View source for California Western Railroad

{{Short description|Heritage railroad in Mendocino County, California, US}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox rail line
| box_width                       = 
| name                            = California Western Railroad
| other_name                      = 
| color                           = 
| logo                            = Skunk_train_logo.PNG
| logo_width                      = 
| logo_alt                        = 
| image                           = Skunk train map2.png
| image_width                     = 300
| image_alt                       = 
| caption                         = Map of the California Western Railroad (created using [https://web.archive.org/web/20081205020547/http://www.nationalatlas.gov/ nationalatlas.gov])
| type                            = [[Heritage railway]]
| system                          = CWR
| status                          = 
| locale                          = [[Mendocino County, California]], U.S.
| start                           = Ft. Bragg
| end                             = Willits
| stations                        = 
| routes                          = 2
| daily_ridership                 = 
| ridership2                      = 60,000 (2018)<ref>{{cite news |last1=Callahan |first1=Mary |title=Skunk Train deal for bluff property could spur Fort Bragg's remodel |url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/8736979-181/skunk-train-deal-for-bluff?sba=AAS |access-date=12 June 2020 |agency=The Press Democrat |date=17 September 2018}}</ref>
| open                            = 1885 as Fort Bragg Railroad
| event1label                     = Sold
| event1                          = 2003
| event2label                     = 
| event2                          = 
| event3label                     = 
| event3                          = 
| close                           = 
| owner                           = [[Sierra Railroad]]
| operator                        = 
| character                       = 
| depot                           = [[Fort Bragg, California]],  [[Willits, California]]
| stock                           = 
| linelength_mi                   = 40
| tracklength_km                  = 
| tracklength_mi                  = 
| tracklength                     = 
| tracks                          = 
| gauge                           = {{track gauge|ussg|allk=on}}
| old_gauge                       = 
| load_gauge                      = 
| minradius                       = 
| speed_km/h                      = 
| speed_mph                       = 
| speed                           = 
| elevation_ft                    = 1740
| website                         = https://www.skunktrain.com/
| map                             = {{California Western Railroad}}
| map_name                        = Skunk Train Route
| map_state                       = show
}}

[[File:Calif Western June 6th 2010 024xRP - Flickr - drewj1946.jpg|thumb|[[California Western 45]] photo special eastbound at the first crossing of the [[Noyo River]], 2009]]
The '''California Western Railroad''' {{reporting mark|CWR}}, AKA Mendocino Railway, popularly called the '''Skunk Train''', is a [[rail freight]] and [[heritage railway|heritage railroad]] transport railway in [[Mendocino County, California]], United States, running from the railroad's headquarters in the coastal town of [[Fort Bragg, California|Fort Bragg]] to the interchange with the [[Northwestern Pacific Railroad]] at [[Willits, California|Willits]].

The CWR runs steam- and diesel-powered trains and rail motor cars through [[Coast Redwood|Redwood]] forests along Pudding Creek and the [[Noyo River]]. Along the way, the tracks cross some 30 single bridges and trestles and pass through two deep mountain tunnels. The halfway point, short of [[Northspur, California|Northspur]], is a popular meal and beverage spot for the railroad's passengers.

==History==
The railroad was originally built by the Fort Bragg Redwood Company as the Fort Bragg Railroad in 1885 to carry [[coast redwood]] logs from the dense forests at Glenela (Glen Blair) to a newly built lumber mill located {{Convert|6.6|mi|km}} to the west at coastal Fort Bragg. Fort Bragg Redwood Company was incorporated into the new Union Lumber Company in 1891; railroad ownership remained with the parent lumber company until 1969. Chinese tunnel builders completed {{convert|1,184|ft|m|adj=on}} Tunnel No. 1 from Pudding Creek to the [[Noyo River]] in 1893. Rails had been extended up the Noyo River to Alpine by 1904 when passenger service began with a [[stagecoach]] connection to the inland town of Willits. On July 1, 1905, the railroad was renamed the '''California Western Railroad & Navigation Company''' and shipped lumber on a fleet of steam schooners, first with wooden hulls and later with steel, until shipboard transportation of lumber ended in 1940.{{sfnp|Tahja|2008|pp=3-8, 40}}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"
 |+ List of CWR&NC Schooners
 ! Name !! Shipyards !! Hull !! Entered service !! Service ended !! Reason
 |-
 | ''Noyo'' || Humboldt Bay || Wood || 1888 || 1914 || Shipwrecked off [[Point Arena, California|Point Arena]]
 |-
 | ''Brunswick'' || Oregon || Wood || 1903 || 1931 || Sold
 |-
 | ''National City'' || Unknown || Wood || 1906 || 1918 || Sold in Peru
 |-
 | ''Arctic'' || Oregon || Wood || 1908 || 1922 || Shipwrecked off Point Arena
 |-
 | ''Coquille River'' || Oregon{{efn-la|name=fn1}} || Wood || 1908 || 1925 || Sold
 |-
 | ''Noyo II'' || Seattle || Steel || 1913 || 1935 || Shipwrecked off Point Arena
 |-
 | ''Noyo III'' || Unknown || Steel || 1935 || 1940 || Sold in Thailand
 |-
 | colspan="6" | {{notelist-la|refs={{efn-la|name=fn1|Built in 1896 and purchased later from original owner}}}}
|}

