The following railroads operate in the U.S. state of California.
Freight carrier information is current since 2021 [update] . [1]
Name | Carrier Code | Parent company | Route miles |
---|---|---|---|
BNSF Railway | BNSF | Berkshire Hathaway | 2,114 |
Union Pacific Railroad | UPRR | 3,292 |
Name | Carrier Code | Parent company | Route miles |
---|---|---|---|
Central California Traction Company | CCT | BNSF/UPRR | 96 |
Los Angeles Junction Railway | LAJ | BNSF | 64 |
Modesto and Empire Traction Company | MET | 49 | |
Oakland Terminal Railway | OTR | BNSF/UPRR | 10 |
Pacific Harbor Line, Inc. | PHL | Anacostia Rail Holdings Company | 59 |
Quincy Railroad | QRR | 3 | |
Richmond Pacific Railroad | RPRC | 6 |
Name | Mark | System [nb 1] | From | To | Successor | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alameda and San Joaquin Railroad | WP | 1895 | 1903 | Western Pacific Railway | ||
Alameda Belt Line | ABL | ATSF/ WP | 1925 | 2007 | N/A | |
Albion Railroad | 1921 | 1930 | N/A | |||
Albion River Railroad | NWP (ATSF) | 1885 | 1891 | Albion and Southeastern Railway | ||
Albion and Southeastern Railway | NWP (ATSF) | 1902 | 1905 | Fort Bragg and Southeastern Railroad | ||
Almaden Branch Railroad | SP | 1887 | 1887 | South Pacific Coast Railway | ||
Amador Branch Railroad | SP | 1875 | 1888 | Northern Railway | ||
Amador Central Railroad | AMC | 1908 | 1997 | Amador Foothills Railroad | ||
Amador Foothills Railroad | 1998 | 2004 | N/A | |||
Arcata and Mad River Railroad | AMR | 1881 | 1985 | Eureka Southern Railroad | ||
Arcata Transportation Company | 1875 | 1881 | Arcata and Mad River Railroad | |||
Arizona and California Railway | ATSF | 1903 | 1911 | California, Arizona and Santa Fe Railway | ||
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway | ATSF | ATSF | 1901 | 1996 | Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway | |
Atlantic and Pacific Railroad | ATSF | 1866 | 1897 | Santa Fe Pacific Railroad | ||
Bakersfield and Ventura Railroad | 1908 | 1911 | Ventura County Railway | |||
Bakersfield and Ventura Railway | 1903 | 1906 | Bakersfield and Ventura Railroad | |||
Barnwell and Searchlight Railway | ATSF | 1906 | 1911 | California, Arizona and Santa Fe Railway | ||
Bay and Coast Railroad | SP | 1877 | 1887 | South Pacific Coast Railway | ||
Bay Point and Clayton Railroad | BP&C | 1906 | 1946 | U.S. Navy | ||
Bear Harbor and Eel River Railroad | (?) | 1893 | 1921 | Abandoned | ||
Berkeley Branch Railroad | SP | 1876 | 1888 | Northern Railway | ||
Black Diamond Coal Mining Railroad | 1868 | 1885 | ||||
Boca and Loyalton Railroad | WP | 1900 | 1916 | Western Pacific Railroad | ||
Bodie Railway and Lumber Company | 1893 | 1906 | Mono Lake Railway and Lumber Company | |||
Bodie Railway and Lumber Company | 1881 | 1882 | Bodie and Benton Railway and Commercial Company | |||
Bodie and Benton Railway and Commercial Company | 1882 | 1890 | Bodie Railway and Lumber Company | |||
Bucksport and Elk River Railroad | 1884 | 1932 | Bucksport and Elk River Railway | |||
Bucksport and Elk River Railway | 1932 | 1952 | N/A | |||
Burlington Northern Inc. | BN | 1970 | 1981 | Burlington Northern Railroad | ||
Burlington Northern Railroad | BN | 1981 | 1996 | Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway | ||
Butte County Railroad | SP | 1903 | 1915 | N/A | Leased the Chico and Northern Railroad | |
Butte and Plumas Railway | WP | 1902 | 1905 | Western Pacific Railway | ||
California, Arizona and Santa Fe Railway | ATSF | 1911 | 1963 | Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway | ||
California Central Railroad | 1912 | 1930 | N/A | |||
California Central Railroad | SP | 1857 | 1868 | California and Oregon Railroad | ||
California Central Railway | ATSF | 1887 | 1889 | Southern California Railway | ||
California Eastern Railway | ATSF | 1895 | 1911 | California, Arizona and Santa Fe Railway | ||
California Midland Railroad | NWP (ATSF) | 1902 | 1903 | San Francisco and Northwestern Railway | ||
California and Mount Diablo Railroad | ATSF | 1880 | 1884 | California and Nevada Railroad | ||
California and Nevada Railroad | ATSF | 1884 | 1902 | Oakland and East Side Railroad | ||
California Northeastern Railway | SP | 1905 | 1911 | Oregon Eastern Railway | ||
California Northern Railroad | SP | 1860 | 1881 | Northern California Railroad | ||
California and Northern Railway | NWP (ATSF) | 1900 | 1904 | San Francisco and Northwestern Railway | ||
California Northwestern Railway | NWP (SP) | 1898 | 1907 | Northwestern Pacific Railroad | ||
