| Railroad Name: | North Pacific Coast Railroad |
| Marks: | NPC |
| Locale: | Marin and Sonoma Counties, California |
| Start Year: | 1871 |
| End Year: | 1907 |
| Successor Line: | Northwestern Pacific Railroad |
| Hq City: | Sausalito, California |
| Map State: | collapsed |
The North Pacific Coast Railroad (NPC) was a common carrier narrow-gauge steam railroad begun in 1874 and sold in 1902 to new owners who renamed it the North Shore Railroad (California) (NSR) and which rebuilt the southern section into a standard-gauge electric railway.
The NPC operated in the northern California counties of Marin and Sonoma that carried redwood lumber, local dairy and agricultural products, express and passengers. The NPC operated almost 93-1NaN-1 of track that extended from a pier at Sausalito (which connected the line via ferry to San Francisco) and operated northwest to Duncans Mills and Cazadero (also known as Ingrams). The NPC became the North Shore Railroad (California) (NSR) on March 7, 1902. In 1907 the North Shore Railroad became part of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad (NWP). Southern portions of the line were standard gauged and electrified by the North Shore for suburban passenger service, though tracks north of Point Reyes Station remained narrow gauge until abandonment in the late 1930s.
Mileposts conform to Southern Pacific Railroad convention of distance from San Francisco:[1]
Subsequent to abandonment, a 4miles segment around Samuel P. Taylor State Park was converted into a rail trail: the Cross Marin Trail.[2] [3] It includes a segment in Tocaloma as well as the bridge over Lagunitas Creek and Sir Francis Drake Boulevard.
See main article: Northwestern Pacific Railroad interurban lines. The NSR was operated by John Martin and Eugene de Sabla Jr., pioneers in the electric railroad business. The southern 23miles of line were modernized to allow operation of standard-gauge electric passenger cars in addition to narrow-gauge steam-powered freight trains. Electric cars sometimes shared dual-gauge tracks with the steam trains, while at other locations a separate track for the electric cars was constructed parallel to the narrow-gauge route. The line was ultimately double tracked from Sausalito to San Anselmo except for the Alto tunnel. A power house was built at Alto and power was also purchased at San Rafael. Direct current electrical power was transmitted to the trains at 600 volts by a third rail (which was actually a fourth rail on the dual-gauge segments.)[4] Service started to Mill Valley on August 20, 1903, and to San Rafael on October 17, 1903. It was the first United States steam railroad electrified for operational efficiency rather than for smoke abatement. The railroad established practices later used in Grand Central Terminal and the interborough subways of New York City.[5] The electric lines were expanded after 1907 as part of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad. Interurban services ceased on February 28, 1941.[6]
| Photograph | Number | Name | Builder | Type | Date | Works number | Notes[7] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saucelito | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1873 | 3495 | sold to White Lumber Company of Elk, California 1876[8] | |||
| 2 | San Rafael | Mason Machine Works | 1874 | 537 | burned at Tomales 1905 & rebuilt became NWP #89[9] | |||
| 3 | Tomales | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1875 | 3722 | became NWP #83[10] | |||
| 4 | Olema | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1874 | 3629 | wrecked 1894 & rebuilt became NWP #81[11] | |||
| 5 | Bodega | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1875 | 3703 | dismantled by 1897[12] | |||
| 6 | Valley Ford | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1874 | 3664 | leased to Dollar Lumber Company in 1899[13] | |||
| 7 | Tamalpais | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1875 | 3721 | [14] | |||
| 8 | Bully Boy | Mason Machine Works | 1877 | 584 | burned at Tomales 1905[15] | |||
| 9 | M. S. Latham | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1875 | 3749 | wrecked 14 January 1894 at Elim Grove trestle over Austin Creek[16] | |||
| 10 | Bloomfield | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1876 | 3840 | sold 1895 Guatemala Western #1 | |||
| 11 | Marin | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1876 | 3842 | became NWP #82[17] | |||
| 12 | Sonoma | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1876 | 3843 | sold 1879 Nevada Central #5 (preserved at California State Railroad Museum)[18] | |||
| 13 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1883 | 6611 | became NWP #195[19] | ||||
| 14 | Brooks Locomotive Works | 1891 | 1885 | became NWP #92[20] | ||||
| 15 | Brooks Locomotive Works | 1891 | 1886 | became NWP #90[21] | ||||
| 16 | Brooks Locomotive Works | 1894 | 2421 | became NWP #91[22] | ||||
| 17 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1875 | 3749 | NPC 1894 rebuild of wreck-damaged #9 wrecked again in 1900[23] | ||||
| 18 | Brooks Locomotive Works | 1899 | 3418 | reputedly the largest gauge locomotive in the world when built. Became NWP #145 then #95[24] | ||||
| 20 | NPC Sausalito shop | 1900 | 1 | became NWP #84[25] | ||||
| 21 | Thomas-Stetson | NPC Sausalito shop | 1901 | 2 | cab-forward rebuild of #5 scrapped 1905[26] [27] [28] [29] | |||
| 22 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 1874 | 3664 | former #6 renumbered when returned from Dollar Lumber Company in 1901 |
| Number | Builder | Type | Date | Capacity | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 101-112 | St. Louis Car Co. | Trailers | 1902 | 66 seats | twelve unpowered open platform wooden trailers; #102 built in North Shore shops[30] | |
| 201-202 | North Shore shops | Motors | 1904 | 32 seats & baggage/mail/express compartment | two vestibuled wooden motors converted from narrow-gauge Pullman coaches built in 1879[31] | |
| 203 | North Shore shops | Motor | 1904 | 50 seats | open platform wooden motor converted from narrow-gauge Pullman coach built in 1879; renumbered 309 | |
| 301-308 | St. Louis Car Co. | Motors | 1902 | 64 to 70 seats | open platform wooden motors; #303-308 built in North Shore shops[32] | |
| 350-358 | St. Louis Car Co. | Motors | 1902 | 36 seats & baggage/mail/express compartment | nine vestibuled wooden motors | |
| 401-404 | North Shore shops | Trailers | 1904 | 66 seats | four unpowered open platform wooden trailers converted from narrow-gauge Pullman coaches built in 1879 |
All of the NPC trackage has been abandoned either by the NPC or the NWP. Some of the original right of way can be seen at the Samuel P. Taylor State Park near Fairfax, and along the shores of Tomales Bay and Keyes Estuary. Former stations remain in San Anselmo, Duncans Mills, and Point Reyes Station. The wooden water tank and a freight shed are maintained and in good condition at Freestone.
One NPC steam locomotive, No.12 the "Sonoma," remains as a restored static exhibit in its circa 1870s appearance at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento. A flatcar NS 1725 and caboose NS 2002 (as NWP 6101)[33] have been restored and are operated by the Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources at its Railroad Museum at Ardenwood in Fremont, CA. Several former railroad cars are located at Duncans Mills; one, a former passenger coach, was used as the Point Reyes Station library beginning in 1931.[34] [35]