Rails were gradually extended up the Noyo River [[headwall]] with a 3.3 percent grade and five 33-degree [[horseshoe curve]]s with a railway distance of {{convert|6.5|mile|km}} to climb {{convert|932|ft|m}} over the straight-line distance of {{convert|1.5|mile|km}} from Soda Springs to the summit. Completion of {{convert|795|ft|m|adj=on}} tunnel #2 on December 11, 1911{{sfnp|Tahja|2008|pp=3-8}} allowed interchange connection with the [[Northwestern Pacific Railroad]] at Willits, 40 rail miles (64&nbsp;km) from Fort Bragg.{{sfnp|LeBaron|2003}}

The rail connection to Fort Bragg was very popular for passengers traveling to and from [[San Francisco]]. Union Lumber Company selected premium grade clear [[redwood]] lumber (without [[Knot (wood)|knots]]) to build a [[Tyrolean Alps]]-style depot in 1916 where passengers changed trains at Willits. A [[Pullman car]] began operating between Fort Bragg and San Francisco in May, 1921; and this steam passenger train continued operating in addition to the Skunk railbus schedule until November, 1929.{{sfnp|Crump|1998|pp=64, 65, 74-75}}

In 1916 a {{convert|17.6|mile|km|adj=on}} [[Forest railway|logging branch line]] was built northward along the [[Pacific]] coast from Fort Bragg to the [[Ten Mile River (California)|Ten Mile River]] and up the middle fork of the river to Camp 6. A {{convert|4.4|mile|km|adj=on}} branch extended up the north fork of the Ten Mile River to Clark Fork Landing. Trains brought logs from the Ten Mile River to the Fort Bragg sawmill until the rails were replaced by a road for logging trucks in 1949. Much of the former railroad grade between Fort Bragg and the Ten Mile River is presently used as a [[MacKerricher State Park]] coastal trail; and an unused trestle is visible from [[California State Route 1]] on the beach at the mouth of Pudding Creek.<ref>{{google maps|url=https://www.google.com/maps/@39.4585209,-123.8064393,3a,75y,287.66h,86.28t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sm9yGpHl_Sfdw4i63kOI8Xw!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3Dm9yGpHl_Sfdw4i63kOI8Xw%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D135.74416%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192| title=1183 Shoreline Hwy, Fort Bragg, California}}</ref> The original rail line to Glen Blair operated as a branch line from Glen Blair Junction at the west portal of tunnel #1 until dismantled in 1942.{{sfnp|Tahja|2008|pp=45-46}}

[[File:CALIFORNIA WESTERN RAILROAD - NARA - 542899.jpg|thumb|California Western Railroad gas railcar M100. May 1972.]]
On December 19, 1947, the railroad name was shortened to the '''California Western Railroad.''' In 1952, the railroad retired all of its [[steam locomotive]]s in favor for [[diesel locomotives|diesel power]]. On September 26, 1964 westbound railcar M-80, carrying 32 members of San Mateo Masonic Lodge No. 226 on a sightseeing excursion, ran past its scheduled meeting place to collide head-on with eastbound railcar M-100, carrying 41 members of the Aircraft Pilot's Club of Oakland. The incident sent nine of the westbound occupants to the local hospital with serious injuries.<ref>{{Cite news| title=Nine Peninsula Masons Injured In Train Crash| date=1964-09-28| work=San Mateo Times| page=19| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73522019/the-times/| via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> Union Lumber and its California Western Railroad came under the ownership of the various lumber producers, including [[Boise Cascade]] (1969), and later [[Georgia-Pacific Corporation]] (G-P). A January 1970, derailment on the horseshoe curves destroyed diesel locomotives 51, 52 and 54.{{sfnp|Crump|1998|pp=60, 145}} The engineer and fireman were able to jump clear when the air brakes failed on a downgrade train.{{sfnp|Tahja|2008|pp=43-44}} G-P initially leased the CWR's operations to Kyle Railways, but in June 1987 the CWR was sold to the Kyle Railways subsidiary Mendocino Coast Railway. Mendocino Coast Railway continued to operate the CWR under the California Western name.  No longer able to make a profit when the G-P mill began to reduce operations and finally closed altogether, Kyle Railways opted to sell the financially starved CWR. On December 17, 2003 the California Western Railroad was rescued when it was bought by the [[Sierra Railroad]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 22, 2004 |title=Rail News - Sierra Railroad can call the 'Skunk Train' its own. For Railroad Career Professionals |url=https://www.progressiverailroading.com/m_a/news/Sierra-Railroad-can-call-the-Skunk-Train-its-own--11322 |access-date=2022-06-13 |website=Progressive Railroading |language=en}}</ref> The Skunk Train is owned and operated by Mendocino Railway, a subsidiary of the Sierra Railroad.