California and Oregon Railroad | SP | 1865 | 1870 | Central Pacific Railroad | ||
California Pacific Railroad | SP | 1865 | 1898 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
California Pacific Railroad Extension Company | SP | 1869 | 1869 | California Pacific Railroad | ||
California, Shasta and Eastern Railway | 1912 | 1927 | N/A | |||
California Southern Railroad | ATSF | 1914 | 1942 | Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway | ||
California Southern Railroad | ATSF | 1880 | 1889 | Southern California Railway | ||
California Southern Railroad | SP | 1870 | 1870 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
California Southern Extension Railroad | ATSF | 1881 | 1882 | California Southern Railroad | ||
California Western Railroad | CWR | 1947 | 2003 | N/A | ||
California Western Railroad and Navigation Company | CWR | 1905 | 1947 | California Western Railroad | ||
Camino, Placerville and Lake Tahoe Railroad | CPLT | 1911 | 1986 | N/A | ||
Carrizo Gorge Railway | CZRY | 1997 | 2012 | Pacific Imperial Railroad | ||
Carson and Colorado Railroad | SP | 1881 | 1892 | Carson and Colorado Railway | ||
Carson and Colorado Railway | SP | 1892 | 1905 | Nevada and California Railway | ||
Cement, Tolenas and Tidewater Railroad | 1911 | 1930 | N/A | |||
Central California Railway | SP | 1904 | 1912 | Central Pacific Railway | ||
Central Pacific Railroad | SP | 1861 | 1899 | Central Pacific Railway | ||
Central Pacific Railway | SP | 1899 | 1959 | Southern Pacific Company | ||
Chico and Northern Railroad | SP | 1903 | 1912 | Central Pacific Railway | ||
Chino Valley Railway | 1888 | 1901 | N/A | |||
Chowchilla Pacific Railway | SP | 1913 | 1924 | Visalia Electric Railroad | ||
Cloverdale and Ukiah Railroad | NWP (SP) | 1886 | 1889 | San Francisco and North Pacific Railway | ||
Coal Fields Railway | 1920 | 1935 | N/A | |||
Coast Line Railway | SP | 1905 | 1917 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
Colusa Railroad | 1885 | 1886 | Colusa and Lake Railroad | |||
Colusa and Hamilton Railroad | SP | 1911 | 1917 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
Colusa and Lake Railroad | 1886 | 1915 | N/A | |||
Corona and Santa Fe Railway | ATSF | 1926 | 1942 | Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway | ||
Coronado Railroad | SP | 1886 | 1908 | San Diego Southern Railway | ||
Crescent City Railway | UP | 1906 | 1915 | Riverside, Rialto and Pacific Railroad | ||
Death Valley Railroad | 1914 | 1931 | N/A | |||
Diamond and Caldor Railway | 1904 | 1952 | N/A | |||
Eel River and Eureka Railroad | NWP (ATSF) | 1882 | 1903 | San Francisco and Northwestern Railway | ||
Elsinore, Pomona and Los Angeles Railway | ATSF | 1895 | 1899 | Southern California Railway | ||
Eureka and Klamath River Railroad | NWP (SP) | 1896 | 1907 | Northwestern Pacific Railroad | ||
Eureka Southern Railroad | EUKA | 1984 | 1992 | North Coast Railroad | ||
Feather River Railway | 1939 | 1966 | N/A | |||
Felton and Pescadero Railroad | SP | 1883 | 1887 | South Pacific Coast Railway | ||
Ferris and Lakeview Railway | ATSF | 1898 | 1911 | California, Arizona and Santa Fe Railway | ||
Fernley and Lassen Railway | SP | 1909 | 1912 | Central Pacific Railway | ||
Folsom and Placerville Railroad | SP | 1876 | 1877 | Sacramento and Placerville Railroad | ||
Fort Bragg and Southeastern Railroad | NWP (ATSF) | 1903 | 1907 | Northwestern Pacific Railroad | ||
Freeport Railroad | 1863 | 1865 | N/A | |||
Fresno County Railway | ATSF | 1905 | 1911 | California, Arizona and Santa Fe Railway | ||
Fullerton and Richfield Railway | ATSF | 1910 | 1911 | California, Arizona and Santa Fe Railway | ||
Fulton and Guerneville Railroad | NWP (SP) | 1877 | 1877 | San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad | ||
Goose Lake and Southern Railway | SP | 1908 | 1912 | Central Pacific Railway | ||
Great Northern Railway | GN | GN | 1930 | 1970 | Burlington Northern Inc. | |
Great Western Railway of Colorado | GWR | 1986 | 1987 | Great Western Railway of Oregon | ||
Great Western Railway of Oregon | GWR | 1987 | 1997 | Lake County Railroad | ||
Hanford and Summit Lake Railway | SP | 1910 | 1917 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
Harbor Belt Line Railroad | HBL | 1929 | 1998 | Pacific Harbor Line, Inc. | ||
Hetch Hetchy Railroad | 1915 | 1949 | N/A | |||
Hetch Hetchy and Yosemite Valleys Railway of California | 1900 | 1943 | N/A | |||
Holton Interurban Railway | HI | SP | 1903 | 1985 | Southern Pacific Transportation Company | |
Howard Terminal Railway | HT | 1917 | Part of Port of Oakland Railroad | |||
