The Original Western Pacific Railroad had been established around 1865 to the build the westernmost portion of the Transcontinental Railroad between San Jose later Oakland and Sacramento California. Unfortunately by 1870 the company was absorbed into the Central Pacific Railroad like many railroads that were financially failing or were outsourced by larger railroads in the region. It would take many years before a second company would emerge as a matter in fact under the direction of George Jay Gould I the new Western Pacific was founded to provide a standard gauge track connection to the Pacific Coast for his aspiring Gould Transcontinental System. The Line was part of many railroads owned by the Gould Family which ran from Salt Lake City Utah to the Atlantic Coast. The railroad would be in connection with Denver & Rio Grande Railway all the way to Oakland California. The Denver Rio Grande Western Railroad was also owned by Gould so therefore the Western Pacifics Construction finances were funded through profits made by this other railine. That company however lost access to California due to the attemped acquistion of the Southern Pacific Railroad by the Rio Grande's main rival the Union Pacific. 

Luckily the Western Pacific Railroad acquired the Alameda and San Joaquin Railroad and enhanced it which would later become the Feather River Route. By 1909 it really was the last major railroad completed in California and a gold spike was hammered on a trestle in Keddie Wye near Quincy to bring forth its second revival. That tells me right there that the need for trains once the automobile was invented became less desired because there was never another line such as the Feather River Route built thereafter. I read that they used 85lb rails on  untreated ties with no tie plates except on curves over one degree. By 1935 more then half of the main line still had original rails which carried over 150 million tons of goods in just over twenty years. In 1931 the Western Pacific opened another main line north from the Feather River Canyon called the Great Northern Railway which reached into parts of Northern California. This route known as the High line joined the Oakland - Salt Lake City branch at Keddie Wye which is a unique combination of two steel trestles and a tunnel forming a triangle of intersecting track. Sadly just a few years later by 1935 the railroad went bankrupt because freight was on the decrease so were the amount of passengers traveling by trains due to the depression so the rail line would have to be reorganized.  

This did not stop the line from being a successful for the next thirty years as this train attracted passengers from all over the world because it really was one of the most scenic rides you could take throughout the west. The WP operated the California Zephyr Passenger Train which operated in accordance with the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad and the Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad boasting dome cars. I love Quincy its a cute little historic town in the Sierra Mountains and its in an area were going to do more worth with as far as explorations and paranormal investigations go so with that being said its no wonder why passengers often traveled here. I am sure some old timers probably miss the trains roaring through town in Quincy because back in the day this was a bustling railroad. The WP also handled the "Silver Lady" which ran from Oakland California all the way from Salt Lake City Utah from 1949 till about 1970. These passenger cars were very cozy and luxurious during the railroads heyday which is what attracted so many passengers. During this time the WP also owned many short line railroads the largest of them though was the Sacramento Northern Railroad which once reached from San Francisco to Chico California. Other railroads the WP owned was the Tidewater Southern, Central California Traction, Indian Valley and Deep Creek Railroads. By the end of the 1970's when I was just a five year old boy when the WP operated nearly 1,200 miles of road and almost 2,000 miles of train tracks which does not even include the Sacramento Northern and Tidewater Southern Subsidiaries. They even owned their own tugboat which operated out of the bay area.

Sadly in 1983 the Union Pacific Corporation purchased the Western Pacific and it became part of a combined Union Pacific Railroad system along with the Missouri Pacific Railroad. With that being said the WP and Missouri Pacific were merged into the Union Pacific Railroad by the corporation. In 1996 the Union Pacific purchased the WP's long time rival known as the Southern Pacific Transportation Company. In July of 2005 the Union Pacific unveiled a grand new EMD SD70ACE locomotive which the Union Pacific in 1983 painted WPR artwork to serve as a homage to the western Pacific. While today the railroad is merely a past time when I found out that the WP was one of the largest train museums in North America I had to go see what all the hype was about. Unfortunately, most of the epic trains that roared across America are either gone or in peril this museum is salavaging what is left. I see it all the time ill investigate ghost towns throughout the west that once were booming railroading Mecca's today long gone or often some rails been converted to trails where you cannot even tell trains once roared past such places. The time of the railroad is long gone unfortunately with planes, trucks and automobiles supplementing their use for them. As a kid my father would take me to the country to watch trains roar past us sometimes id even wave to the engineers and boy did I get excited. I always wanted to see more of them and anytime I could ride on a train I would. When I was 19 years of age I took my first Amtrak across the country from Buffalo to Las Vegas. It was one of the most epic journeys of my entire life and I am sure those who took the WPR felt the same way!