==Route==
[[File:Skunktrain.jpg|right|thumb|Road sign in Willits advertising the Skunk Train. Train tracks and warning signs in front.]]
{|class="wikitable"
!Milepost
!Feature{{sfnp|Tahja|2008|pp=17-29}}
!Notes
|-
|0
|[[Fort Bragg, California|Fort Bragg]]
|depot built in 1924
|-
|1.0
|[[Pudding Creek, California|Pudding Creek]]
|this pond was used as a water supply for the sawmill [[hydraulic debarker]]
|-
|3.4
|[[Glen Blair Junction, California|Glen Blair Junction]]
|{{convert|1122|ft|m|adj=on}} Tunnel #1 (currently closed)
|-
|6.6
|South Fork
|river gravel was collected here for use as [[track ballast]]
|-
|-
|7.3
|Rockpit
|another source of track ballast
|-
|9.0
|Ranch
|Union Lumber Company raised beef and mutton here to feed their woods crews
|-
|10.0
|Redwood Lodge
|site of a resort destroyed by fire in 1963
|-
|12.7
|Grove
|
|-
|15.0 
|Camp 3
|a logging camp
|-
|16.0
|Camp 4
|a logging camp
|-
|16.4
|[[Camp Noyo, California|Camp Noyo]]
|operated by [[Boy Scouts of America]] 
|-
|18.1 
|[[Alpine, Mendocino County, California|Alpine]]
|site of a hotel, school, and post office from 1905 until destroyed by fire in 1919
|-
|19.0
|Camp Mendocino
|operated by the Boys and Girls Club of San Francisco
|-
|20.0
|Camp 7
|a logging camp
|-
|20.5
|Noyo Lodge
|
|-
|21.3
|[[Northspur, California|Northspur]]
|wye for turning trains
|-
|23.9
|[[Irmulco, California|Irmulco]]
|site of the Irvine & Muir Lumber Company town from 1908 to 1927
|-
|26.8
|[[Shake City, California|Shake City]]
|site of a roofing shake manufacturing facility destroyed by fire in the 1950s
|-
|27.7
|Burbeck
|
|-
|28.7
|Soda Springs
|[[horseshoe curve]]s
|-
|30.4 
|[[Clare Mill, California|Clare Mill]]
|horseshoe curve
|-
|32.6
|Crowley
|horseshoe curve
|-
|33.8
|Crater
|horseshoe curve
|-
|35.4 
|Summit
|elevation {{convert|1740|ft|m}} in {{convert|795|ft|m|adj=on}} Tunnel #2
|-
|37.5
|[[Rodgers, California|Rodgers]]
|[[California State Route 20]] grade crossing
|-
|38.6
|Sage Spur
|sawmill
|-
|40.0
|[[Willits Depot|Willits]]
|historic [[redwood]] [[Tyrolean Alps]]-style depot
|-
|}

==Freight traffic==
The railroad owned 199 freight cars in 1912, including 156 [[flatcar]]s for logs and lumber, six [[tank car]]s for locomotive fuel oil, three [[boxcar]]s, a [[Stock car (rail)|stock car]], and some [[Track ballast|ballast]] cars. California Western leased [[steel]] freight cars from other railroads when these wooden cars became unsuitable for [[Interchange (freight rail)|interchange service]]. Most of the old wooden cars were [[scrap]]ped when the Ten Mile River branch was dismantled in 1949, but a few remained in use for [[maintenance of way]] service and to move lumber around the Fort Bragg sawmill yard.{{sfnp|Crump|1998|pp=65, 90, 98}}

In the late 1980s, the railroad's freight redwood lumber traffic rapidly declined. Georgia-Pacific gradually shifted lumber shipments to more flexible highway trucks until the Northwestern Pacific Railroad [North Coast Railroad Authority] was embargoed and shut-down from Willits to the California Northern Railroad and Union Pacific mainline connection near the SF Bay Area. By 1996, before the NWP embargo, CWR lumber shipments were less than 500 cars per year and passenger service became the line's main source of revenue. All freight service was discontinued in 2001, and the [[Federal Railroad Administration|Federal Railroad Administration's]] emergency order effectively cut the CWR off from the national rail network.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Burns |first=Ryan |date=June 10, 2022 |title=Surface Transportation Board Rejects Shady Company's Bid to Take Over NCRA Rail Line for Coal Exports |url=https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2022/jun/10/okay-now-we-can-say-coal-train-scheme-dead/ |access-date=2022-06-13 |website=Lost Coast Outpost |language=en}}</ref>

==Skunk Train==
[[File:CaliforniaWesternSkunkTrain.jpg|right|thumb|The No. 45 prepares for a journey in 1979.]]

