The Sierra Northern Railway is a

common carrier A common carrier in common law countries (corresponding to a public carrier in some civil law (legal system), civil law systems,Encyclopædia Britannica CD 2000 "Civil-law public carrier" from "carriage of goods" usually called simply a ''carrier ...

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

company operating in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. The company owns several

rights of way A right of way (also right-of-way) is a specific route that people, animals, vehicles, watercraft, or utility lines travel, or the legal status that gives them the right to do so. Rights-of-way in the physical sense include controlled-access h ...

originating from those of the former Sacramento Northern Railroad, Northern Electric Railway, Sierra Railway Company Of California,

Western Pacific Railroad 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 dire ...

, and Yolo Shortline Railroad. It handles all freight operations and track maintenance for its parent company, the Sierra Railroad Company. The tracks that are maintained by Sierra Northern are also used by the Sierra Railroad Company's tourist trains.

History

In August 2003, the Sierra Railroad and the Yolo Shortline Railroad merged to form the Sierra Northern Railway. According to the AAR, the line operates of track in

. It serves a number of industrial areas in the state and interchanges with the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

, the

BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three Transcontinental railroad, transcontine ...

and the Northwestern Pacific Railroad. In 2022, the company signed a 30-year lease to operate over the Santa Paula Branch Line, formerly operated by the Fillmore and Western Railway.

Routes

The company operates trains over two primary routes: * Riverbank, California to

Sonora, California Sonora is the only incorporated city in Tuolumne County, California, United States, of which it is also the county seat. Founded during the California Gold Rush by Mexican miners from Sonora (after which the city is named), the city population ...

– *

Woodland, California Woodland is a city in and the county seat of Yolo County, California, United States. Located approximately northwest of Sacramento, it is a part of the Sacramento metropolitan area. The population continues to grow every year, with a growth ra ...

West Sacramento, California West Sacramento (also known as West Sac) is a city in Yolo County, California, United States. The city is separated from Sacramento, California, Sacramento by the Sacramento River, which also separates Sacramento County, California, Sacramento a ...

–

Junctions with other railroads

The Oakdale and West Sacramento (Lovdale)–Woodland lines have junctions with

and

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad is a Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United States after BNSF, ...

. The Fort Bragg–Willits line, which has been closed since the collapse of a tunnel in 2012, has a junction with the defunct Northwestern Pacific Railroad in Willits.

References

External links

Sierra Northern Railway
California railroads Transportation in Mendocino County, California Transportation in Sacramento, California Transportation in Stanislaus County, California Transportation in Yolo County, California Oakdale, California West Sacramento, California Woodland, California {{California-transport-stub

History

Routes

Junctions with other railroads

See also

References

External links