The Northwestern Pacific Railroad History Symposium (NWPRRHS) program has moved to the Book Passage in Corte Madera. The address is 51 Tamal Vista Drive, Corte Madera, CA.

The next program will TENTATIVELY be on Thursday April 9, 2020

NWPRRHS President Charlie Siebenthal will present "The North Pacific Coast Railroad Revisited - Part 2

The North Pacific Coast Railroad was constructed to develop the timber resources of Marin County and the western portion of the Russian River valley. The born in political turmoil and chronically under-funded, the NPCRR was also the economic engine behind the development of the land resources of southern and western Marin County. It was the first successful large-scale narrow gauge railroad in California and was staffed by able managers constantly struggling to keep the railroad financially viable and creative engineers who pioneered numerous technical advances in railroad engineering.

Finally succumbing to a loss of revenue due to the depletion of the available timber resources and burdened by rising costs due to aging equipment, track and ferry boats, the NPC became financially untenable. It was sold to an entrepreneurial group eager to prove the commercial viability of electric railways. Thus the road lived on as the short-lived North Shore Railroad of electric commuter railway fame which was destined to become a part of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad in 1906.

Dr. Siebenthal will re-examine his previous multi-presentation history of the NPCRR in light of his research of the past five years with new photos and new information gleaned from court documents and the pages of Marin and Sonoma County newspapers.

Open to the public without charge but a $5 per person donation is requested to defer the costs of space.

The Northwestern Pacific Railroad Historical Society will also have an assortment of treasures (DVDs, caps, shirts, mugs, books and maps) available for sale.

Doors open at 7:15 pm., with the program starting at 7:30 pm. Refreshments are availble at the Book Passage. There is no charge, although we are asking for a $5.00 donation to cover the rental costs. There is a parking lot next to the building.

NWPRRHS Annual Membership Meeting

Saturday August 1, 2020

Meeting will be held just before the BOD meeting and starts at 10:00 am.

NWPRRHS Board of Directors Meeting

Saturday August 1, 2020

Meeting will be held at the Restoration Yard on Baylis Street in Petaluma. Start time is 10:00 am.

NWPRRHS Program -- SANTA ROSA

CANCELLED - Postponed until a future date.

The next program will be on Monday January 27, 2020

Bob Battles presentation will cover mainly a brief history of steam locomotives, basic mechanics and construction, their inner workings, the physics involved in making steam, boiler appliances, various types and breeds of steam engines, how they compared with diesel locomotives and factors leading to their demise. Over 50 PowerPoint slides will be shown and it should last around 80 minutes plus an intermission.

The program is free to the public so bring a friend to Monroe Hall, 1400 West College Ave, Santa Rosa.
We do ask for a $5.00 donation to help cover rental costs.

Parking in the rear of the building.

Take 101 to the College Avenue exit. Turn west onto College Avenue. Monroe Hall is on the left just past the Safeway Store.

For further information please contact Charlie Siebenthal at 707-838-8882 or vandtrr@cs.com

Please mark this date on your calendars.

Doors open at 7:30 pm., with the program starting at 8. Refreshments will be served. There is no charge, although donations to cover the cost of renting Monroe Hall are welcome.

If you wish to receive an email reminder of each program please send an email entitled "WN list" to Charlie Siebenthal at vandtrr@cs.com your email address will be held confidential.

Restoration and Archive Work Schedule

Postponed until at least August.

Follow this link to see the work schedule for 2020.