Gas-powered, self-propelled, passenger railcars were added in 1925; and, after Pullman service was discontinued, CWR steam passenger trains ran only when the motorcars were out of service for maintenance. The [[Passenger car (rail)|passenger coaches]] were scrapped in 1949. The motorcars were nicknamed "Skunks" because people said, "You can smell 'em before you can see 'em." In 1965 the line reintroduced summer steam passenger service between Fort Bragg and Willits with "Super Skunk" Baldwin-built steam locomotive No.45 pulling four former [[Erie Lackawanna Railway]] {{convert|72|ft|m|adj=on}} Stillwell [[Passenger car (rail)|coaches]] built in 1926.{{sfnp|Guido|1965|p=4}} That train was discontinued in 2001, then revived in September 2006. No.45 continues to power excursion trains from [[Fort Bragg, California]] as far as [[Northspur, California]], the CWR's midpoint, on selected weekends summer to early autumn.{{sfnp|LeBaron|2003}}

Without the considerable revenue lumber and general merchandise freight once contributed to the bottom line, maintaining the railway through such rugged terrain is a major undertaking, both logistically and financially, and service is not always available for the full trip from Fort Bragg to [[Willits, California]]. However, shorter trips to intermediate points usually run year-round.
[[File:"Skunk Train" station.jpg|thumb|"Skunk Train" station in Fort Bragg]]

== Tunnel No. 1 closures ==
Beginning April&nbsp;11, 2013, the railroad was in a crisis following the partial collapse of Tunnel No.&nbsp;1 which buried nearly {{convert|50|ft}} of its {{convert|1,200|ft}} of track under rocks and soil, the third major collapse in the over 100-year-old tunnel's history.<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://www.theava.com/archives/42600| title=Two Views: Another Big Skunk Train Tunnel Collapse| date=2015-04-15| website=Anderson Valley Advertiser| language=en-US| access-date=2019-07-23| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723062610/https://www.theava.com/archives/42600| archive-date=2019-07-23| url-status=dead}}</ref> Without sufficient cash reserves to finance the excavation the railroad announced a fundraising campaign on June&nbsp;7, selling lifetime passes and seeking private donations to meet a goal set at $300,000, the estimated cost to remove the blockage and repair the tunnel walls.<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Skunk-Train-stranded-by-tunnel-collapse-4588329.php| title=Skunk Train stranded by tunnel collapse| last=Fimrite| first=Peter| date=2013-06-08| website=SFGate| access-date=2019-08-13| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190813022842/https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Skunk-Train-stranded-by-tunnel-collapse-4588329.php| archive-date=2019-08-13| url-status=dead}}</ref> The announcement explicitly stated that if some manner of external funding was not secured it would have no option but to cease operations permanently. On June&nbsp;19, [[Save the Redwoods League]] announced an offer to pay the amount required to meet the fundraising goal in exchange for a [[conservation easement]] along the track's {{convert|40|mi|adj=mid}} right-of-way.<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/4139375-181/brighter-days-for-mendocino-countys| title=Skunk Train back on track, eyes expansion| date=2015-07-08| website=Santa Rosa Press Democrat| language=en| access-date=2019-07-23| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723062615/https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/4139375-181/brighter-days-for-mendocino-countys| archive-date=2019-07-23| url-status=dead}}</ref> The acceptance of the offer allowed the railroad to resume full service in August 2013.

Tunnel No.&nbsp;1 was once again closed in 2016 after sustaining damage from the 2015–16 [[El Nino]], but the railway was left in a better position, having equipment at the Willits depot to allow the running of half-routes to the Northspur Junction and back (which was not the case during the 2013 crisis); trains from Fort Bragg are limited to running only {{convert|3.5|mi}} to the Glen Blair Junction (one hour round trip) before returning to the depot, officially called the "Pudding Creek Express."

No announcements regarding the status of Tunnel No.&nbsp;1 have been made since 2015, though the railroad is fully committed to its reopening. Both tunnel collapses were related to the hillside, which has a history of instability dating back to its construction in 1893.

