While traveling to Niles, I walked to one of the open cars and was treated with a magnificent view of the train. The railway is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Niles Canyon Transcontinental Railroad Historic District. The Niles Canyon Railway is one of California's many tourist lines providing excursions to the public on a former Southern Pacific (SP) route in Alameda County that extends a little under 10 miles. On the first and third Sundays of each month through October, a classic fully restored 1950s bus will stop at Fremont BART Station to take train buffs to Niles Canyon Railway, the historical rail service that takes passengers along the route that linked America’s first transcontinental railway. Niles Canyon Railway #306. Welcome to OpenStreetMap! The building, architecturally, is the last of its type, designed in the railroad's "Number 7" format. The Niles Canyon Railway operates along a portion of the First Transcontinental Railroad constructed in the 1860s. Many trips are run which usually alternate between steam and diesel locomotives. ), U.S. Navy 80-Ton Switcher #298 (Operational. Passenger trains once again connected Sunol and Niles starting on April 9, 2006. During the Christmas period, special "Train of Lights" trips run. The Pacific Locomotive Association and its Niles Canyon Railway would like to thank you for being a part of our heritage railroad community. #1 Niles Canyon Railway Heritage Railway Updated: 2020-04-18 The Niles Canyon Railway is a heritage railway running through Niles Canyon, between Sunol and the Niles district of Fremont in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States. See the railway's website for exact schedules and for special trains. Likewise, Alameda Cañon thereafter became known as Niles Canyon. About Us. Originally built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1921. The history of the Niles Canyon Railway's route is quite historic, tracing its roots back to the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. This is a route-map template for the Niles Canyon Railway, an Alameda County, California, heritage railroad.. For information on using this template, refer to Wikipedia:Route diagram template. [1] The railroad is operated and maintained by the Pacific Locomotive Association which preserves, restores and operates historic railroad equipment. Media in category "Niles Canyon Railway" The following 30 files are in this category, out of 30 total. Steel bridges replaced the covered timber bridges at Farwell and Dresser and the small railroad town of Niles became an important junction as freight from the San Francisco Peninsula and produce from the Santa Clara and Salinas Valleys traveled through the canyon to points east. Several trips are run, generally alternating between steam locomotives and diesel locomotives, with both open and enclosed passenger cars. Passengers may board at the western end of the line in Fremont, at the Niles station site adjacent to the Union Pacific Coast Line on which Amtrak operates their Capitol Corridor service. Niles Canyon Railway, Fremont: See 117 reviews, articles, and 52 photos of Niles Canyon Railway, ranked No.5 on Tripadvisor among 33 attractions in Fremont. Passengers may also board at the 1884 Sunol depot, which is the last surviving example of a Southern Pacific standard Combination Depot #7. Originally built by General Electric in 1942. © Copyright 2007-2020 American-Rails.com. The Pacific Locomotive Association leased the right of way from the county and began working to reconstruct the track in 1987. Built by the Heisler Locomotive Works in 1913. OpenStreetMap is a map of the world, created by people like you and free to use under an open license. Inside you can see displays while the freight room is used for meetings. ), Pickering Lumber Company 75-Ton, 3-Truck Shay #12 (Operational. Trains could then continue to San Francisco via the San Francisco & San Jose Rail Road which was completed in 1864. The primary contributing resources of this Historic District include the following: The railway's 2013 regular scheduled excursions run on the first and third Sundays each month in January–March and September–October; first and third Saturday and Sunday each month, April–August. These ferries continued to be the final link for passengers to San Francisco until 1958. A five minute transfer takes you to the historic Niles Canyon Railway, for a one Eventually, a financially ailing SP and declining freight traffic within the San Francisco Bay Area led the railroad to abandon the line in 1984, deeding the right-of-way to Alameda County. Hotel in Newark (2.3 miles from Niles Canyon Railway) Located just off I-880, this Newark all-suite hotel offers free shuttle service to locations within a 5-mile radius. The rail line through Niles Canyon was amongst the earliest to be built in California and provided the first rail connection between San Francisco Bay and the rest of the nation. It is a must visit! If you are researching anything EMD related please visit this page first. Niles Canyon Railway – Sunol Loop from Hayward is an intermediate road ride. The mission of the Pacific Locomotive Association is to be an operating railroad museum for standard gauge railroading, past, present, and future. Many of these stonework built by Chinese laborers in the late 1860s can still be seen today.