Батыс Темір Жол Мұражайы: Калифорния тарихы мен электр көлігінің жинағы

The Western Railway Museum, in Solano County, California is located on Highway 12 between Rio Vista and Suisun. The museum is built along the former mainline of the
Sacramento Northern Railway. Their collection focuses on trolleys, as it is primarily a museum of interurban transit equipment. The Western Railway Museum has the largest collection of Sacramento Northern Railway equipment in existence, and the museum also operates a line of the former Sacramento Northern as a heritage railway with scheduled excursions for visitors. Originally named the California Railway Museum, it was renamed the Western Railway Museum at the beginning of 1985. The museum is operated by the Bay Area Electric Railroad Association (BAERA), a non profit organization.

The Bay Area Electric Railroad Association was started by a group of San Francisco Bay Area rail fans in 1946. The group was specifically interested in electric traction, more than main line railroads. Other groups such as the California/Nevada Historical Society usually had meetings and excursions on main line subjects. BAERA held monthly social meetings, frequently showing members slides and movies to the group. The BAERA also had excursions on the many street car lines and Interurbans in the Bay Area. As a result of an excursion over the Key System the Association purchased Key System 271 a wooden street car that had started out in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. Soon other cars were given by members or purchased for the Association. These included Sacramento Northern 62, a Birney street car built in 1920. The car ran local service in Chico, California until 1947 and had the last 5 cent fare in the State of California. A number of passenger and work cars were obtained when the Key System abandoned operation of its last rail line across the Bay Bridge in 1958. But time, money and effort needed in constantly moving the equipment from place convinced the members that a permanent location for their railway museum was needed. Property was located at Rio Vista Junction, a former station stop along the Sacramento Northern Railway near Suisun, California in 1960. BAERA became a 501(c)(3) non profit educational corporation in the 1960s, and created as its major project the California Railway Museum. At the beginning of 1985, the museum was renamed the Western Railway Museum, to avoid confusion with the California State Railroad Museum. The Association owns about 100 pieces of railroad equipment, mainly from the electric railroads of the West, but also several Western Pacific Railroad pieces including two steam locomotives. Equipment is in a wide range of conditions, and some equipment is maintained fully operational. For example, Petaluma and Santa Rosa 63, Peninsular Railway 52, Salt Lake and Utah 751, and Sacramento Northern 62. The interurban car Sacramento Northern 1005 (originally Oakland, Antioch and Eastern 1005) has been a focus of restoration activity in the last 10 years. The BAERA operated many excursions in its early years, and this car was used quite frequently. It was often hauled around in freight trains to reach an excursion site, and sometimes suffered damage in these trips, including a badly bent frame in June 1962. The damage has been repaired and the car has been restored to its 1934 configuration. The collection also includes a railroad line. This is a section of the original Sacramento Northern Railway from Montezuma (near Collinsville) north to Dozier, also a newer rail line west from Dozier to Cannon (near Vacaville). The railroad was acquired with rails and ties intact, however the electrification had been removed in 1953. The Association is reinstalling the electrification from Rio Vista Junction southward, currently reaching Bird's Landing Road, about six miles.

Interurban Car Condition Notes Bamberger #400 Awaiting restoration Cedar Rapids & Iowa City #111 Operational Central California Traction Co. #010 Awaiting restoration Body only Key System #182 operationalRecently repaired. Key System #186 Stored Key System #187 Operational Oakland, Antioch & Eastern #1020 operational Former SN motor #1020 restored as trailer Oregon Electric #1001 Champoeg Cosmetically restored Restored as trailer usable in train Pacific Electric #457 Awaiting restoration Body and trucks only Peninsular Railway #52 Operational Peninsular Railway #61 Awaiting restoration Petaluma & Santa Rosa #63 Operational Portland Traction Co. #4001 Operational Restored in 2015 Richmond Shipyard Railway #561 Operational Richmond Shipyard Railway #563 Cosmetically restored Sacramento Northern "Bidwell" Awaiting restoration body only Sacramento Northern #1005 Operational Recently restored Salt Lake & Utah #751 Operational Salt Lake, Garfield & Western #306 Incomplete restoration San Francisco & Napa Valley #63 Awaiting restoration San Francisco Sacramento #1019 Awaiting restoration Former SN motor #1019 Interurban Electric Railway #358 Awaiting restoration Body only Interurban Electric Railway #600 Awaiting restoration Body only Interurban Electric Railway #602 Awaiting restoration Body only Interurban Electric Railway #603 Awaiting restoration Body only Tidewater Southern #200 Awaiting restoration San Diego Trolley #1017 Operational San Diego Trolley #1018 Operational Los Angeles Metro Rail #164 operational Acquired April 2023

Locomotive Locomotive Type Condition Notes Central California Traction Co. #7 electric box motor operational Kennecott Copper Corporation #407 electric steeple cab displayed Kenecott Copper Corporation #700 electric steeple cab displayed Kenecott Copper Corporation #771 batter operated steeple cab stored Key System #1001 electric steeple cab operational Example Sacramento Northern #146 44 ton diesel under restoration Sacramento Northern #602 electric box motor awaiting restoration Sacramento Northern #652 electric steeple cab cosmetically restored Sacramento Northern #654 electric steeple cab operational Salt Lake Garfield & Western DS2 44 ton diesel awaiting restoration San Francisco & Napa Valley #100 electric box motor awaiting restoration body and trucks only Visalia Electric #502 44 ton diesel operational Western Pacific #94 4 6 0 steam locomotive displayed Western Pacific #334 2 8 2 steam locomotive stored

Car Car Type Condition Notes East Bay Transit Co. #1011 wrecker operational displayed Key System #1014 wrecker awaiting restoration body only Key System #1201 line car operational Key System #1215 shop switcher out or service Key System #1218 line car awaiting restoration Sacramento Northern #1 portable substation operational San Francisco Municipal Railway #0109 rail grinder operational stored

Car Car Type Condition Oakland Antioch & Eastern #2002 flat car restored Central California Traction #1017 flat car incomplete restoration Central California Traction Co #2001 box car restored Central California Traction Co. #3001 box car restored Denver & Rio Grande Western #63383 box car restored Great Northern #X 344 caboose incomplete restoration Pacific Fruit Express #20420 Refrigerator Car awaiting restoration Richmond Fredericksburg & Potomac #2289 box car restored Sacramento Northern Railway #1632 caboose restored Sacramento Northern Railway #2314 box car awaiting restoration Sacramento Northern Railroad #2136 box car awaiting restoration Shell #SCCX 662 tank car restored Southern Pacific #150340 gondola awaiting restoration Western Pacific #10429 hopper car restored Western Pacific #1025 tank car awaiting restoration Western Pacific #741 caboose awaiting restoration

Visitors can take a 1.5 mile (2 km) street car ride and/or a 10 mile (16 km) Interurban ride, picnic at the shaded grounds, browse in the Bookstore and view small exhibits in the Visitor center. Also in the Visitor center is the Depot Cafe and F. M. Smith Library and Archives, which are open two days a month for research and browsing. Also available are self guided car house tours and guided car house tours. The museum is open on weekends throughout the year and for extended hours during the summer. On some October weekends, it operates trains (usually Key System Bridge Units 182 and 187) to the Pumpkin Patch Festival at the Gum Grove Station.