Western Pacific today is an important rail carrier operating 1,246 miles of main line and 472 miles of branch line tracks. Edward T. Jeffery, president of the Denver and Rio Grande, became president of the Western Pacific in early summer 1905 with Bartnett becoming vice president. As fortunes rose and fell and the railroad industry changed, the Western Pacific found it increasingly more difficult to earn a profit.  By the late 1970’s, mergers were folding many of the smaller railroads into larger systems.  The trend finally caught up with the famous Feather River Route on December 22, 1982, when it was purchased by the Union Pacific Railroad along with Midwestern railroad Missouri Pacific.  Soon, the WP image was quickly fading, although the UP generously aided many efforts to preserve the history of the railroad, including the establishment of the Feather River Rail Society and the Western Pacific Railroad Museum at Portola, California. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, The History of Portola ~ By Rebecca Rhode. The president of the new Western Pacific was Charles M. Levey, who had been second vice president of the original company. Surveyors and engineers, working in secrecy, completed surveys and profiles for the new road. The line between Bieber and Stockton forms the middle segment of a three-carrier, through-freight service by connecting Southern California and the Southwest with the Pacific Northwest. Heavier rail was laid, new ballast placed, and a traffic controlled signal system installed to improve train operations. The Mississippi & Missouri Railroad seemed the most promising. Throughout the line there was 41 steel bridges and 44 tunnels built to the best contemporary standards. At the direction of Gould, $50 million in Western Pacific bonds were underwritten by the Rio Grande with the stipulation that a 1% compensated grade and curves of 10 degrees be the maximum throughout the line. At the end of 1944 the reorganization plan was finally approved and the company emerged from receivership. But at the same time much of the line was constructed with equipment and machines far more efficient than used by the earlier transcontinentals. In 1982 it became part of Union Pacific. The portion of the system between Oakland and Sacramento was built by the Oakland and Antioch (Eastern was later added to the name). Finding George Gould interested in such a western line, the Keddie group made a profitable capitulation to the larger financial interests, and on March 3, 1903, a new transcontinental line, the Western Pacific Railway Company, was organized in San Francisco with Bartnett as president. The construction costs of the new road had been extremely high and the lack of traffic brought financial hardship to the D&RG and the rest of the Gould rail empire. Freight and passenger service started to climb. The M&M, which served Davenport, Iowa City, and Des Moines, soon became part of the rapidly expanding Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific system, and remains today as the Iowa Interstate Railroad. H. The laws were passed as war measures to forge closer ties with California and Oregon, which otherwise took six months to reach. The Western Pacific Railroad was not the largest of the Western Class-One railroads. The Tidewater Southern Railway was also acquired in 1917. western pacific railroad 1925 system map routes connecting rrs. The main line extends eastward from Oakland and joins the Denver & Rio Grande Western and Union Pacific railroads at Salt Lake City, forming through transcontinental freight service by connection with other carriers. The diesel-powered, ultramodern streamliner with its vista-dome cars provided excellent food, accommodations and service. The original company, Union Pacific Rail Road (UPRR), was created and funded by the federal government by Pacific Railroad Acts of 1862 and 1864. The railroad also teamed with long-time partner Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, and the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, to operate the first passenger train designed around Vista-Dome passenger cars: the California Zephyr.  These famous cars, with their 360 degrees of view in the upper dome section, were the trademark of the train.  From 1949 to 1970, the CZ was the pride of the railroad, never downgraded in service even as it lost a reported $1 million per year by the end. Western Pacific Railroad eastbound passenger train crossing the Bonneville Salt Flats near Salduro, Utah (circa 1912).png 949 × 714; 234 KB Western Pacific … New tariffs guaranteed rate equality on the Bieber route between California and Pacific Northwest points. WP 165 was actually built for the United Verde Copper Company as UVCC 87. Under his administration paired track operations began in Nevada, the WP's ferry and barge service on the San Francisco Bay was abolished, WP passenger trains were diverted to the SP Oakland Mole and San Francisco freight moved via Dumbarton Bridge. Faster through-schedules to the east were established. West End Theatre, +1.530.283.1401 Quincy CA Theater Dra... Road Trip to Butte Meadows, Make Yourself at Home, Dunsmuir Lodge is the Perfect Base Camp for Your Next Mountain Adventure. Large steam shovels made the cuts and fills and track was laid with the newest equipment. The company obtained the southern section of the Nevada-CaliforniaOregon Railway, a narrow gauge line, running from Reno to the Western Pacific