[[Railbike]] tours began in 2018 as a response to the tunnel closures, with multiple other tourist lines around the country introducing their own railbike experiences after the California Western's railbikes proved very popular.<ref name=LAT2021>{{cite news |last1=Reynolds |first1=Christopher |title=A bucket list trip: Pedal through a Northern California forest on old railroad tracks |url=https://www.latimes.com/travel/story/2021-07-22/people-pedaling-bikes-on-rail-tracks-in-northern-california-forest |access-date=13 August 2021 |agency=Los Angeles Times |date=July 22, 2021}}</ref>

The railroad applied for a [[United States Department of Transportation]] BUILD grant in 2018 to fund tunnel repairs and replace over 30,000 ties made of [[chromated copper arsenate]] installed by Kyle Railways; this grant was denied in February 2019,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Calder |first1=Chris |title=Skunk Train's millsite purchase still on hold |url=https://www.advocate-news.com/2019/02/07/skunk-trains-millsite-purchase-still-on-hold/ |access-date=12 February 2019 |website=Fort Bragg Advocate-News |date=7 February 2019}}</ref> but the request was reportedly in the top-third of those sent, and the Department of Transportation encouraged the railroad to re-apply.<ref name=OKgrant>{{cite news| url=https://www.advocate-news.com/2019/06/27/council-oks-help-on-skunk-train-grant/| title=Council OKs help on Skunk Train grant| website=Fort Bragg Advocate-News| date=June 27, 2019| first=Chris| last=Calder}}</ref> The railroad also planned to address deferred maintenance issues, and upgrade its tracks for commuter and freight service in anticipation of the reopening of the Northwestern Pacific to Willits and the potential extension of [[Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit]] (SMART) to Willits.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}} Had the grant been approved, reconstruction of Tunnel No. 1 would have begun in 2019 and been completed by 2021, while tie replacement would have lasted until 2024.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Parks |first1=Kelci |title=Skunk Train seeking grant |url=https://www.advocate-news.com/2018/07/12/skunk-train-seeking-grant/ |website=Fort Bragg Advocate-News |date=July 12, 2018 |access-date=21 September 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Franz |first1=Justin |title=California Western seeks grant to rebuild tunnel and route |url=http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2018/09/19-califoria-western-seeks-grant-to-rebuild-tunnel-and-route |url-status=dead| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920084310/http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2018/09/19-califoria-western-seeks-grant-to-rebuild-tunnel-and-route| archivedate=September 20, 2018| url-access=subscription |website=Trains NewsWire |publisher=Kalmbach Publishing| access-date=20 September 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Fixler |first1=Kevin |title=North Coast trail bill re-imagines SMART rail operations extending into Mendocino County |url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/8684316-181/north-coast-trail-bill-re-imagines |website=The Press Democrat |date=September 2, 2018 |access-date=21 September 2018}}</ref>

The railroad planned to reopen the tunnel by the end of 2022,<ref name=LAT2021 /> but as of May 2025, the tunnel remains closed. On January 29, 2024, the [[United States Department of Transportation]] announced that the Build America Bureau had provided a $31.4 million Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) loan to the [[Sierra Northern Railway]] and Mendocino Railway, which includes funding for the planned 2018 improvements.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 29, 2024 |title=U.S. Department of Transportation Announces $31.4 Million Loan to Upgrade Critical Rail Lines in California |url=https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/us-department-transportation-announces-314-million-loan-upgrade-critical-rail-lines |access-date=January 29, 2024 |website=US Department of Transportation}}</ref> On May 6, 2024, the railroad announced that work to reopen Tunnel #1 would commence on May 28.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/behindtheskunk/posts/pfbid0UNQ1vEEn3CHvwDZPzBwxvysjZfejNqPrDCK7vGTMAhmXYRQaFKFw1EmmMZ68eUnxl |access-date=2024-05-14 |website=www.facebook.com}}</ref>

==Expansion plans==
In 2019, the railroad purchased {{convert|77|acre}} of the former Fort Bragg [[Georgia-Pacific]] mill for redevelopment and extending service to a new terminal.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Callahan |first1=Mary |title=Fort Bragg's Skunk Train owner finalizes buy of 77-acre coastal tract from Georgia-Pacific |url=https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/9711249-181/fort-braggs-skunk-train-owner |access-date=7 July 2019 |work=The Press Democrat |date=June 17, 2019}}</ref> In 2021, they acquired an additional {{convert|270|acre|adj=mid}} site from Georgia-Pacific.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ting|first=Eric|date=2021-12-01|title=Popular NorCal tourism spot's 'land grab' ignites fight with town|url=https://www.sfgate.com/california-politics/article/Skunk-Train-Mendocino-County-Fort-Bragg-16663076.php|url-status=live|access-date=2021-12-02|website=SFGate|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201123921/https://www.sfgate.com/california-politics/article/Skunk-Train-Mendocino-County-Fort-Bragg-16663076.php |archive-date=December 1, 2021 }}</ref>