Hueneme, Malibu and Port Los Angeles Railway | . | 1905 | 1929 | . | ||
Humboldt Railroad | NWP (SP) | 1901 | Northwestern Pacific Railroad | |||
Imperial and Gulf Railway | SP | 1902 | 1905 | Inter-California Railway | ||
Indian Valley Railroad | 1916 | 1938 | N/A | |||
Indian Valley Railway | WP | 1902 | 1905 | Western Pacific Railway | ||
Inter-California Railway | SP | 1904 | 1935 | Southern Pacific Company | ||
Ione and Eastern Railroad | 1904 | 1908 | Amador Central Railroad | |||
Iron Mountain Railway | 1895 | 1927 | N/A | |||
Kings Lake Shore Railroad | 1917 | 1934 | N/A | |||
Kings River Railway | ATSF | 1909 | 1911 | California, Arizona and Santa Fe Railway | ||
Klamath Lake Railroad | 1901 | 1913 | Siskiyou Electric Light and Power Company | |||
Lake County Railroad | LCR | 1997 | Still exists as a lessor of the Lake Railway | |||
Lake Tahoe Railway and Transportation Company | SP | 1898 | 1927 | Southern Pacific Company | ||
Laton and Western Railroad | ATSF | 1910 | 1942 | California, Arizona and Santa Fe Railway | ||
Loma Prieta Railroad | SP | 1882 | 1884 | Pajaro and Santa Cruz Railroad | ||
Long Beach Railroad | SP | 1887 | 1888 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
Long Beach, Whittier and Los Angeles County Railroad | SP | 1887 | 1888 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
Los Angeles and Glendale Railroad | UP | 1887 | 1888 | Los Angeles and Glendale Railway | ||
Los Angeles and Glendale Railway | UP | 1888 | 1891 | Los Angeles Terminal Railway | ||
Los Angeles and Independence Railroad | SP | 1875 | 1888 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
Los Angeles, Pasadena and Glendale Railway | UP | 1889 | 1891 | Los Angeles Terminal Railway | ||
Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad | UP | 1916 | 1987 | Union Pacific Railroad | ||
Los Angeles and San Diego Railroad | SP | 1876 | 1888 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley Railroad | ATSF | 1883 | 1887 | California Central Railway | ||
Los Angeles and San Pedro Railroad | SP | 1868 | 1874 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
Los Angeles and Santa Monica Railroad | ATSF | 1886 | 1887 | California Central Railway | ||
Los Angeles Terminal Railway | UP | 1890 | 1901 | San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad | ||
Ludlow and Southern Railway | 1902 | 1931 | N/A | |||
Marin and Napa Railroad | NWP (SP) | 1886 | 1889 | San Francisco and North Pacific Railway | ||
Marysville Railroad | SP | 1867 | 1868 | California and Oregon Railroad | ||
Marysville and Susanville Railroad | WP | 1904 | 1905 | Western Pacific Railway | ||
McCloud River Railroad | MR | 1897 | 1992 | McCloud Railway | ||
Mill Valley and Mount Tamalpais Scenic Railway | 1896 | 1913 | Mount Tamalpais and Muir Woods Railway | |||
Minarets and Western Railway | 1921 | 1932 | N/A | |||
Minkler Southern Railway | ATSF | 1913 | 1942 | Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway | ||
Modesto Interurban Railway | 1909 | 1993 | Modesto and Empire Traction Company | |||
Modesto Terminal Company | 1920 | 1938 | Modesto Interurban Railway | |||
Modoc Northern Railroad | MNRR | 2005 | 2009 | Union Pacific Railroad | ||
Modoc Northern Railway | SP | 1908 | 1912 | Central Pacific Railway | ||
Mojave Northern Railroad | 1914 | Still exists as a private carrier subsidiary of Cemex | ||||
Monterey Railroad | SP | 1880 | 1888 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
Monterey Extension Railroad | SP | 1888 | 1888 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
Monterey and Salinas Valley Railroad | SP | 1874 | 1879 | Monterey Railroad | ||
Mount Tamalpais and Muir Woods Railway | 1913 | 1930 | N/A | |||
Napa Valley Railroad | SP | 1864 | 1869 | California Pacific Railroad Extension Company | ||
National City and Otay Railway | SP | 1887 | 1908 | San Diego Southern Railway | ||
Nevada and California Railway | SP | 1905 | 1912 | Central Pacific Railway | ||
Nevada and California Railroad | SP | 1884 | 1893 | Nevada–California–Oregon Railway | ||
Nevada–California–Oregon Railway | SP | 1888 | 1945 | Central Pacific Railway | ||
Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad | 1874 | 1943 | N/A | |||
Nevada and Oregon Railroad | SP | 1881 | 1884 | Nevada and California Railroad | ||
Nevada Southern Railway | ATSF | 1892 | 1895 | California Eastern Railway | ||
Newport Wharf and Lumber Company | SP | 1889 | 1893 | Santa Ana and Newport Railway | ||
North Coast Railroad | NCRR | 1992 | 1996 | Northwestern Pacific Railroad | ||
