Niles Canyon Railway
The Niles Canyon Railway is a heritage railway running through Niles Canyon, from Sunol to Fremont in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, USA. It restores and operates historic railroad equipment, and runs tourist excursions with both steam and diesel locomotives along its track.
Contents
History
The Niles Canyon Railway operates along a former Southern Pacific Railroad right-of-way from Oakland to Tracy. Southern Pacific abandoned its operations through the canyon in 1984, and deeded the land to Alameda County.
The Pacific Locomotive Association began working to restore the track in 1987, and the Niles Canyon Railway ran its first passenger train along the line on May 21 1988. Since that time, the organization has worked to extend and expand the amount of track along the line, and restore its increasing collection of locomotives and other railroad equipment. museum for the benefit of the general public.
Rail excursions
The railway runs tourist excursions on Sundays year-round, usually every week during the summer and less frequently during the winter. Several trips are run, generally alternating between steam locomotives and diesel locomotives, with both open and enclosed passenger cars.
Group charters are also available, from a single caboose to an entire train. During the Christmas period, special "Train of Lights" trips run.[1]
At the western end of the line in Fremont, the Niles Depot Museum displays railroad artifacts owned by the Pacific Locomotive Association. Future plans for restoration of the historic Sunol Depot also include interpretive educational displays.
Railroad equipment
The Pacific Locomotive Association has 10 steam and 13 diesel locomotives, and over 40 other pieces of rolling stock.
Notable steam locomotives
| Name | Status | Type | Builder | Date | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quincy Railroad No. 2 | Operational | 2-6-2T | American Locomotive Company | 1924 | [2] |
| Robert Dollar Co. No. 3 | Operational | 2-6-2T | American Locomotive Company | 1927 | [3] |
| Sierra Railway No. 30 | Stored (disassembled) | 2-6-2 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1922 | [4] |
| Pickering Lumber No. 12 | Stored | 3T Shay | Lima Locomotive Works | 1903 | [5] |
| Clover Valley Lumber No. 4 | Stored | 2-6-6-2T | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1924 | [6] |
| Pickering Lumber No. 5 | Stored | 3T Heisler | Heisler Locomotive Works | 1913 | [7] |
| Southern Pacific 1269 | Stored | 0-6-0 | Southern Pacific Railroad | 1921 | [8] |
| Southern Pacific 2467 | On loan to CSRM | 4-6-2 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1921 | [9] |
| Pickering Lumber No. 1 | Stored (rusty) | 3-truck Heisler | Heisler Locomotive Works | 1913 | [10] |
Notable diesel locomotives
| Name | Status | Builder / Model | Date | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe 462 | Stored | GE 44-ton switcher | 1943 | [11] |
| Oakland Terminal Railway 101 | Stored serviceable | Baldwin DS-4-4-1000 | 1948 | [12] |
| Southern Pacific 1218 | Under restoration | ALCO S-6 | 1955 | [13] |
| Southern Pacific 1423 | Operational | EMD NW2 | 1949 | [14] |
| Southern Pacific 5472 | Operational | EMD SD9 | 1956 | [15] |
| Southern Pacific 5623 | Operational | EMD GP9 "torpedo boat" | 1955 | [16] |
| U.S. Army 1856 | Stored | FM H-10-44 | 1953 | [17] |
| U.S. Army 7348 | Under restoration | GE 65-ton switcher | 1942 | [18] |
| Western Pacific 713 | Operational | EMD GP7 | 1953 | [19] |
| Western Pacific 918D | Operational | EMD F7 | 1950 | [20] |
