May: Niles Canyon Railway
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The M-200 "Skunk" diesel motorcar is unlike anything else on the railroad. It was built in 1926 for a short-line railroad and gained famed on the California Western between Willits and Fort Bragg where woodsmen claimed they could smell its exhaust in the mountain air before they could see or hear it coming. Road Name: California Western Type: 6-46 Builder: Skagit Iron Works Year: 1926
Western Pacific 918-D F7 Diesel Locomotive
WP 918-D is an EMD F7, serial number 8973, built on January 27, 1950. She is powered by a 16 cylinder EMD engine and has 1500 horsepower. 918 is one of 48 F7's ordered by WP (24 "A" units and 24 "B" units). 913 - 921 were built in 1950 while the 922 - 924 four unit A-B-B-A sets were built a year later. 918-D met her end on the Western Pacific on March 30, 1981 while heading eastbound over Altmont pass. She was the trailing unit of the San Jose Turn and managed to have her main electrical cabinet catch on fire. Before much could be done, most of the wiring in the cabinet was in ruins. After being deemed "uneconomical to repair", she was unceremoniously parked next to the Stockton roundhouse to be used as a parts source for the 2 other F units still on the roster. A member of the Pacific Locomotive Association ( Jim Evans by name) wrote the W.P. and asked for the donation of a F unit. We were offered this one as the other 2 (917 and 921) were still in service (the 913 had been donated to the CSRM in 1981). Never being afraid to accept a challenge or blissfully unaware of severity of her condition, the club decided to accept the 918 (on 12/1/81) and it was delivered to Castro Point on June 19, 1982.
Builder GM EMD, La Grange, IL Construction No. 18169 Date April, 1953 Type GP-7 Wheel Arrgmt. B-B Power Diesel-Electric Gross Weight 123 tons Horsepower 1500 History – Built new as Western Pacific Railroad No. 713 (Dual-control cab); retired January 1983, Salt Lake City, UT – Donated to the PLA by the Western Pacific, January 1984 – In service, Niles Canyon Railway, Sunol, CA
No. 999081 Santa Fe 1942 AT&SF Shops Cupola, Steel
Niles Canyon Railway Dedication Plaque
In 1869, the first Transcontinental Railroad passed this spot on its way to the shore of the San Francisco Bay. In 1984, the Southern Pacific Railroad abandonded this historic line between Niles and Tracy, California. Volunteers of the Pacific Locomotive Association have rebuilt the portion of the line between Suno and Niles, so that future generations may enjoy a ride over this important link in America's railroad heritage. Dedicated to commemorate the One Hundred and Twenty-Fifth anniversary of the completion of the original Transcontinental Railroad. September 10, 1994 Joaquin Murrieta, Chapter 13 E Clampus Vitus