North Pacific Coast Railroad | NWP (SP) | 1871 | 1902 | North Shore Railroad | ||
North Pacific Coast Railroad Extension Company | NWP (SP) | 1882 | 1885 | North Pacific Coast Railroad | ||
North Shore Railroad | NWP (SP) | 1902 | 1907 | Northwestern Pacific Railroad | ||
North Western Railroad of California | NWP (SP) | 1885 | 1892 | North Pacific Coast Railroad | ||
Northern Railway | SP | 1871 | 1898 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
Northern California Railroad | SP | 1884 | 1889 | Northern California Railway | ||
Northern California Railway | SP | 1888 | 1898 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
Northwestern Pacific Railroad | NWP | 1996 | 2001 | Northwestern Pacific Railway | ||
Northwestern Pacific Railroad | NWP | NWP | 1907 | 1992 | Southern Pacific Transportation Company | |
Northwestern Pacific Railway | NWP | 2001 | 2001 | Northwestern Pacific Railroad | ||
Northwestern Pacific Railway | NWP | 1906 | 1907 | Northwestern Pacific Railroad | ||
Oakdale Western Railway | ATSF | 1904 | 1911 | California, Arizona and Santa Fe Railway | ||
Oakland and East Side Railroad | ATSF | 1902 | 1911 | California, Arizona and Santa Fe Railway | ||
Oakland Terminal Railroad | ATSF/ WP | 1935 | 1943 | Oakland Terminal Railway | ||
Oakland Township Railroad | SP | 1881 | 1887 | South Pacific Coast Railway | ||
Ocean Shore Railroad | 1911 | 1920 | N/A | |||
Ocean Shore Railway | 1905 | 1911 | Ocean Shore Railroad | |||
Oregon Eastern Railway | SP | 1911 | 1912 | Central Pacific Railway | ||
Oregon and Eureka Railroad | 1903 | 1911 | N/A | Leased the Eureka and Klamath River Railroad and Humboldt Railroad | ||
Otay Railway | SP | 1887 | 1888 | National City and Otay Railway | ||
Outer Harbor Terminal Railway | 1927 | 1955 | N/A | |||
Pacific Coast Railroad | 1882 | 1882 | Pacific Coast Railway | |||
Pacific Coast Railway | 1882 | 1941 | N/A | All PCRY right of way in Santa Maria Valley absorbed by competitor Santa Maria Valley Railroad | ||
Pacific Electric Railway | PE | SP | 1901 | 1965 | Southern Pacific Company | Electric until 1961 |
Pacific Southwestern Railroad | SP | 1922 | 1924 | Southern Pacific Company | ||
Pajaro and Santa Cruz Railroad | SP | 1884 | 1888 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
Pajaro Valley Railroad | 1890 | 1897 | Pajaro Valley Consolidated Railroad | |||
Pajaro Valley Consolidated Railroad | 1897 | 1928 | N/A | |||
Pajaro Extension Railway | 1897 | 1897 | Pajaro Valley Consolidated Railroad | |||
Palmdale Railroad | 1888 | 1893 | N/A | |||
Parr Terminal Railroad | PRT | 1950 | 2002 | Richmond Pacific Railroad | ||
Pasadena Railway | UP | 1887 | 1892 | Los Angeles Terminal Railway | ||
Patterson and Western Railroad | 1915 | 1921 | N/A | |||
Placerville and Lake Tahoe Railway | 1904 | 1911 | Camino, Placerville and Lake Tahoe Railroad | |||
Placerville and Sacramento Valley Railroad | SP | 1862 | 1869 | Sacramento and Placerville Railroad | ||
Port Railroads, Inc. | PRI | 1973 | 1996 | San Joaquin Valley Railroad | ||
Porterville Northeastern Railway | SP | 1910 | 1934 | Southern Pacific Company | ||
Quincy and Eastern Railroad | 1908 | 1909 | Quincy Western Railway | |||
Quincy Western Railway | 1909 | 1917 | Quincy Railroad | |||
Ramona and San Bernardino Railroad | SP | 1888 | 1888 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
Randsburg Railway | ATSF | 1897 | 1911 | California, Arizona and Santa Fe Railway | ||
Redondo Beach Railway | ATSF | 1888 | 1889 | Southern California Railway | ||
Richmond Belt Railway | ATSF / SP | 1902 | 1932 | Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, Southern Pacific Company | ||
Riverside, Rialto and Pacific Railroad | UP | 1915 | 1917 | Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad | ||
Riverside, Santa Ana and Los Angeles Railway | ATSF | 1885 | 1887 | California Central Railway | ||
Sacramento Northern Railway | SN | WP | 1921 | 1987 | Western Pacific Railroad | Electric until 1946 |
Sacramento and Oakland Railway | WP | 1903 | 1903 | Western Pacific Railway | ||
Sacramento and Placerville Railroad | SP | 1877 | 1888 | Northern Railway | ||
Sacramento and San Francisco Railroad | SP | 1864 | 1865 | California Pacific Railroad | ||
Sacramento Southern Railroad | SP | 1903 | 1912 | Central Pacific Railway | ||
Sacramento Valley Railroad | SP | 1852 | 1877 | Sacramento and Placerville Railroad | ||
Sacramento Valley and Eastern Railway | 1906 | 1927 | N/A | |||
San Bernardino and Eastern Railway | ATSF | 1890 | 1892 | Southern California Railway | ||