Over the years the construction of the WP was contested hell most folks felt this line should never have even been built. Before Gould came into the picture it really was Arthur Keddies lifelong dream who wanted to break the Southern Pacific's Monopoly between Salt Lake City and San Francisco. The only way the railroad could succeed was Keddies partnership with mogul George Gould for a competing line. The journey would traverse over 1,000 mile the Feather River was just a bonus for passengers while trains were traversing Donner Passes Railroad Tunnels part of the original Transcontinental Railroad others preferred the Feather Canyon route which had more reasonble weather with very few delays. While some of the main line has been removed today at least 924 miles of the original WP still remains and is used by the Union Pacific. WP was one of the most successful streamliners of all time for freight and passenger service during its 80 plus years of history. While the main focus of the WP is its second go we must not forget that the original WP was incorporated by Collis Huntington to give the then Central Pacific Railroad direct access into the Bay area back when railroads were being built all over the west in the 1860's. This was a railroad that worked hard to survive even maintaining the tracks was a chore because of the desolate route the train had taken. Back in the day roughly the 1960's the Western Pacific Marketing Dept. in San Fran started a advertising slogan that nicknamed their employees the spirit of the "Willing People" I  believe that has never changed the museum has many volunteers who make little or no money restoring WP's relics of the past and they take plenty of pride in preserving the museum that you will find throughout our site today. I have great respect towards all the volunteers who make this possible and have educated me so from PGS to you a big THANK YOU!

The Western Pacific Railroad Museum (WPRM) is located in Portola California formally known as the Portola Railroad Museum before January 1st 2006 is operated by The Feather River Rail Society which was founded in 1983. It is located at a former Western Pacific Locomotive facility near the Union Pacific's former Western Pacific Mainline near the mouth of the Feather River Canyon. This is a heritage museum at one time it was the site of a passenger depot and freight yard. It actually had a turn table or round house and this allowed some of the diesel engines to be switched out for repairs. Sure most of the tracks are gone and so is the turn table but its easy to let your mind wander especially given the fact that their is over 170 pieces of rolling stock in the museums yard on a 37 acre piece of property. I want to thank the staff at the museum for giving PGS the permission to put this location on our site and to investigate it. Sadly in 2016 the film somehow got lost from our investigation so we returned in October of 2018 to refilm everything a second time because of how much we love our fans, viewers and this very museum. Since everyone volunteers their time to preserve these trains we hope that others will donate and make a contribution to the WPRM like we have done. I did not put this on our site for fame or money but rather to help others learn about the museum so they can visit here and donate towards these locomotives restoration projects. All those that love trains and urban exploration are going to fall in love with this addition and give others an opportunity to get involved with the museum. 

The yard contains diesel and electric locomotives and a massive steam engine which was fully restored in 2018. Their is over eighteen passenger cars including four from the original California Zephyr Line, tanker cars, flatbeds, over sixteen cabooses, numerous freight and box cars. During the summer you can actually operate a locomotive I would like to do this but if your interested we can split the cost its $200 for one hour that way we all get a turn and the contributions do go to the museum so its not a bad little perk this museum offers. As a matter in fact this is one of the only train museums I been to where you could climb the trains and nobody cares because that is what trains are for especially ghost trains that are rusting away were meant to be enjoyed. Most of the train cars you have full access too id say at least half or so. Among the significant pieces in the WPRM collection are Western Pacific 805-A, an FP7 model passenger locomotive that pulled the California Zephyr; Southern Pacific EMD GP9 #2873, nicknamed "the Kodachrome" by the volunteers due to it being painted with the Kodachrome scheme from the failed SP/SF merger; WP 2001, the first GP20 model locomotive (an early turbo charged diesel); WP 501, an early switch engine and the first diesel purchased by the Western Pacific; Western Pacific 0-6-0 steam locomotive 165, an oil burning switch engine built by ALCO in 1919; WP 37, a 200-ton rail-mounted crane, two track clearing snowplows (one wedge type and one rotary); and several rare, early 20th Century freight cars. Also located at the site are the Portola Diesel Shop built in 1953 and an interlocking tower from Oakland, California, currently stored unrebuilt. 