==Steam locomotives==
[[File:California Western Railroad Locomotive 45.jpg|baseline|thumb|[[California Western 45|California Western Railroad #45]] (builder #58045 of 1924), is a 2-8-2 "Mikado" locomotive still in use on the Skunk Train.|right]]
{|class="wikitable"
!Number
!Builder
!Type
!Date
!Works number
!Notes
|-
|1
|[[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
|{{whyte|0-4-0|T}}
|1885
|7831
|purchased 1905 sold 1906 to Standish & Hickey Lumber
|-
|1st #2
|[[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
|{{whyte|2-4-2|T}}
|1887
|8852
|purchased 1905 sold 1910 to Irvine-Muir Lumber
|-
|2nd #2
|[[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
|{{whyte|0-4-2|T}}
|1901
|18618
|purchased 1911 from California State Belt Railroad scrapped 1920
|-
|3rd #2
|[[Lima Locomotive Works]]
|[[Shay locomotive|Shay geared]]
|18 March 1907
|1838
|former Glen Blair Redwood Company #2; renumbered Union Lumber Company #2 in May 1929; scrapped 1950{{sfnp|Koch|1971|p=422}}
|-
|3
|[[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
|{{whyte|2-4-4|T}}
|1884
|
|purchased 1895 sold 1918 to [[Mendocino Lumber Company]]
|-
|4
|[[Hinkley Locomotive Works]]
|{{whyte|4-4-0}}
|1883
|
|purchased from [[Southern Pacific Railroad]] 1904 scrapped 1914
|-
|5
|[[Schenectady Locomotive Works]]
|{{whyte|4-6-0}}
|1880
|2042
|purchased 1906 scrapped 1923
|-
|6
|[[William Mason (locomotive builder)|Mason Machine Works]]
|{{whyte|0-4-0}}
|1868
|245
|purchased from [[Santa Fe Railroad]] 1908 sold 1910
|-
|7
|[[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
|{{whyte|2-6-2|T}}
|1909
|33390
|renumbered #17 in 1924
|-
|8
|McKay & Aldus<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=California Western Railroad |url=http://www.trainweb.org/rosters/CWR.html |access-date=2025-05-14 |website=www.trainweb.org}}</ref>
|{{whyte|4-6-0}}
|1869
|2002
|Built as Central Pacific 39, purchased 1910 from Southern Pacific, renumbered #38 in 1924
|-
|9
|[[Lima Locomotive Works]]
|[[Shay locomotive|Shay geared]]
|27 May 1912
|2547
|sold 1917 to White River Lumber Company of [[Enumclaw, Washington]]{{sfnp|Koch|1971|p=440}}
|-
|10
|[[Lima Locomotive Works]]
|[[Shay locomotive|Shay geared]]
|6 April 1911
|2419
|built as Lima Locomotive Works demonstrator; sold 1917 to become [[Pacific Lumber Company]] #31{{sfnp|Koch|1971|p=436}}
|-
|11
|[[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
|{{whyte|2-6-2|T}}
|1913
|39551
|scrapped 1947
|-
|12
|[[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
|{{whyte|2-6-2|T}}
|1914
|41922
|scrapped 1950
|-
|14
|[[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
|{{whyte|2-6-2|T}}
|1924
|58050
|purchased from Fruit Growers Supply in 1938 sold 1956
|-
|17
|[[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
|{{whyte|2-6-2|T}}
|1909
|33390
|former #7 renumbered in 1924
|-
|21
|[[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
|{{whyte|2-6-2}}
|1920
|53277
|sold 1950 to Pan-American Engineering
|-
|22
|[[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
|{{whyte|2-6-2}}
|1921
|54878
|scrapped 1952
|-
|23
|[[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
|{{whyte|2-6-2}}
|1923
|57553
|scrapped 1950
|-
|36
|[[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
|{{whyte|4-6-0}}
|~1890
|9298
|purchased from [[Colorado Midland Railroad]] in 1918 sold to Little River Redwood Company in 1929
|-
|38
|McKay & Aldus<ref name=":0" />
|{{whyte|4-6-0}}
|1869
|2002
|Former #8 renumbered 1924, scrapped 1941.  The namesake of [[North Coast Brewing Company|North Coast Brewing]]'s beer, Old No. 38 Stout.
|-
|1st #41
|[[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
|{{whyte|0-6-0}}
|1901
|18760
|purchased 1922 scrapped 1937
|-
|2nd #41
|[[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
|{{whyte|2-8-0}}
|1920
|53205
|purchased from [[Sierra Railroad]] in 1940 scrapped 1950
|-
|44
|[[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
|{{whyte|2-8-2}}
|1930
|61306
|purchased from Lamm Lumber Company 1944 scrapped 1952
|-
|[[California Western 45|45]]
|[[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
|{{whyte|2-8-2}}
|1924
|58045
|purchased from Brownley Lumber Company 1964, operated until 2001, previously restored 2001–2003, currently being restored 2019–present. Used on the Skunk Train.
|-
|46
|[[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
|{{whyte|2-6-6-2}}
|1937
|62064
|purchased from Rayonier 1968, on display at [[Pacific Southwest Railway Museum]], restoration planned.
|}

