Niles Canyon Railway

The Niles Canyon Railway (abbreviated as the NCRy) is a heritage railway that was originally built by the Western Pacific Railroad (1862-1870), and opened to the public in 1869. After going through several owners and operators over the past century, it now serves as a living history museum interpreting the importance of heritage railroads in the development of California and to increase public education, enjoyment, and appreciation of the significance of America’s western railroads.
== History ==
In September, 1869, four months after the famous golden spike ceremony at Promontory Summit, Utah, the Central Pacific Railroad completed the transcontinental rail link between Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay, finishing the track started by the first Western Pacific Railroad Company through the canyon.The Central Pacific had acquired the Western Pacific and other local railroads and built track to connect them at a waterfront terminal at Alameda Point.
The Central Pacific constructed a freight terminal at the west end of the canyon and a town quickly sprang up around it. The town was named for Addison C. Niles, a prominent judge and former railroad attorney.
The Central Pacific eventually became part of the Southern Pacific Railroad system. Over the years, the Southern Pacific invested heavily in a main line to the north through Benicia and Martinez with the tracks in the canyon becoming a secondary main line.
Steam locomotives pulled trains through Niles Canyon for eighty years before diesel locomotives took over their work in the 1950s. In 1984, after almost twelve decades of railroading in the canyon, the Southern Pacific ceased operating trains on the right-of-way, pulled up the tracks, and deeded the land to Alameda County.
In 1987, the Pacific Locomotive Association entered into an agreement with the county and began rebuilding the rail line. In May 1988, almost 122 years after the first Western Pacific excursion, the Pacific Locomotive Association brought railroad passenger operations back to life in Niles Canyon.
The Niles Canyon Railway currently provides steam, diesel, and motorcar rides to the public year-round between Sunol, California and Niles in Fremont, California.
== Owned Locomotives ==
=== Steam Locomotives ===
Photograph	Locomotive 	Build date	Manufacturer 	Status
 	Quincy Railroad Co. No. 2 	1924 	American Locomotive Company (ALCO)	Stored
 	Robert Dollar Co. No. 3 	1927 	American Locomotive Company (ALCO)	Operational
 	Clover Valley Lumber Company No. 4	1924 	Baldwin Locomotive Works 	Operational
Frameless 	Pickering Lumber Co No. 5 	1913 	Heisler Locomotive Works 	Stored
Frameless 	Pickering Lumber Co No. 12 	1903 	Lima Locomotive Works 	Stored
 	Sierra Railway No. 30 	1922 	Baldwin Locomotive Works 	Undergoing a restoration
 	Southern Pacific No. 1269 	1921 	Southern Pacific Railroad 	Stored
 	Southern Pacific No. 1744 	1901 	Baldwin Locomotive Works 	Undergoing a restoration
 	Southern Pacific No. 2479 	1923 	Baldwin Locomotive Works 	Undergoing a restoration
=== Diesel Locomotives ===
Photograph	Locomotive 	Build date	Manufacturer 	Locomotive Type: 	Status
Frameless 	Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe #462	1943 	General Electric 	GE 44-ton switcher 	Stored
Frameless 	Oakland Terminal Railway #101 	1948 	Baldwin Locomotive Works 	Baldwin DS-4-4-1000 	Stored
 	Southern Pacific #1218 	April 1955	American Locomotive Company (ALCO)	ALCO S-6 	Undergoing a restoration
 	Southern Pacific #1423 	1949 	Electro-Motive Division 	EMD NW2 	Operational
Frameless 	Southern Pacific #5472 	1956 	Electro-Motive Division 	EMD SD9 	Operational
 	Southern Pacific #5623 	1955 	Electro-Motive Division 	EMD GP9 	Operational
 	Southern Pacific #9010 	1964 	Krauss-Maffei 	Krauss-Maffei ML-4000	Operational
Frameless 	U.S. Army #1856 	1953 	Fairbanks-Morse 	FM H-12-44 	Operational
Frameless 	U.S. Army #7348 	1942 	General Electric 	GE 65-ton switcher 	Operational
 	Western Pacific #713 	1953 	Electro-Motive Division 	EMD GP7 	Operational
Frameless 	Western Pacific #918D 	1950 	Electro-Motive Division 	EMD F7 	Operational
Frameless 	Southern Pacific #1195 	1954 	Electro-Motive Division 	EMD SW900 	Operational
=== Motorcars ===
Photograph	Motorcar 	Build date 	Manufacturer 	Type 	Status
 	Western Pacific M-601 	1928 	Western Pacific Sacramento Shops 	2-A 	Stored
 	California Western M-200	January 1926	Skagit Steel & Iron Works, MAC Division	6-46 Motor Car	Operational
== Visitors ==
=== Steam Locomotives ===
Photograph	Locomotive 	Build date	Manufacturer 	Status
 	Columbia River Belt Line No. 7 "Skookum"	June 1909 	Baldwin Locomotive Works	Operational
 	Santa Cruz Portland Cement No. 2 	1909 	H.K. Porter, Inc. 	Operational
 	Mason County Logging Co. No. 7 	1910 	 	
== Former Locomotives ==
=== Steam Locomotives ===
Photograph	Locomotive 	Build date	Manufacturer 	Status
 	Jones & Laughlin Steel No. 59	April 1941	H.K. Porter, Inc.	It's boiler and remaining extant parts were sent to the J&L Narrow Gauge Railway in 2015.
Category:NCRy Locomotives
Category:Niles Canyon Railway
Category:Heritage Railroads
Category:Heritage Railways
Category:United States