main line. Since the older road had, for years, held a tight legal grip and control over all the Oakland waterfront, they felt quite secure against the newcomer. On July 1, 1967, WP became a member-owner of the Fruit Growers Express Company, enabling the Company to provide a dependable supply of refrigeration equipment, particularly "piggyback" type equipment and mechanical refrigerator cars. Bartnett later sold the Alameda & San Joaquin Railroad, a coal line that started operations in 1896 from Stockton west to Tesla. Western Pacific 165 is a 0-6-0 steam locomotive built by ALCO for the Western Pacific Railroad in November of 1919 . The Western Pacific Railroad was incorporated in 1903 to compete with the Southern Pacific Railway. The Iron Mountain charter of The Missouri Pacific Lines had its real beginning on July 4, 1851, when, amid colorful ceremonies, ground was broken at St. Louis for construction of the Pacific Railroad. Western Pacific today is an important rail carrier operating 1,246 miles of main line and 472 miles of branch line tracks. Unit # Notes Model Serial # Pictures : WP F7A: Refurbished as 913, donated to Sacramento Rail Museum A long legal battle began that would not finish until a decision was issued by the Interstate Commerce Commission on February 3, 1965, in favor of Western Pacific remaining an independently-owned, competitive railroad. The Northern Electric was renamed the Sacramento Northern in 1918. Large additions to the rolling stock were also made during this period. He was succeeded on August 31, 1919, by Colonel Edward W. Mason, a former WP employee, who later became the company's general manager and subsequently a vice president until his retirement in 1946. The railroad was completed in 1909 with the driving of a golden spike at the center of the Spanish Creek trestle at Keddie, California (near the city of Quincy).  This trestle is now part of the famous Keddie Wye.  By using the spectacular Feather River Canyon as its entrance into the Sierra Nevada range, the WP kept a gentle slope to its railroad and avoided the tremendous snow removal problems which rival Southern Pacific faced on its much steeper route over Donner Pass.  So committed were the builders to maintaining a shallow grade to the line that they built the Williams Loop, where the tracks actually form a circle and cross over themselves, rather than violate the maximum dictated grade of 1 foot of rise in every 100 feet of linear run.  The WP crested the Sierras at Beckworth Pass, the lowest saddle of the mountains, on the California-Nevada border.  This well-engineered line allowed the railroad to move more freight with less power than the SP. The company was leased again on January 1, 1894. (Taken from a Western Pacific promotional brochure dated November 1973; Text by John K. Kelly; Research by Lee Sherwood; Design by John Signor). Western Pacific Railroad History ~ [media-credit name=”Plumas County Visitors Bureau” align=”alignnone” width=”300″] [/media-credit]The Western Pacific was incorporated in 1903 to build from Salt Lake City, Utah and a connection with the Denver and Rio Grande Railway to Oakland, California. The company owns choice industrial parks and land in California, Nevada and Utah which are utilized to encourage industries to locate near Western Pacific tracks. 3,130 were here. According to Brian Solomon's book, " Southern Pacific Railroad," the very first "Western Pacific Railroad Company" dates back to the Transcontinental Railroad, incorporated on December 13, 1862 by Collis Huntington to give the then-Central Pacific Railroad (CP) direct access into the Bay Area. You may want to become a member of the Society and help preserve the history of the Western Pacific Railroad … The two railroads had long collaborated on connections to the West Coast and buying the C&NW gave Union Pacific a connection to Chicago to help it compete with other railroads. During this period plans for the Inside Gateway were put into operation. A new locomotive maintenance shop was built at Stockton and began operations during the summer of 1969. Western Pacific Photographic Roster. On June 18, 1916, the property was sold at foreclosure. The Pacific Railway A Brief History of Building the Transcontinental Railroad. This line added various industrial tracks in Oakland and Emeryville. 700 Western Pacific Way, Portola, California 96122-8636 | 1-530-832-4131 | email us at: info@wplives.org Copyright © 2021 Feather River Rail Society. As the Great Depression advanced, traffic fell off. One after another of the Nation's railroads went into bankruptcy. Among the 150 locomotives were seventeen heavy mallets capable of 5400 horsepower. Traffic agreements were signed with the Pacific Steamship Company, the Santa Fe, and a Japanese navigation company which immediately gave access to all coastal cities and the Orient. This was a most important project, making Western Pacific a north and south carrier through its connection with the Santa Fe at Stockton. While exploring for a new mountain wagon road through the valley of the Feather River—so named because of the floating feathers from wild pigeonsKeddie found a potential rail route of low grade which crossed the mountains via Beckwourth Pass, a crossing more than 2000 feet lower than Donner Pass to the south. The Western Pacific was forced to follow the national trend toward passenger train reduction. Today, Western Pacific's 3,200 employees, with all types of skills, crafts