San Francisco, Napa and Calistoga Railway
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| San Francisco, Napa and Calistoga Railway | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Vallejo-Napa-St. Helena-Calistoga |
| Dates of operation | 1905–1937 |
| Successor line | Southern Pacific Railroad |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge) |
The San Francisco, Napa and Calistoga Railway, later briefly reorganized as the San Francisco and Napa Valley Electric Railway, was an electric interurban railroad in the U.S. State of California.[1]
It originated at the port of Vallejo where it met the ferry connection to San Francisco. From there, the line headed northwards for a total of 43 miles to terminate at Calistoga, passing through Napa, Yountville, and St. Helena. The system began service to Napa on July 4, 1905, and reached Calistoga on September 2, 1908.
Passenger service continued despite several setbacks until 1937, when the ferry service was discontinued; without the ferry traffic, the line could not survive, and the last passenger trains operated on September 20 of that year.
Following the end of passenger service, Southern Pacific Railroad utilized the track as a non-electrified freight branch line until 1987. Switching service for the Mare Island Naval Shipyard remained and was taken over by the Navy Department. In 1957 and the company was dissolved.
The Napa Valley Wine Train began operating its current daily tourist excursion service on the line between Napa and St. Helena in 1989.
[edit] 1913 wreck
On June 19, 1913, two trains of the San Francisco, Napa and Calistoga Railway collided head-on in one of the worst interurban accidents in the state of California. Thirteen people were killed.
[edit] References
- ^ Hilton, George W. & Due, John F. (1960, 2000). The Electric Interurban Railways in America. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-4014-3.