San Bernardino and Los Angeles Railway | ATSF | 1886 | 1887 | California Central Railway | ||
San Bernardino and San Diego Railway | ATSF | 1886 | 1887 | California Central Railway | ||
San Bernardino Valley Railway | ATSF | 1887 | 1887 | California Central Railway | ||
San Diego and Arizona Railway | SP | 1906 | 1933 | San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway | ||
San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway | SDAE | SP | 1933 | Still exists as a lessor of the Carrizo Gorge Railway and San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad | ||
San Diego and Arizona Eastern Transportation Company | SDAE | 1979 | 1984 | San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad | ||
San Diego Central Railroad | ATSF | 1886 | 1887 | California Central Railway | ||
San Diego and Cuyamaca Railway | SP | 1909 | 1912 | San Diego and South Eastern Railway | ||
San Diego and Cuyamaca Railway | SP | 1887 | 1888 | San Diego, Cuyamaca and Eastern Railway | ||
San Diego, Cuyamaca and Eastern Railway | SP | 1888 | 1909 | San Diego and Cuyamaca Railway | ||
San Diego and South Eastern Railway | SP | 1912 | 1917 | San Diego and Arizona Railway | ||
San Diego Southern Railway | SP | 1908 | 1912 | San Diego and South Eastern Railway | ||
San Francisco and Alameda Railroad | SP | 1863 | 1870 | San Francisco, Oakland and Alameda Railroad | ||
San Francisco, Alameda and Stockton Railroad | SP | 1863 | 1864 | San Francisco and Alameda Railroad | ||
San Francisco Bay Railroad | SP | 1868 | 1869 | Western Pacific Railroad | ||
San Francisco Belt Railroad | SFB | 1969 | 1993 | N/A | ||
San Francisco and Colorado River Railroad | SP | 1883 | 1887 | South Pacific Coast Railway | ||
San Francisco and Eureka Railway | NWP (SP ) | 1903 | 1907 | Northwestern Pacific Railroad | ||
San Francisco and Humboldt Bay Railroad | NWP (SP) | 1868 | 1869 | San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad | ||
San Francisco and Marysville Railroad | SP | 1857 | 1865 | California Pacific Railroad | ||
San Francisco and Napa Railway | SP | 1903 | 1911 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad | NWP (SP) | 1869 | 1889 | San Francisco and North Pacific Railway | ||
San Francisco and North Pacific Railway | NWP (SP) | 1888 | 1907 | Northwestern Pacific Railroad | ||
San Francisco and Northwestern Railway | NWP (ATSF) | 1903 | 1907 | Northwestern Pacific Railroad | ||
San Francisco and Oakland Railroad | SP | 1861 | 1870 | San Francisco, Oakland and Alameda Railroad | ||
San Francisco, Oakland and Alameda Railroad | SP | 1870 | 1870 | Central Pacific Railroad | ||
San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley Railway | ATSF | 1895 | 1901 | Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway | ||
San Francisco and San Jose Railroad | SP | 1860 | 1870 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
San Francisco and San Rafael Railroad | NWP (SP) | 1882 | 1889 | San Francisco and North Pacific Railway | ||
San Francisco, Tamalpais and Bolinas Railway | NWP (SP) | 1889 | 1892 | North Pacific Coast Railroad | ||
San Francisco Terminal Railway and Ferry Company | WP | 1902 | 1903 | Western Pacific Railway | ||
San Gabriel Valley Rapid Transit Railway | SP | 1887 | 1894 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
San Jacinto Valley Railway | ATSF | 1887 | 1887 | California Central Railway | ||
San Joaquin and Eastern Railroad | SJ&E | 1912 | 1933 | N/A | ||
San Joaquin and Sierra Nevada Railroad | SP | 1882 | 1888 | Northern Railway | ||
San Joaquin Valley Railroad (1891–1893) | SP | 1891 | 1893 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
San Joaquin Valley Railroad (1868–1870) | SP | 1868 | 1870 | Central Pacific Railroad | ||
San Joaquin Valley and Yosemite Railroad | SP | 1886 | 1888 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
San Jose and Almaden Railroad | SP | 1886 | 1888 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
San Juan Pacific Railway | 1907 | 1912 | California Central Railroad | |||
San Luis Obispo Railroad | 1873 | 1875 | San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria Valley Railroad | |||
San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria Valley Railroad | 1875 | 1882 | Pacific Coast Railway | |||
San Pablo and Tulare Railroad | SP | 1871 | 1888 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
San Pablo and Tulare Extension Railroad | SP | 1887 | 1888 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad | SLR | UP | 1901 | 1916 | Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad | |
San Rafael and San Quentin Railroad | NWP (SP) | 1869 | ||||
San Ramon Valley Railroad | SP | 1888 | 1888 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
Santa Ana Railroad | SP | 1889 | 1892 | Newport Wharf and Lumber Company | ||
Santa Ana and Newport Railway | SP | 1892 | 1899 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
Santa Ana and Westminster Railway | SP | 1890 | 1899 | Santa Ana and Newport Railway | ||
Santa Clara and Pajaro Valley Railroad | SP | 1868 | 1870 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
Santa Cruz Railroad | SP | 1873 | 1881 | Pajaro and Santa Cruz Railroad | ||
Santa Cruz and Felton Railroad | SP | 1874 | 1887 | South Pacific Coast Railway | ||
Santa Fe and Los Angeles Harbor Railway | ATSF | 1922 | 1942 | Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway | ||
Santa Fe Pacific Railroad | ATSF | 1897 | 1902 | Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway | ||
Santa Fe and Santa Monica Railway | ATSF | 1892 | 1892 | Southern California Railway | ||
Santa Fe Terminal Company of California | ATSF | 1899 | 1912 | Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway | ||
Santa Rosa and Carquinez Railroad | SP | 1887 | 1888 | |||
Saratoga and Almaden Railroad | 1884 | 1905 | N/A | |||
Shingle Springs and Placerville Railroad | SP | 1887 | 1888 | Northern Railway | ||
Sierra Railroad | SERA | 1935 | 2003 | Sierra Northern Railway | ||
Sierra Railway of California | SRYC | 1897 | 1937 | Sierra Railroad | ||
Sierra and Mohawk Railway | SP | 1911 | 1915 | Sierra and Mohawk Railway | ||
Sierra Valley & Mohawk Railway | SP | 1885 | 1895 | Sierra Valley Railroad | ||
Sierra Valley Railroad | SP | 1895 | 1909 | Sierra and Mohawk Railway | ||
Sonoma County Railroad | NWP (SP) | 1868 | 1868 | San Francisco and Humboldt Bay Railroad | ||
Sonoma and Marin Railroad | NWP (SP) | 1875 | 1877 | San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad | ||
Sonoma and Santa Rosa Railroad | NWP (SP) | 1881 | 1885 | Sonoma Valley Railroad | ||
Sonoma Valley Railroad | NWP (SP) | 1878 | 1889 | San Francisco and North Pacific Railway | ||
Sonoma Valley Prismoidal Railway | NWP (SP) | 1875 | 1878 | Sonoma Valley Railroad | ||
South Pacific Coast Railroad | SP | 1876 | 1887 | South Pacific Coast Railway | ||
South Pacific Coast Railway | SP | 1887 | 1937 | Southern Pacific Company | ||
South San Francisco Belt Railway | SP | 1907 | 1945 | Southern Pacific Company | ||
Southern California Railway | ATSF | 1889 | 1906 | Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway | ||
Southern California Motor Road | SP | 1887 | 1895 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
Southern Pacific Company | SP | SP | 1885 | 1969 | Southern Pacific Transportation Company | |
Southern Pacific Railroad | SP | 1865 | 1955 | Southern Pacific Company | ||
Southern Pacific Railroad Extension Company | SP | 1888 | 1888 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
Southern Pacific Branch Railroad | SP | 1872 | 1873 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
Southern Pacific Branch Railway | SP | 1886 | 1888 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
Southern Pacific Transportation Company | SP | SP | 1969 | 1998 | Union Pacific Railroad | |
State Belt Railroad | 1873 | 1969 | San Francisco Belt Railroad | |||
Stockton and Beckwith Pass Railway | WP | 1902 | 1903 | Western Pacific Railway | ||
Stockton and Copperopolis Railroad | SP | 1865 | 1888 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
Stockton and Ione Railroad | 1873 | 1875 | N/A | |||
Stockton and Tulare Railroad | SP | 1887 | 1888 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
Stockton and Visalia Railroad | SP | 1869 | 1877 | Stockton and Copperopolis Railroad | ||
Sugar Pine Lumber Company | 1923 | 1933 | N/A | |||
Sugar Pine Railway | 1903 | 1922 | N/A | |||
Sunset Railroad | ATSF/ SP | 1900 | 1912 | Sunset Railway | ||
Sunset Railway | SUN | ATSF/ SP | 1912 | Still exists as a joint subsidiary of the BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad, leased to the San Joaquin Valley Railroad | ||
Sunset Western Railway | ATSF/ SP | 1909 | 1912 | Sunset Railway | ||
Ten Mile Railroad | Fort Bragg | |||||
Tidewater and Southern Railroad | WP | 1910 | 1912 | Tidewater Southern Railway | ||
Tidewater Southern Railway | TSO, TS | WP | 1912 | 1987 | Western Pacific Railroad | |
Tidewater and Southern Transit Company | WP | 1912 | 1912 | Tidewater Southern Railway | ||
Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad | 1904 | 1940 | N/A | |||
Vaca Valley Railroad | SP | 1869 | 1870 | Vaca Valley and Clear Lake Railroad | ||
Vaca Valley and Clear Lake Railroad | SP | 1877 | 1888 | Northern Railway | ||
Ventura County Railway | VCY | 1911 | Still exists as a lessor of the Ventura County Railroad | |||
Ventura and Ojai Valley Railroad | SP | 1896 | 1899 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
Visalia Railroad | SP | 1874 | 1899 | Southern Pacific Railroad | ||
Visalia Electric Railroad | VE | SP | 1904 | 1992 | Southern Pacific Transportation Company | Electric until 1944 |
Visalia and Tulare Railroad | 1887 | 1900 | N/A | |||
West Side and Mendocino Railroad | SP | 1886 | 1888 | Northern Railway | ||
Western Nevada Railroad | SP | 1879 | 1880 | Nevada and Oregon Railroad | ||
Western Pacific Railroad | WP | WP | 1916 | 1987 | Union Pacific Railroad | |
Western Pacific Railroad | SP | 1862 | 1870 | Central Pacific Railroad | ||
Western Pacific Railway | WP | 1903 | 1916 | Western Pacific Railroad | ||
Winters and Ukiah Railway | SP | 1887 | 1888 | Northern Railway | ||
Woodland, Capay and Clear Lake Railroad | SP | 1887 | 1888 | Northern Railway | ||
Yolo Shortline Railroad | YSLR | 1991 | 2003 | Sierra Northern Railway | ||
Yosemite Short Line Railway | 1905 | 1917 | N/A | |||
Yosemite Valley Railroad | 1902 | 1935 | Yosemite Valley Railway | |||
Yosemite Valley Railway | 1934 | 1945 | N/A | |||
Yreka Railroad | 1888 | 1935 | Yreka Western Railroad | |||
Yuba Railroad | SP | 1862 | 1869 | California and Oregon Railroad |
Northern California is a geographic and cultural region that comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California, spanning the northernmost 48 of the state's 58 counties. Northern California in its largest definition is determined by dividing the state into two regions, the other being Southern California. The main northern population centers include the San Francisco Bay Area, the Greater Sacramento area, the Redding, California, area south of the Cascade Range, and the Metropolitan Fresno area. Northern California also contains redwood forests, along with most of the Sierra Nevada, including Yosemite Valley and part of Lake Tahoe, Mount Shasta, and most of the Central Valley, one of the world's most productive agricultural regions. Northern California is also home to Silicon Valley, the global headquarters for some of the most powerful tech and Internet-related companies in the world, including Meta, Apple, Google, and Nvidia.
The Western Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was formed in 1903 as an attempt to break the near-monopoly the Southern Pacific Railroad had on rail service into northern California. WP's Feather River Route directly competed with SP's portion of the Overland Route for rail traffic between Salt Lake City/Ogden, Utah, and Oakland, California, for nearly 80 years. The Western Pacific was one of the original operators of the California Zephyr passenger line.
The California Western Railroad, AKA Mendocino Railway, popularly called the Skunk Train, is a rail freight and heritage railroad transport railway in Mendocino County, California, United States, running from the railroad's headquarters in the coastal town of Fort Bragg to the interchange with the Northwestern Pacific Railroad at Willits.
The Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad (YMSPRR) is a historic 3 ft narrow gauge railway with two operating steam locomotives located near Fish Camp, California, in the Sierra National Forest near the southern entrance to Yosemite National Park. Rudy Stauffer organized the YMSPRR in 1961, utilizing historic railroad track, rolling stock and locomotives to construct a tourist line along the historic route of the Madera Sugar Pine Lumber Company.
The Northwestern Pacific Railroad is a 271-mile (436 km) mainline railroad from the former ferry connections in Sausalito, California north to Eureka, with a connection to the national railroad system at Schellville. The railroad has gone through a complex history of different ownership and operators but has maintained a generic name of reference as the Northwestern Pacific Railroad, despite no longer being officially named that.
The Arcata and Mad River Railroad, founded in 1854, was the oldest working railroad in California. It operated on a unique narrow gauge until the 1940s when standard gauge rails were laid. Service ceased in 1983 due to landslides. It is California Historical Landmark #842.