On the hill above the yard is the old Western Pacific Hospital built in 1911 well it use to stand on the hill called the Portola Railroad Hospital and was one of the last few remaining railroad hospitals in the country. It was part of the museum until some ass clown burned it down on September 7th 2011 due to arson. The Hospital remained in service into the 1970's as a matter in fact the buildings dated back to different time periods one in 1912 then a west and an east wing in 1926 and 1930's came to be lter on. The only reason it had closed is that in 1972 the Eastern Plumas District Hospital in Portola had been built so the railroad hospital no longer had a use. After that it became a private residence till about 2000 and eventually became part of the train museum. I remember when I was talking to lady that was staff at the museum she had mentioned the hospital to me and I was like wow thinking how awesome it would be to ghost hunt the abandoned buildings. When she told me it had burned down my jaw just dropped because all the great sites in America that you once could explor are expedientially being lost at such a high rate that soon their will not be to much left dating back to the turn of the century that is worth even exploring. The staff told me they were not able to save the hospital therefore it was demolished. I guess some 18 year old kid deliberately set the fire and he really ruined it for people like me who enjoy decaying historic buildings. Over the years some of my best ghostly photos, EVP and paranormal experiences have transpired in old abandoned buildings especially hospitals where people have passed on leaving behind unseen energies. Personally I do believe this railroad is haunted even some of the train cars their is no way to say how many died on the tracks in Portola or even along the Feather River Canyon route but often trains unmask tragedy whether someone had fallen off one trying to hop it dying or were hit crossing the tracks. Then again their are also the spirits of those who spent their entire life devoted towards the WP Railroad. Think about it some of the railroad workers spent most of their time living on a caboose cross country for years riding the rails. They spent their life devoted towards their jobs on the railroad it was their lively hood and more then likely the dearly departed never really left that on the rails lifestyle even after death. If you were to combine this railroad with the history of the hospital above it in theory your going to find its ghosts if you search long enough. 

The museum today is always striving to restore cars, locomotives and artifacts especially in relation to the California Zephyr Passenger Train. The Feather River Rail Society is currently working hard to preserve these old railroading relics but also to bring new pieces into the museum that can be enjoyed by all of us. Currently, the Project's collection of equipment includes Western Pacific FP7 locomotive 805-A, dome lounge car "Silver Hostel", dome-coach "Silver Lodge" and dining car "Silver Plate". In addition, the dome-coach "Silver Rifle" is on long term loan from the Golden Gate Railroad Museum. Every October they bring back the Pumpkin Express and while your climbing the trains Union Pacific is also roaring on by. By far this is one of the best train museums in the country not only best but also very scenic. The Feather River runs right below the museum and their is rolling stock found here you will not see anywhere else in the country including the variety of military train cars and even a Union Pacific luxury car with all the amenities including bedrooms. Their is so many different types of train cars and locomotives it is honestly a bit overwhelming and to think they continue to add to it makes it all the more exciting. I seen my very first two snowblower and crane cars ever here so you can say that the museum carries some very rare stock that you will not see anywhere else in the country so when you visit here try to keep this in mind when your exploring. 

