Skunk Trains - The California Western Railroad
CA
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About Skunk Trains - The California Western Railroad
The World-Famous Skunk Train Step back in time for a magical ride through the redwoods on the world-famous Skunk Train. Since 1885 the historic Skunk has made its way through old-growth redwood groves, over scenic trestle bridges, through spectacular tunnels, and into the heart o
History
The line was constructed in 1885 by the Fort Bragg Redwood Company as the Fort Bragg Railroad, a 6.6‑mile track that moved coast‑redwood logs from the Glenela (Glen Blair) forest to a new sawmill in the coastal town of Fort Bragg. In 1891 the Fort Bragg Redwood Company merged into the Union Lumber Company, which retained ownership of the railroad until 1969, after which the line passed through the hands of Boise Cascade and then Georgia‑Pacific Corporation. The railroad was renamed the California Western Railroad & Navigation Company on July 1 1905, shortened to California Western Railroad on December 19 1947, and converted from steam to diesel power in 1952. Following a series of operational changes—including a 1964 head‑on railcar collision, a January 1970 derailment that destroyed diesel units 51, 52 and 54, and the cessation of all freight service in 2001—the line was sold to the Kyle Railways subsidiary Mendocino Coast Railway in June 1987, and on December 17 2003 it was purchased by the Sierra Railroad, which now operates it through its Mendocino Railway subsidiary. A partial collapse of Tunnel No. 1 on April 11 2013 triggered a major fundraising effort to restore the historic 1,200‑foot tunnel.
The Trains
The California Western Railroad runs 40 miles of standard‑gauge track between Fort Bragg on the Pacific coast and the Northwestern Pacific interchange at Willits, crossing more than 30 single‑span bridges, two mountain tunnels (Tunnel No. 1, 1,184 ft, and Tunnel No. 2, 795 ft) and following the courses of Pudding Creek and the Noyo River. Its current excursion fleet centers on Baldwin‑built steam locomotive No. 45, which hauls a set of former Erie Lackawanna 72‑foot Stillwell coaches built in 1926, while the historic gas‑powered railcars M‑80 and M‑100—nicknamed “Skunks”—remain on the roster for motor‑car service.
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