The Albion River is an 18.1-mile-long (29.1 km) river in Mendocino County, California. The river drains about 43 square miles (110 km2) on the Mendocino Coast and empties into the Pacific Ocean near the town of Albion, California, where California State Route 1 crosses it on the Albion River Bridge. The river's overall direction is east to west, but it moves significantly in the north–south direction. The tributaries of the river include Railroad Gulch, Pleasant Valley Creek, Duck Pond Gulch, South Fork Albion River, Tom Bell Creek, North Fork Albion River, and Marsh Creek. The river's most inland point is only 15 miles (24 km) from the coast, and its highest elevation is about 1,570 feet (480 m) above sea level. There is a large estuary at the mouth of the river, and tidal waters travel up to 5 miles (8 km) upstream. The Albion River was previously used to power a sawmill on the river mouth, but there are no major dams or reservoirs on the river. The river provides recreation, groundwater recharge and industrial water supply for the community of Albion, and wildlife habitat including cold freshwater habitat for fish migration and spawning.
The South Pacific Coast Railroad (SPC) was a 3 ft narrow gauge steam railroad running between Santa Cruz, California, and Alameda, with a ferry connection in Alameda to San Francisco. The railroad was created as the Santa Clara Valley Railroad, founded by local strawberry growers as a way to get their crops to market in San Francisco and provide an alternative to the Southern Pacific Railroad. In 1876, James Graham Fair, a Comstock Lode silver baron, bought the line and extended it into the Santa Cruz Mountains to capture the significant lumber traffic coming out of the redwood forests. The narrow-gauge line was originally laid with 52-pound-per-yard (26 kg/m) rail on 8-foot (2.44 m) redwood ties; and was later acquired by the Southern Pacific and converted to 4 ft 8+1⁄2 instandard gauge.
The Camino, Placerville and Lake Tahoe Railroad was an 8-mile (13 km) Class III short-line railroad operating in the Sierra Nevada in California, east of Sacramento. It was built primarily to haul lumber from the El Dorado National Forest. The standard gauge line ran west 8.05 miles (12.96 km) from a sawmill at Camino to a connection with the Placerville Branch of the Southern Pacific Company at Placerville. Loaded cars of lumber descended a 3.5 percent grade from 3,150 feet (960 m) at Camino to 1,900 feet (580 m) at Placerville.
San Francisco and Northwestern Railway (SF&NW) was an Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway subsidiary formed in 1903 to connect Humboldt Bay to the Santa Fe rail system.
The Minarets and Western Railway was a Class II common carrier that operated in Fresno County, California, from 1921 to 1933. The railway was owned by the Sugar Pine Lumber Company and was built the same year the lumber company was incorporated so that it could haul timber from the forest near Minarets to its sawmill at Pinedale. The southern portion of the line was operated with joint trackage rights with Southern Pacific.
The environment of California describes results of human habitation of the American State of California.
A forest railway, forest tram, timber line, logging railway or logging railroad is a mode of railway transport which is used for forestry tasks, primarily the transportation of felled logs to sawmills or railway stations.
The Hume-Bennett Lumber Company was a logging operation in the Sequoia National Forest in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The company and its predecessors were known for building the world's longest log flume and the first multiple-arch hydroelectric dam. However, the company also engaged in destructive clearcutting logging practices, cutting down 8,000 giant sequoias in Converse Basin in a decade-long event that has been described as "the greatest orgy of destructive lumbering in the history of the world."
Jack Swift Berry was a forestry expert and lumberman and then two-term member of the California State Legislature from the Republican Party.
The Madera Sugar Pine Company was a United States lumber company that operated in the Sierra Nevada region of California during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The company distinguished itself through the use of innovative technologies, including the southern Sierra's first log flume and logging railroad, along with the early adoption of the Steam Donkey engine. Its significant regional impact led to the establishment of towns such as Madera, Fish Camp, and Sugar Pine, as well as the growth of Fresno Flats and the formation of Madera County.
The Sugar Pine Lumber Company was an early 20th century logging operation and railroad in the Sierra Nevada. Unable to secure water rights to build a log flume, the company operated the “crookedest railroad ever built." They later developed the Minarets-type locomotive, the largest and most powerful saddle tank locomotive ever made. The company was also a pioneer in the electrification of logging where newly plentiful hydroelectric power replaced the widespread use of steam engines.
The Yosemite Lumber Company was an early 20th century Sugar Pine and White Pine logging operation in the Sierra Nevada. The company built the steepest logging incline ever, a 3,100 feet (940 m) route that tied the high-country timber tracts in Yosemite National Park to the low-lying Yosemite Valley Railroad running alongside the Merced River. From there, the logs went by rail to the company’s sawmill at Merced Falls, about fifty-four miles west of El Portal.
The Gualala River Railroad was a logging railroad in Mendocino County, California. At its peak, it operated 22 miles (35 km) of track built to a unique broad gauge of 5 feet 8+1⁄2 inches (1,740 mm).