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Friends, While searching online I encountered a set of six photos taken by the McCurry Company of the then-new M-Street Bridge in Sacramento (from the California State Library and Archives). Photo #6 showed a construction train headed by NE 1, apparently on the new grade that joined the NE to the OA&E. A two-car electric train is inbound from Woodland at the extreme right. The photo I have attached is a detailed shot from the much larger original. It is one of the best views I have seen of an NE steam locomotive. As a bonus, the flat car behind the tender is NE 1160. Yours Aye, Garth Groff ??????? (Scotland Forever!)

With my regards, I send you a 20 page article on the Sacramento Northern Depot and operations in Chico courtesy of the Chico State Library. It even has a picture.of the substation and a map of the track and layout of the yard. You can see the details of the inside of Mulberry Shops while derelict.

Friends, While wandering through Wikimedia, I chanced upon two Bill Larkins photos of SN 405 tied up at the Oroville freight station. They were too good not to share, as the SN Oroville operations were not often photographed. (Photos 1 & 2) The Oroville Branch was originally connected to the mainline at Tres Vias near Chico. On 10 December 10 1937 as the Feather River rose in flood. The SN bridge west of Oroville was partly washed away. The bridge was deemed too expensive to replace, so track on the river's west side was cut back to Thermalito. The section between the river and Oroville was abandoned. The industries in Oroville were reached via the WP interchange, and an SN freight motor (or two) was stationed in the city. The work probably fell to flat motor 403, later aided by 402 (see the attached 1940 Jenkins Photo from my collection). During the Depression years, most of the flat motors had been stored out-of-service at Chico. When WWII began, these machines were returned to service mainly as switchers to free more powerful motors for heavier trains. Motors 404 and 405 were sent to Oakland in 1942 and 1943 respectively where they worked for the allied Oakland Terminal Railway under lease. They were equipped with monsterous Key System pantographs mounted directly on their roofs instead of the SN's little towers. Now they could reach the Key Route's wire, but squeeze under the infamous SP bridge near Emeryville. Eventually the flat motors were replaced by Baldwin steeple cabs 440 and 442, which explains why all these 600-volt machines were so often photographed in Oakland. Upon return north, 405 became the regular Oroville motor, retaining its Key pantograph for some reason. It was the last of the flat motors in service, and the only one to receive orange "scare stripes" (photo 4, from my collection). Electric service at Oroville ended on 14 April 1954. Motor 405 was then scrapped, though I was told the body survived as a farm shed near Chico for many years. Yours Aye, Garth Groff ?

Nick and friends, Long story. About a year before he passed away, Jeff Moreau gave me a packet of papers he said he didn't understand. They are carbon copies of correspondence setting up the WP/SN Merchandise Service. I have always wanted to write this story for the WPHS HEADLIGHT, but have almost no information on when the service ended, and no photos of the express boxcars on a passenger train (I have a single shot in my collection of one in an SN freight, see attached). So here is a summary: During the mid-to-late 1930s the WP was concerned about the amount of freight house business they were losing to truckers operating over newly paved state highways, both licensed operators and pirates. The cream of this business was in merchandise moving from manufacturers and large wholesalers in the San Francisco/Oakland area to retail merchants in Sacramento and the smaller upper valley cities. So the railroad kicked around various schemes to counter the loss. One idea was to use WP baggage cars cut into and out of passenger trains to speed up deliveries. One important consideration was moving the 60-foot cars around tight curves at the SN's downtown freight stations (150-foot radius in Sacramento). During a test in mid-1937 a WP baggage car was switched into the SN's 2nd & M Street freight house, or at least they tried. The car derailed on the curve. Then the WP officers realized that they only owned 20 baggage cars, and nearly all were needed for regular service. So tight curves and a lack of equipment scuppered the project temporarily. By early 1941 the WP and SN had worked out an alternate plan and was ready to go. Fifteen of their recently-purchased 20001-series steel boxcars were chosen at random and renumbered with "2" added at the front of their numbers. They were given steam and signal lines, upgraded steel wheels, and painted Pullman green with yellow lettering and a snappy yellow stripe along the floor line. The cars were 220071, 220084, 22085, 220086, 220089, 220092, 220105, 220106, 220108, 220136, 220146, 220149, 220159, 220176 and 220194. Service began on Friday 28 March 1941. Only 12 cars were needed to keep the service moving, but three extras were on hand in case of repairs, missed return connections, and perhaps optimistically heavy Christmas service. The latter did not come to pass and lean times were soon upon the whole country. The cars were homed in San Francisco. Merchants who wanted the expedited service had to wire or call in their orders so the suppliers could deliver the goods by the close of their business day to the WP freight station. Then four cars were pulled and given priority loading. Next they were moved across the bay on the first available car float to the Oakland freight house for topping up. The next morning the four cars were cut into Train 12, the eastbound Feather River Express, behind the locomotive for a noon departure. The first boxcar was dropped at the WP station in Sacramento where a switcher would hustle it over to SN tracks for unloading at the 2nd and M Street freight house. Any shipments for Woodland would be delivered by truck the next day. The second and third cars were dropped at Marysville. One went to the SN's downtown Marysville freight station, and the second was added to the SN night freight at Yuba City for Chico the next morning. The last car was dropped at the WP depot in Oroville, and was moved via the SN to their downtown freight station. By this time the SN bridge over the Feather River had been washed out, and the SN tracks were operated as an isolated island. The Merchandise cars were supposed to get priority unloading, and the empties were sent back to Oakland via freight train 53. They were then shuttled back across the Bay for cleaning to be ready for the next loading. Cars were loaded in San Francisco Monday through Friday. Cars were not loaded on Saturdays, Sundays or legal holidays. This basically provided 48-hour delivery (except on Sundays and holidays) to downtown freight houses in the target cities, so retailers could pick up their goods at the freigh