Riding the California Western from Willits to Fort Bragg in 1992

The California Western Railroad was originally built in 1885 by the Fort Bragg Lumber Company as the Fort Bragg Railroad. In 1904, passenger service was inaugurated. On July 1, 1905, the railroad was renamed the California Western Railroad & Navigation Company. The railroad was completed to Willits and a connection with the Northwestern Pacific Railroad on December 11, 1911.

Self-propelled gas-powered railcars were added for passenger service in 1925, they were nicknamed "skunks" because of the smell of their exhaust. The "skunks" soon took over passenger service, and regular steam-powered passenger train service ended in November 1929.  On December 19, 1947, the name was shortened to California Western Railroad. In June 1987, the California Western was sold to Kyle Railways.

These pictures of California Western motorcar M-300’s control stand were taken on March 18, 1992, as it sat at the depot in Willits, California, waiting for departure time for the return trip to Fort Bragg.

The trip from Fort Bragg to Willits was covered in a previous post.

Here is a view from the train as it approaches Tunnel #2. This tunnel is 795 feet long and was completed in 1911.

Here is a view from the train as it approaches Tunnel #1. The train is on a trestle over the Noyo River right up until it enters the tunnel. The tunnel is 1,100 feet long and was completed in 1893.