==Diesel locomotives==
[[File:BicentennialSkunk.png|baseline|thumb|No. 55 decorated for the [[United States Bicentennial]]|right]]
[[File:M300 at Willits June 70xRPx - Flickr - drewj1946 (cropped).jpg|baseline|thumb|M-300 at Willits, 1970|right]]
[[File:California Western locomotive GP9 65.jpg|thumb|California Western #65]]
{|class="wikitable"
!Number
!Builder
!Type
!Date
!Works number
!Notes
|-
|51
|[[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
|DS4-4-750
|1949
|74408
|Acquired new 1949, wrecked 1970 and scrapped{{sfnp|Tahja|2008|p=53}}
|-
|52
|[[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
|DS4-4-750
|1949
|74409
|Acquired new 1949, wrecked 1970 and scrapped{{sfnp|Tahja|2008|p=53}}
|-
|53
|[[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
|DS4-4-1000
|1949
|74193
|ex-Pan American Engineering W8380; née Army Corps of Engineers W8380, acquired 1956, retired in 1985, to John Bradley, 1985; to Roots of Motive Power Collection
|-
|54
|[[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
|S-12
|1952/1953
|75823
|ex-NW (3307); née WAB 307, wrecked 1970 and scrapped{{sfnp|Tahja|2008|p=53}}
|-
|55
|[[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
|RS-12
|1955
|76024
|nee MR 32, acquired 1968, scrapped 1995 
|-
|56
|[[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
|RS-12
|1955
|76105
|nee MR 33, acquired 1970, retired in 1985 to John Bradley, 1985; to [[Travel Town Museum]] (Los Angeles, CA)[https://web.archive.org/web/20081202004608/http://www.trainweb.org/rosters/CWR56.html 56]
|-
|57
|[[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
|S-12
|1953
|75914
|nee SP 1539, acquired 1970, retired unknown
|-
|61
|[[American Locomotive Works]]
|RS-11
|1955
|Unknown
|former SP, acquired 1976, status unknown
|-
|62
|[[American Locomotive Works]]
|RS-11
|1955
|Unknown
|former SP, acquired 1976, sold to [[NVRR]] 1989
|-
|-
|63
|[[American Locomotive Works]]
|RS-11
|1955
|Unknown
|former SP, acquired 1976, status unknown
|-
|64
|[[Electro-Motive Diesel]]
|GP9
|1955
|Unknown
|Former SP #3411.<ref name="nrhs">{{cite web| url=http://www5.pair.com/rattenne/nrhs/CWR/CWR.htm|title=California Western Railroad| publisher=Central Coast Chapter NRHS| access-date=2010-11-12| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717004707/http://www5.pair.com/rattenne/nrhs/CWR/CWR.htm| archive-date=2011-07-17}}</ref> Operational and in regular service. Used occasionally on the Skunk Train.
|-
|65
|[[Electro-Motive Diesel]]
|GP9
|1955
|Unknown
|Former SP #3412.<ref name="nrhs"/> Operational and in regular service. Used on the Skunk Train.
|-
|66
|[[Electro-Motive Diesel]]
|GP9
|1956
|Unknown
|Former C&O #6145. Acquired 1998.<ref name="nrhs"/> Operational and in regular service. Used occasionally on the Skunk Train.
|-
|67
|[[Electro-Motive Diesel]]
|GP9
|6/1954
|19554<ref name="cleaves">{{cite book| title=Bangor and Aroostook The Maine Railroad |last1=Angier| first1=Jerry |last2=Cleaves| first2=Herb |publisher=Flying Yankee Enterprises |year=1986 |page=265|isbn=0-9615574-2-7}}</ref>
|Built as [[Bangor and Aroostook Railroad]] #77;<ref name="nrhs"/> acquired 1998; never delivered; current location unknown
|-
|M-80
|[[Mack Trucks|Mack]]
|Railbus
|1923
|Unknown
|Purchased 1925. Wrecked twice: in 1957 with a delivery truck, and in 1964 with M-100. Scrapped 1964
|-
|M-100
|[[Edwards Rail Car Company]]
|Motor Car
|1925
|Unknown
|Acquired from Moorhead & North Forks Railroad; Operable. Recently repainted back to historic yellow scheme
|-
|M-200
|Skagit Steel and Iron Works
|Motor Car
|1927
|Unknown
|Ex-TRC #22; née-LPN 20; to [[Niles Canyon Railway]], 1975; Operable on Niles Canyon Railway
|-
|M-300
|[[American Car and Foundry Company]]
|Motor Car
|1935
|Unknown
|Ex-[[Salt Lake, Garfield and Western Railway]] (SLGW); née [[Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad]] #106; née [[Seaboard Air Line Railroad]] #2026; purchased 1963 and rebuilt to eliminate baggage section;{{sfnp|Guido|1965|p=4}} Operable
|}