With that being said I was given also a tour of the Charlie O. Sweetwood Car which deserves to be in the Smithsonian in my opinion. When the first soldier from Nevada died in the Korean War Charles Sweetwood a railroad Carman employee for the WPR in Elko Nevada his mother was the first person to donate blood after his death thus the car was named after him in 1951 as it traveled across the country stopping town to town collecting blood for the red cross. The car saved thousands of soldiers lives and was the longest traveling blood car at the time in the nation in 1917 as nurses were stationed on board drawing blood. Restoration is underway and will take at least a million dollars to get it up and running again thus this is a very rare case where something so historic will be restored to be doing what it use to do in this case collecting blood. Sweetwood was the first employee to die in the Korean War so they wanted to honor him. Orginally the car prior to it collecting blood was a Pullman Executive observation Car and was part of three cars the Patriot, Pilgrim and Pioneer which was the future 106 used in Pullman's lease fellt a steam era version of an exective jet timeshare. Changing names again in 1927 they called the "Pioneer" the Davy Crockett fitting in with a group of six new cars being built in name of famous explorers. Later it ended up in Chicago with a group of newer cars and often it was used as a party car for Pullman workers prior to it becoming the blood car and being named after Sweetwood. When it was the Davy Crockette for quite sometime it was based in Elko and was being used by Division Superintendent Jack Duggan and in 1946 Sweetwood was tasked with tending to this car so not only did he Sweetwood work on this car as one of his first jobs for the WPR but it was named after him upon his death when it became a blood car in the 1951 till bout 1953. Two ceremonies also occured to Christen the train car one in Oakland and a second one in Elko which was Sweetwood's hometown. 

I have been on quite a few train investigations over the years some museums other places old ghost train yards but none as beautiful as the The Western Pacific Railroad Museum! Some of those locations we have journeyed at was the Bizz Johnson Trail, Henry Cowell Roaring Railroad, Heart Of Dixie Railroad, Central Florida Railroad, Lake Mead Historic Rail Tunnels, Donner Summit Historic Rail Tunnels, NY and Lake Erie Railroad, Mount Dora & Lake Eustis Railroad, Central Terminal Railroad Station, Nickplate Depot, Springville Depot, Salamanca Erie Train Station, Savannah Roundhouse Train Museum, Virginia Truckee Railroad Tunnel and Yard, Leesburg Train Depot, Church Street Station, Whistle Stop Museum, Erie Train Station, Rochester Subway Tunnels, Deland Train Station and the Arcade & Attica Railroad. Just some of our other projects we hot linked to our page if your a true train enthusiast over the past eighteen years of explorations that you can enjoy. I have spent years hiking rail trails, exploring tunnels and old trains in hopes of giving them a bit of color to their history and even the dearly departed that come with them. I remember once we hiked at a place called Pigman's Road which is just an urban legend location just outside of Buffalo NY. The rails cross the road and when I did further research I found the trains boiler blew cooking everyone in a train car like a lobster after it derailed. One fateful night I was out hiking late at night when I heard what sounded like an old steam engine but there was nothing there this was my first experience with a ghost train and since then I been convinced that some of these trains will continue to operate even after the railroad is long gone. Since then I been hooked with chasing down such trains in hopes of catching a second glimpse of the paranormal connected to them. 

What are some of your favorite train, tunnel and depot projects that we have explored over the years we would love to hear your thoughts and stories. DO NOT FORGET to check out The Western Pacific Railroad Museum if you wish to get more involved and book a tour our goal is preservation but also to help keep the WPRM fully operational so that your childrens children can enjoy the trains found here for years to come. Please feel free to visit the museum and if you can donate because all your money goes towards keeping these trains alive in the hearts of those who love them!

Copyright By:
Lord Rick aka AngelOfThyNight
PGS Founder
Urban Explorer, Paranormal Investigator, Talk Show Host, Producer, Journalist and Author

Western Pacific, The Last Transcontinental Link

In the 1860s a young Scottish immigrant, Arthur W. Keddie, a surveyor by trade, dreamed of a transcontinental rail route through the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. With the help of San Francisco lawyer and railroad promoter Walter J. Bartnett, and behind-the-scenes assistance from financier George J. Gould, Keddie was able to realize that dream decades later.

