North Coast Route about to become historically important

[mikeebb]

The North Coast route in the file library is about to become historically important. It will soon be the only remaining way to experience the NWP line in California unless you want to go for a very difficult hike.

The North Coast Railroad Authority is on the way to being abolished, to be replaced (renamed) to the "Great Redwood Trail Agency" which will retain all the property of NCRA north of the Sonoma-Mendocino County Line. See SB69 for all the gory legal details. In real life, what it means is that the NWP would be "railbanked" in the form of a trail north of Cloverdale. In Sonoma County, existing rail responsibilities (including freight) would devolve on the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District.

Bottom line: the lack of trains north of Sonoma County will become permanent.

So we need to keep the North Coast route here as a historical document of what the line generally looked and operated like. The final version of it (3.2) runs from Ukiah to the north end, and is one of the better productions of its age and scale, and just recently (today!! Thanks Brian and Dadbill!) got an update to the Scotia Mill area. Check it out, download, and enjoy.

[R. Steele]

So we need to keep the North Coast route here as a historical document of what the line generally looked and operated like. The final version of it (3.2) runs from Ukiah to the north end, and is one of the better productions of its age and scale, and just recently (today!! Thanks Brian and Dadbill!) got an update to the Scotia Mill area. Check it out, download, and enjoy.

my emphasis

Definitely agree, a superb example of route building. I'm familiar with that area, having hiked it and traveled around the country... the route has the "look and feel" of the area...just wonderful work. Worthwhile route to have, there's an activity template at Skyline
http://www.skylinecomputing.com/templates2.htm
"North Coast Route v 3.1".

[landnrailroader]

I haven't got the route (yet) but this idea of "historical significance" is a good one. There are a
number of lines that fit the category. For example, in my own bucket list is the Camas Prairie
which I have laid track for already, and also major portions of the N&W Clinch district and
Southern RR Appalachia area. Not far in the future, the CSX lines east of Corbin will be gone.
An early effort on my part was the Milwaukee Road which is complete from Harlowton, MT to
Seattle-Tacoma and I have laid track for Harlowton to Great Falls, and provided Mobridge,SD
to Harlowton, MT in the unfinished category. There are many from others. It might be a
thought that Nels could add a search parameter for "historically significant" to which some
future routes, or branches off of routes, could be identified.

landnrailroader
J. H. Sullivan
retired from CSX & SR
Docent, C&TS RR

[CivilEng]

Thanks for the kind words! I'm glad the route is able to memorialize the NWP in at least a small way. When I started work on it 19 years ago (!), I never thought it might someday be considered historically significant. At the time there was still quite a bit of hope that rail service to Eureka would be restored. By the time version 2 of the route came out, that hope was already dimming.

With the NCRA gone, it will be interesting to see how the transit agency handles running freight trains on the south end of the line.

[frliss]

It looks as if the North Coast Railroad is about to become a "World Class" rail trail. https://www.sfgate.com/outdoors/arti...r-13153345.php

The road has never turned a profit since it was built in the 1870s and today is deeply in debt. any plans of rebuilding it is just wishful thinking.

Fred

[R. Steele]

It looks as if the North Coast Railroad is about to become a "World Class" rail trail. https://www.sfgate.com/outdoors/arti...r-13153345.php

The road has never turned a profit since it was built in the 1870s and today is deeply in debt. any plans of rebuilding it is just wishful thinking.

Fred

Having hiked that area extensively ( in my "youts" ) --- I would think it would be a grand idea to memorialize the rail line with such a fantastic trail. It is a spectacular area of Northern California.