[2]:87. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}37°35′38″N 121°53′23″W / 37.59389°N 121.88972°W / 37.59389; -121.88972, Niles Canyon Transcontinental Railroad Historic District, Niles Canyon Transcontinental Railroad Historic District Supplementary Listing Record, U.S. National Register of Historic Places, National Register of Historic Places portal, "Again in the field -- the Western Pacific Railroad", "Western Pacific Railroad: Daily Alta California 25 July 1869", "Niles Canyon Transcontinental Railroad Historic District", "The first through train on the Western Pacific Road: Daily Alta California 7 September 1869", "Niles Canyon Transcontinental Railroad Historic District, National Register of Historic Places Registration Form", Listing and photographs of the Pacific Locomotive Association's collection, Videos detailing various Pacific Locomotive Association events at the Niles Canyon Railway over the past several years, Santa Cruz, Big Trees and Pacific Railway, California Trolley and Railroad Corporation, Roaring Camp & Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad, List of United States railroads by political division, History of the National Register of Historic Places, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Niles_Canyon_Railway&oldid=994458253, Companies operating former Southern Pacific Transportation Company lines, National Register of Historic Places in Alameda County, California, Buildings and structures in Fremont, California, Transportation in Alameda County, California, Tourist attractions in Alameda County, California, Tourist attractions in Fremont, California, Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in California, Railway lines on the National Register of Historic Places, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Lease from County and start of reconstructiom, Railway corridor from Niles to Pleasanton, CA, No Style; Other-standard gauge railroad; Other-Warren Truss (bridge); Other-Pratt Truss (bridge); Stick (depot), This page was last edited on 15 December 2020, at 20:39. The history of the Niles Canyon Railway's route is quite historic, tracing its roots back to the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. The folks there are dedicated to the preservation of some of California's hidden … Owned by the Golden State Railroad Museum. 10K likes. Maintenance-of-Way Cars. Non-contributing resources consist of things built or altered since 1958, and include non-historic track, buildings, a gas pipeline, and a fiber optic line.[13]. [2] The Western Pacific used 500 Chinese laborers to grade and construct the rail line into the rugged canyon with its tight curves and narrow banks. For various reasons, the Central Pacific Railroad reached an agreement with the first Western Pacific Railroad (1862-1870) (not related to the later company of same name) to build the westernmost portion of the line connecting the Central Pacific in Sacramento to San Jose via Stockton and Livermore. As soon as the tickets went on sale I started the buying process because the premium tickets sell quickly. In 1998 a gentleman by the name of Andre Kristopans put together a web page highlighting virtually every unit every out-shopped by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division. ), Quincy Railroad 2-6-2T #2 (Operational. … Flickr is almost certainly the best online photo management and sharing application in the world. ), Oakland Terminal Railway DS-4-4-1000 #101 (Stored serviceable. 4 Train ID: Unknown Photo Date: February 08, 2020 The Niles Canyon Railway (NCRy) is a heritage railway running through Niles Canyon, between Sunol and the Niles district of Fremont in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States. View History. However, their most popular trips are normally during the holidays such as the Train of Lights for Christmas, fall specials, Valentine's Day Special, and spring events among others. That famous event concluded on May 10, 1869 with the celebrated "Golden Spike Ceremony" held to commemorate the completion of the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads at Promontory Summit, Utah. The folks there are dedicated to the preservation of some of California's hidden … ), U.S. Army H12-44 #1856 (Originally built by Fairbanks-Morse as U.S. Army #1856 in 1953. [12] Commercial rail operations through Niles Canyon now operate on a newer line, which is owned by Union Pacific (formerly Western Pacific) and also used by the Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) commuter train. ), Sierra Railroad 2-6-2 #30 (Future restoration. The Niles Canyon Railway (NCRy) is a heritage railway running through Niles Canyon, between Sunol and the Niles district of Fremont in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States. Southern Pacific MOW #7113. Future plans for restoration of the historic Sunol Depot include interpretive educational displays. The Niles Canyon Railway operates along a portion of the First Transcontinental Railroad