Organized in San Francisco, California on March 3, 1903, the Western Pacific Railway Company was incorporated in the State of California on March 6, 1903, with Walter Bartnett as its first president. Financing was provided by the Denver & Rio Grande, with the WP envisioned as the “western extension” of the D&RG thus completing a transcontinental railway system long dreamt of by the Gould family. It would also serve as competition with the Southern Pacific for railway traffic into and out of California.

With important initial franchises secured, construction of the line between San Francisco and Salt Lake City began in the fall of 1905. Despite vigorous efforts by the Southern Pacific Railroad Company to prevent construction of a waterfront terminal on San Francisco Bay at Oakland, California, WP workers succeeded in their efforts which survived numerous court challenges brought by SP, and was indirectly responsible for the City of Oakland regaining control of its waterfront from the SP.

On November 1, 1909, after a series of delays and cost overruns, the last spike was driven at Spanish Creek, now known as Keddie, California. This new line, to become known as the Feather River Route, was 927 miles long and included 41 steel bridges and 44 tunnels. It was significant because it was competitive with the Southern Pacific’s Overland Route, the original transcontinental route. The Western Pacific line had several advantages over the Southern Pacific line. It crossed the Sierra’s at 5000 feet, a lower elevation than the Southern Pacific line’s 7200 foot elevation, and this lower elevation was expected to ensure fewer problems with the weather. The Western Pacific grade, at 1% with a maximum of 10 degree’s curvature, made navigation on this line easier than Southern Pacific’s. Through freight service on the Feather River Route began on December 1, 1909 and regular through passenger service commencing on August 23, 1910.

Construction costs for the WP were much higher than anticipated, and acute financial problems led to the bankruptcy and subsequent auction of the Western Pacific Railway Company on June 28, 1916. It was reorganized and renamed the Western Pacific Railroad Company. Shortly thereafter, in March 1917, the company acquired a 75% interest in the Tidewater Southern, which ran from Stockton to Turlock, California. Western Pacific began to acquire and build new branches and lines at this time. The San Jose branch was completed in 1922. In 1923, Western Pacific entered into a contract with Pacific Fruit Express, jointly owned by Southern Pacific and Union Pacific to supply refrigerator cars to WP customers.

During World War I, the federal government created the United States Railroad Administration which took control of all U.S. railroads operating in the United States, including the Western Pacific. After being placed back into private hands in March 1920, the government awarded Western Pacific nine million dollars for damage caused to the railroad while under federal control. Western Pacific used this money to buy the Sacramento Northern Railroad on July 8, 1925, which ran between Sacramento and Chico. Western Pacific acquired the San Francisco-Sacramento at the end of 1928, merging it with the Sacramento Northern to form a continuous electric interurban railway from San Francisco / Oakland to Chico.

In 1926, railroad financier Arthur Curtiss James acquired controlling interest in Western Pacific. Renovation of the Western Pacific property and facilities began almost immediately. James also authorized construction of a north-south line, from Keddie to Bieber, allowing Western Pacific to form a bridge between the Great Northern Railroad at Bieber and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway at Stockton. This through route from the Pacific Northwest to Southern California was to be competitive with a similar Southern Pacific route. On November 10, 1931, Arthur Curtiss James drove the final spike of what came to be called the “Inside Gateway” or the “Highline”.

Western Pacific experienced more financial problems during the Great Depression, defaulting on its bond interest in March 1935. After a second reorganization, Western Pacific Railroad emerged from receivership and was restored in January 1945. During World War II, freight traffic had increased substantially and passenger traffic was also up. Passenger traffic on Western Pacific received a boost when the California Zephyr was launched on March 20, 1949. A joint effort with Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, and Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad, the luxurious California Zephyr provided passengers with exquisite service and the beautiful scenery of the Feather River Canyon.

In July 1949, Western Pacific came under the management of new President Frederic B. Whitman, who pursued several different policies. His management team began to replace the steam with diesel locomotive power. They continued to construct new rolling stock and upgrade existing cars. They also began a major bridge and tunnel repair program.

