Hurst Winery on Dry Creek Road.  This area has changed a lot since my father was building Warm Springs Dam up the road.  There may have been one or two wineries, but now the valley is full of them.  Truett-Hurst is right on Dry Creek and everything is done in an eco-friendly way.  They have a vegetable garden, fruit, goats, and chickens.  We enjoyed their wine and bought a bottle of their Swallowtail Chardonnay.  All of their wines are named after creatures from the estate.  We would go there again.

We went across the creek to the Raymond Burr Winery.  The setting was pretty but the tasting room was rather small.  Two of his Emmys were on a shelf and people were welcome to take them down and pose for photos.  The wine was good but we were sorry their port will not be available until November.

We drove into Healdsburg and had lunch at the Wild Sage Deli.  The sandwiches were good.  We sat in the outdoor area to eat.

We drove through town and across 101 to visit Merriam Vineyards.  They have a nice new tasting room.  The owners were friends of Jeff and they had an interesting discussion about wine making.  We bought a bottle of Rosé of Pinot Noir. Then we went and sat outside and enjoyed the sun and the breeze.

After that we went to Rodney Strong Vineyards.  They had a very modern, imposing tasting room, and BB King is coming to play September 1, and the man who spoke to us about the wine we tasted was very knowledgeable,  but the operation was very commercial and we didn't like the wine.

Our last stop may have been the best, at Harvest Moon Estate and Winery, near River Road.  It is a small family operation, with a Model A Ford parked out front.  Jeff and the winemaker, Randy Pitt, gave us a wonderful lesson on the way they like to make wine, bucking the trend to make wines with higher alcohol content.  Randy was very enthusiastic about the flavors in his wine.  He let us taste a 2011 Zinfandel and a 2002 to compare. We bought a bottle of dry Gewürztraminer. I took the photo at Harvest Moon today. 

We drove by the Sonoma County Fair to pick up two people, then back to Rohnert Park to get our car.  Traffic was clear all the way to San Francisco.  We stopped in San Rafael to have a light dinner.

It was a nice day. 

Ferry Santa Rosa -- March 12, 2013

Santa Rosa was built in 1927 for the Northwestern Pacific (my favorite railroad) as an auto ferry. She was later operated by the Southern Pacific/Golden Gate line. In 1940, displaced by the Golden Gate Bridge, she went to Puget Sound and was renamed Enetai.Puget Sound Navigation reengined her, replacing her diesel-electric drive with a with direct drive diesel engine and made her single-ended. She started on the Seattle-Bremerton run in 1941. Washington State Ferries retired Enetai in 1968 because she was single ended and expensive to operate.

Enetai returned to San Francisco, where she was restored to her original appearance and her original name. Santa Rosa is now docked at Pier 3 in San Francisco, and is leased out for parties and gatherings by Hornblower Yachts. I took the photo on 19-January-2013. 

Train Station #47 -- June 8, 2012

Schellville Station is the traditional junction between my favorite railroad, the Northwestern Pacific, and the outside world, originally the Southern Pacific and now the California Northwestern.  When I took this photo on 28-July-2011, the Northwestern Pacific had not resumed operations.  Now it is running and SMART is preparing a section for commuter operation. 

Ghost Sign #4 -- February 24, 2012

The Flag Makers/Emerson Manufacturing Company sign is just off of Natoma, between New Montgomery and Third.  It is in an open space that is going to be destroyed when the Museum of Modern Art expands.  I don't know what is going to happen to the sign.  This has been a favorite of mine since I started working in the neighborhood many years ago.  It used to be easily visible from Third Street after they tore down the old buildings on Third and before they built the museum and the W Hotel. 

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Today at the Petaluma Depot, there was a groundbreaking ceremony for SMART (Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit), which will operate DMUs on the Northwestern Pacific right-of-way. Phase One will go from the Larkspur Ferry Landing to Santa Rosa. Phase Two will extend to Cloverdale:
http://www.sonomamarintrain.org/#

Train Station #36 -- July 6, 2011

The Santa Rosa depot was built by the San Francisco and North Pacific, a predecessor of the Northwestern Pacific, my favorite railroad, in 1904. It was the scene of the climax of Alfted Hithcock's movie Shadow of a Doubt. Now it servers as a visitor center. This is my happy tribute to the NWP, which has started running trains for the first time in ten years.

NWP Rides Again -- July 5, 2011

The Trains Magazine Newswire reports that my favorite railroad, the Northwestern Pacific, ran trains for the first time in ten years on 27-June-2011.

I took this photo of the classic Northwestern Pacific herald at the Ardenwood railroad fair in September, 2009. It is on the side of caboose 5591.

It was very warm today.

Hark the Herald #13 -- November 10, 2010

This 1938 timetable for the Northwestern Pacific's interurban ferry and electric train operations, includes its herald. The NWP is my favorite railroad.

Train Station #24 -- July 3, 2010

The original Northwestern Pacific Railroad depot in Sonoma burned down in 1976. This replica opened in 1978 as the home of the Depot Park Museum, operated by the Sonoma Valley Historical Society (http://www.vom.com/depot/). The museum has a nice collection. A string of freight cars and a caboose sit by the platform. I took the photo on 08-April-2010.

Northwestern Pacific #2 -- June 17, 2010

The Northwestern Pacific -- and its predecessors -- has always been one of my favorite railroads. This advertisement from the 16-October-1909 San Francisco Call describes its standard gauge steam service north through Marin and Sonoma counties, which had not yet reached Eureka, and its standard gauge third-rail suburban commuter service in Marin County. The trips from Point Reyes (Station) to Cazadero and Duncan(s) Mills are a remnant of the North Pacific Coast's narrow gauge steam service.

Hark the Herald #2 -- December 13, 2009

I like railroad heralds, and the Northwestern Pacific's is one of the best. I took this at the Hyde Street Pier in October, 2001. It is on the side of ferryboat Eureka.