and professions, are working together for the future growth of the West's independent, competitive railroad. This site is dedicated to those who find interest in any part of the history or passing interest of the Western Pacific Railroad. Gould was the dominant figure in the new line, but managed to avoid any public connection with the venture until the spring of 1905. The Gould system now stretched from Buffalo, New York, to Ogden, Utah, and southwest from Chicago to El Paso and New Orleans. In 1949, Western Pacific joined with the Denver & Rio Grande Western and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroads to introduce a new streamlined passenger train between Oakland and Chicago, the "California Zephyr." After the WP purchase, branch lines were constructed to Hilmar in 1917 and into Manteca in 1918. The program included replacing 85-pound rail in the Feather River Canyon with 112-pound rail and the purchase of ten mountain-type engines from the Florida East Coast Railroad, eliminating the use of helper engines. …the last transcontinental line, the Western Pacific Railroad to Oakland, California, was opened. She lives in Westwood near Lake Almanor among her life long friends and her family. However, operating in the shadow of giants like the Southern Pacific, Santa Fe and the Union Pacific, the relatively young … In 1924 the paired track arrangement between Weso and Alazon in Nevada with the Southern Pacific, originally initiated during World War I, was reinstated together with agreement on joint rates and routes. Alfred E. Perlman became president on December 1, 1970. UPRR remained under partial federal control until the 1890s. On January 1, 1928, the Western Pacific purchased a one-third interest in the Central California Traction Company whose 53-mile main line connects Sacramento with Stockton. Such advantages, however, did not initially translate into success.  The railroad’s charter forbid it to open branch lines and traffic levels were low.  In 1916, the opening of the Panama Canal was the final nail and the WP went bankrupt.  It was reorganized as the Western Pacific Railroad and, freed of the original restrictions, began acquiring feeder lines and building up its traffic base.  Among the lines it acquired were the famous Sacramento Northern Railway and the smaller Tidewater Southern Railway, two electric interurban railroads in the fertile Central Valley of California. The Terminous Branch, with a wharf warehouse, also opened in January of 1928 to serve the California "Delta" area growers and shippers (closed in 1964). The Pacific Railroad Act In summer 1862, Nearly 80 commissioners assembled in Chicago, along with dignitaries, journalists, and other interested parties gathered in Chicago in late August. Shops and terminal facilities were in first-class condition. He was president of the New York Central Railroad from 1954 until its merger with the Pennsylvania in 1968, becoming president of the merged companies. $17.99 + $3.00 shipping. Western Pacific history and color pictorial books with photographs of locations, facilities, locomotives and equipment. The 1906 earthquake didn't help matters, creating faults and causing slides at cuts on the new line in the Niles Canyon area. $12.99 ... bidding on a an original 7" x 10" antique 81 year old railroad system map showing the railroad system of the historic western pacific railroad company (see scan) . Branch lines were bought or built. After the war most railroads, including the Western Pacific, were in poor physical shape. The locomotive and tender are 69 feet long and weigh 293,500 pounds ready to work. On October 12, 1960, the Southern Pacific announced the purchase of 10% of WP's stock and its intention to seek control of the property. A new transcontinental rail route, with a low-level line through the Sierras, had been achieved. The railroad took delivery in July 1957 of a 375-foot, 27-car capacity, self-propelled diesel car ferry, the M/V "Las Plumas" for operation on San Francisco Bay, replacing three tugs and barges. $12.95. The finished road crossed the Sierras at an elevation of 5,000 feet, had few sharp curves, and boasted a maximum grade of not over one per cent. In August of 1910 passenger service was begun on the line, much to the joy of the 68-year-old Arthur Keddie, as he and many others at towns along the line welcomed the first train. On March 22, 1970, the final run of No. The Sacramento Northern Railway was purchased in 1921. Gould was thus forced to seek a way to extend his own line. James became WP's chairman of the board and called from retirement Harry M. Adams — one-time Western Pacific freight agent who joined the Union Pacific and became a vice president —to serve as president. A competitive rail route across the California Sierras was the dream of a young Scotch surveyor, Arthur W. Keddie, in the late 1860s. After a year of negotiations, $9 million was received from the government in damages. In 1901 George Gould added the Denver and Rio Grande to the other rail properties inherited from his father, financier Jay Gould. In 1916 the company purchased the Boca and Loyalton Railroad, a Sierra shortline which became the Loyalton Branch. The history of the Western Pacific Railroad Museum begins in 1983 when the Feather River Rail Society was formed to preserve the history of the Western Pacific, which that same year disappeared into the Union Pacific system. Melissa grew up in Northern California