During the 1950s, Western Pacific began to acquire more land, particularly in the Bay Area. A finance company, Delta Finance, was created to fund Western Pacific Railroad land purchases. A holding company, Standard Realty & Development Company, was established to deal with transactions involving the sale of land and to encourage industries to expand existing facilities or locate new ones on the Western Pacific. To increase traffic, industries were located along the route and additional lines were built to accommodate businesses. The biggest success for Western Pacific was achieved when it convinced Ford Motor Company to locate its assembly plant at Milpitas, California in 1954.

Competition with the trucking industry, which brought about a decline in revenue among all railroads, led to changes in the way railroads did business. Western Pacific responded by implementing a new marketing concept. Instead of allowing the operating department to determine when to run trains, they began listening to the shippers and tailoring freight schedules and equipment to customer demands. In addition, Western Pacific was a leader in the development of special purpose cars such as gondolas with cradles for steel coils, compartmentizer cars, new Car-Pac cars, and a new design of wood chip cars.

Piggyback service was another response to the challenge presented by the trucking industry. Western Pacific began hauling trailers on flat cars (referred to as TOFC) in 1954. In 1967, Western Pacific ended its contract with Pacific Fruit Express and became a member-owner of the Fruit Growers Express Company, which provided refrigerator cars and piggyback equipment to its WP freight customers.

In the late 1960s, Western Pacific experienced financial difficulty again due to inclement weather, which damaged the Feather River Canyon route and disrupted service. Wages and prices also increased substantially. At the same time, Western Pacific’s revenues from passenger service declined primarily due to the large inroads made by automobile and air travel. At its peak, revenue from passenger service represented only 4% of revenue. Once the California Zephyr began to lose money, Western Pacific applied to the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), asking for permission to cease its passenger service. This permission was not immediately granted. Finally, on March 22, 1970, with ICC approval, Western Pacific was relieved of its need to provide passenger service for the public.

New management arrived in December 1970. Western Pacific Railroad President Alfred E. Perlman reversed the financial picture and Western Pacific was again profitable by 1971. WP Industries, Inc. was established as a holding company for Western Pacific Railroad and other operations. President Perlman and his successor, Robert G. Flannery, worked to improve marketing, operations, service and car supply and diversified Western Pacific holdings. In 1973, Western Pacific created its own transportation company, Western Pacific Transport Company (which was renamed WPX Freight System in 1980) to increase service to shippers by providing door-to-door delivery. In 1974, in an effort to further diversify its holdings, WP Industries acquired Veeder-Root Industries, a group of companies which manufactured such things as fasteners, components, plastics, counting and recording devices. WPX and Veeder-Industries were consistently profitable for WP Industries.

A new holding company, Newrail, was formed on February 13, 1978 and Western Pacific Railroad’s assets were sold to it on January 26, 1979. Western Pacific Railroad continued to operate as before. On January 21, 1980, Western Pacific and Union Pacific announced that Union Pacific would be pursuing a purchase of the Western Pacific which WP President Robert Flannery blamed on “galloping fuel price increases, jumps in the cost of materials, contract wage costs, and increases in interest rates.” In December 1982, the Interstate Commerce Commission approved the sale, (which also included UP’s purchase of the Missouri Pacific).

When Western Pacific was taken over by Union Pacific, WP had track stretching from San Francisco Bay through California and Nevada to Salt Lake City, Utah, and North-South from the Feather River Canyon to near the Oregon line. It had given freight shippers in California and the Northwest an alternative to the Southern Pacific Railroad Company, and provided travelers with comfortable and picturesque passenger trains, including the California Zephyr. At the peak of its operation, Western Pacific and its subsidiaries had 1,266 miles of mainline track, 237 miles of second mainline and 216 miles of branch line. It provided employment for thousands and actively encouraged industrial development in cities along its route.

With this sale the Western Pacific Railroad Company ceased to exist as an independent corporate entity, it is now just a memory.

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