constructed in the 1860s. Videos documenting both the Pacific Locomotive Association and the Golden Gate Railroad Museum on the Niles Canyon Railway by Treefrogflag Productions. The atmosphere at Niles Canyon Railway is that of nostalgia and excitement. In September 1869, the railroad from Sacramento through Alameda Cañon to the waterfront Alameda Terminal at San Francisco Bay was completed. Hear about the amazing railroad history of our valley. ), Southern Pacific S6 #1218 (Originally built by the American Locomotive Company as Southern Pacific #1251 in 1955. Flickr is almost certainly the best online photo management and sharing application in the world. Hosting is supported by UCL, Bytemark Hosting, and other partners. Construction for the upland portion of the trail will begin in the upcoming months and the trail is planned to open in 2021. The Pacific Railroad Act of 1862 authorized the Central Pacific Railroad and the Union Pacific Railroad to build the transcontinental railroad between the Missouri River and the waters of the Pacific. ), Southern Pacific GP9 #5623 (Operational. Passenger and freight trains on the line was reduced to local service only. The website contains everything from historic (fallen flags) to contemporary (Class I's, regionals, short lines, and even some museums/tourist lines) rosters, locomotive production information, technical data, all notable models cataloged by the five major builders (American Locomotive, Electro-Motive, General Electric, Fairbanks-Morse, and Baldwin), and much more. Niles Canyon Railway, Sunol, CA. Check below and also see our Map of best things to do for their precise physical locations.. Niles Canyon Railway, a “Museum on Wheels”. See this Tour and others like it, or plan your own with komoot! Both railroads were under common ownership and the CPRR slowly faded from history after this time (although, as a corporation, it survived on paper until June 30, 1959). The Golden Gate Railroad Museum announced their departure from the Niles Canyon Railway in Spring 2015, and are now moving to the Northwestern Pacific Railroad. Santa Fe MOW #139. Show off your favorite photos and videos to the world, securely and privately show content to your friends and family, or blog the photos and videos you take with a cameraphone. The story of the Dead Cow Curve which is where the 1866 picture is taken. Boarding Locations. View History. Many were pulled up in the 1970's and 1980's although others were removed long before that. Originally built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1924. The SP discontinued service in the mid-1980s and subsequently abandoned the line. In addition to all of their motive power the group also owns an impressive list of rolling stock, which they are slowly working to restore. ), Pickering Lumber Company 86-Ton, 3-Truck Heisler #5 (Future Restoration. Niles Canyon Railway, Fremont: See 117 reviews, articles, and 52 photos of Niles Canyon Railway, ranked No.5 on Tripadvisor among 33 attractions in Fremont. The Niles Canyon Railway (NCRy) is a heritage railway running through Niles Canyon, between Sunol and … Despite these improvements, the few rebuilding programs by the railroad left the Niles Canyon line with many of its original cut-stone bridge abutments, culverts, and retaining walls from the Western Pacific's original right of way. The rail line through Niles Canyon was amongst the earliest to be built in California and provided the first rail connection between San Francisco Bay and the rest of the nation. Just type in a town or city and click on the timeline of maps at the bottom of the page! In a rather rare event related to railroad abandonment part of the right-of-way sat empty for only a few years. Detailed maps and GPS navigation for the road ride: "Niles Canyon Railway – Sunol Loop from Hayward" 02:57 h 61.6 km Now East Bay Regional Park District is finalizing environmental permits for an at-grade railroad crossing on the Niles Canyon Railway and several stream crossings. In less than 30 years the PLA has amassed an impressive collection; more than half-dozen steam locomotives, four  of which are operational and more under restoration (including rare Clover Valley Lumber 2-6-6-2T Mallet #4), and even more diesels of various heritage. Today, just over 9 miles of trackage has been returned to service between Pleasanton and Niles/Fremont via Sunol. Staying Near Niles Canyon Railway In 1869, the Central Pacific Railroad, a subsidiary of which had acquired the Western Pacific and Oakland Point in 1868, restarted work on the railroad line through Alameda Cañon, also using Chinese laborers. Detailed maps and GPS navigation for the road ride: "Sunol – Niles Canyon Railway Loop from Shadow Cliffs" 02:34 h 52.8 km #1 Niles Canyon Railway Heritage Railway Updated: 2020-04-18 The Niles Canyon Railway is a heritage railway running through Niles Canyon, between Sunol and the Niles district of Fremont in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States. The project cost is estimated at $900,000. Clover Valley Lumber Company No. To learn more about dates and scheduling please visit their website. 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