and loves wildlife and traveling. There were no ceremonies for this engineering triumph. Under his leadership, the Western Pacific was returned to a profitable position in a period of four months, and turned in a net profit for 1971 of $3.9 million following two successive years of losses. Copyright 2000-2020 Don Strack (except as noted on individual pages). It wasn't formed until 1906, with completion in 1909. (This page printed from UtahRails.net, Copyright 2000-2020 Don Strack). members in the construction gangs) by locals along the route. On July 1, 1918, all American railroads passed into the hands of the U.S. Railroad Administration. Western Pacific Railroad (WP) era una società ferroviaria degli Stati Uniti d'America che operava negli Stati di Utah, Nevada e California tra il 1903 e il 1982, anno in cui venne incorporata nella Union Pacific. As a result of successful litigation by the Company's legal department, a favorable ruling was received in the "Northwest Rate Case" on April 1, 1967. Interurban passenger service ended in 1932 and electrical operations ended in 1948. In 1982 it became part of Union Pacific. The new 23-mile long track shortened the original main line by four miles. The outbreak of the Second World War found the Western Pacific in excellent shape to handle the vastly increased freight and passenger business. When the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors introduced its FT diesel-electric locomotive in late 1941, the Western Pacific became one of its first purchasers and eventually became the first large western railroad to eliminate steam locomotives entirely.  After World War II, the railroad completely modernized, becoming one of the first railroads to embrace such innovations as roller bearing freight car trucks, centralized traffic control systems, computerized traffic and inventory management, and turbocharged diesel locomotives. The Southern Pacific made every effort to block the Western Pacific from obtaining a waterfront terminal on the San Francisco Bay at Oakland. Central Pacific Railroad Company was leased to Southern Pacific Company on April 1, 1885, and appeared in the first ICC (6/30/88) as a non-operating subsidiary with 1,356 miles owned. May 9, 2015 - The Western Pacific was a small classic railroad linking Salt Lake City with Oakland. Preservation of the History of the Western Pacific Railroad and its Subsidiaries Description Western Pacific Railroad 94 is an oil-fired steam locomotive with a 4-6-0 wheel arrangement. E. H. Harriman, who controlled the Union Pacific, gained control of the Southern Pacific (formerly Central Pacific) after C. P. Huntington died in 1900. Located in downtown Council Bluffs, Iowa, the historic building contains more than 150 years worth of unique railroad artifacts, precious photos and exciting interactive displays. The first freight diesel operations started in 1939. As the WP was always overshadowed by its larger rival, the Southern Pacific, the smaller road learned to be innovative and frugal.  While large, modern steam locomotives helped the road tackle larger freight cars, its original steam locomotives, outmoded they day they were built, continued in service until replaced by diesels.  When the railroad needed new cabooses, it converted old, obsolete wooden boxcars and saved its money for revenue equipment. Western Pacific built 112 miles north out of Keddie connecting with the Great Northern's 88-mile extension south from Klamath Falls, Oregon, at Bieber, California. The last spike was driven by Leonardo diTomasso, a track foreman, on November 1, 1909, as track gangs from east and west met on a steel bridge across Spanish Creek high in the mountains. Western Pacific didn’t have a lot of branch lines, and didn’t run passenger trains on any of them after World War II. Now dieselized, the Sacramento Northern owns or operates on approximately 336 miles of track between Concord and Chico, California. Virgil C. Bogue, chief engineer of the Gould railroads, became vice-president and chief engineer of the Western Pacific and headed up the project. In 1962, the State of California began construction of the Oroville dam as a part of its Feather River Water Project. 17 westbound brought a nostalgic ending to the Railroad's passenger service. Posted by Melissa | Aug 1, 2011 | Travel & Adventure | 0 |. The Indian Valley Railroad was opened in June 1917. Modern freight cars were purchased and maintenance-ofway equipment was fully mechanized. The original Western Pacific Railroad (1862–1870) was established in 1862 to build the westernmost portion of the First Transcontinental Railroad, between Sacramento and San Jose, California (later Oakland, California). All Rights Reserved. Passenger service ended in June of 1941 and the last electric service ran on April 10, 1965. Prior to that time he was responsible for successfully rebuilding the Denver and Rio Grande Western. A complete renovation of the entire line was started. For more information on the Western Pacific Railroad, please visit the Feather River Rail Society's web site, it is a must for those with an interest in the Western Pacific Railroad. They were at the country’s emerging railroad hub for the first meeting of the Board of Commissioners of the Union Pacific Railroad and Telegraph Co. However, on September 17th, 1927, UVCC 87 and three other sister engines were sold to the WP, becoming the WP S-34 class. 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