== In popular culture ==
Pop singer [[Michelle Lambert]] performed weekly shows on the Skunk Train during her teenage years.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.acidplanet.com/artist.asp?aid=235644&t=1| title=Michelle Lambert on The Skunk Train| date=29 December 2003| url-status=dead| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060215130032/http://www.acidplanet.com/artist.asp?aid=235644&t=1| archivedate=February 15, 2006}}</ref>

The railroad has also been featured in several movies, including ''[[The Signal Tower]]'' (1924), ''[[Racing with the Moon]]'' (1984), and ''[[The Majestic (film)|The Majestic]]'' (2001). The M-300 railcar has appeared in all three games of the [[Transport Fever]] series, as the earliest [[multiple unit]] that can be built, even carrying the railroad's familiar skunk mascot.<ref>{{Cite web| title=Transport Fever 2 - Vehicle List - America [WIP]| url=https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1940252420| access-date=2020-08-10| website=Steam Community| language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Trains|California}}

*[[List of heritage railroads in the United States]]

==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
* CWR & Union Lumber corporate records and ULCo/CWR history book manuscript being prepared by K.V. Bunker, 2006.
*{{cite book | author=Crump, Spencer| title=The Skunk Railroad Fort Bragg to Willits| publisher=Trans-Anglo Books|location=Glendale, California| year=1983| isbn=0-87046-050-1}}
*{{cite book | last=Crump|first=Spencer| title=Riding the California Western Skunk Railroad: Fort Bragg to Willits| publisher=Zeta Publishers Co|location=Corona del Mar, CA| year=1988|oclc=36988632}}
*{{cite book |last=Crump |first=Spencer |title =Redwoods, Iron Horses, and the Pacific |publisher =California Western Railroad |edition =Fifth |date =1998 |location =Fort Bragg, California |pages =65,90&98 |isbn =0-918376-12-2}}
*{{cite journal |last=Guido |first=Francis A. |year=1965 |title=California Western's "Super Skunk" Steam Train |journal=The Western Railroader |volume=28 |issue=307 |page=4 |publisher=Francis A. Guido }}
*{{cite book| title=The Shay Locomotive Titan of the Timber |last=Koch |first=Michael |publisher=The World Press |year=1971 }}
*{{cite news|last=LeBaron|first=Gaye|author-link=Gaye LeBaron|title=Skunk Train's colorful history makes it well worth saving|newspaper=[[The Press Democrat]]|date=20 April 2003}}
*{{cite news
 |first=Wendy 
 |last=Squires 
 |url=http://www.skunktrain.com/images_pdf/press_release_12-19-03.pdf 
 |title=Sierra Railroad buys historic Skunk Train 
 |work=Press Release 
 |publisher=[[Sierra Railroad]] 
 |page=2 
 |date=December 19, 2003 
 |access-date=2006-04-22 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060327091858/http://www.skunktrain.com/images_pdf/press_release_12-19-03.pdf 
 |archive-date=2006-03-27 
 |url-status=dead 
}}
*{{cite book | author=Stindt, Fred A.| title=The Northwestern Pacific Railroad Volume 2| publisher=Fred A. Stindt|location=Kelseyville, California| year=1985| isbn=0-9615465-0-6}}
*{{cite book |last=Tahja |first=Katy M. |title =Rails Across the Noyo |publisher =Tahjanjoki Press |date =2008 |location =[[Comptche, California]] |isbn =978-0-933391-28-4}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.skunktrain.com/ Skunk Train Home Page]
*[http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf338nb3r6/ California Scenic Line, ca. 1900 online photo collection], [[The Bancroft Library]]
*[http://diva.sfsu.edu/collections/sfbatv/bundles/189964 1965 documentary on the return of steam to the route.]
*[http://www.steamphotos.com/Railroad-Photos/California-Western-Skunk-Train/23562610_mFrXP9 Skunk Train Photos] photo gallery from 2012
*[http://www.mendorailhistory.org/1_towns/fort_bragg/skunk_line.htm Skunk Line Stations] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926054226/http://www.mendorailhistory.org/1_towns/fort_bragg/skunk_line.htm |date=September 26, 2012 }} mile-by-mile guide

{{Coord|39.4455|-123.8068|type:landmark_region:US-CA|display=title}}
{{California railroads}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:California Western Railroad}}
[[Category:Heritage railroads in California]]
[[Category:Logging railroads in the United States]]
[[Category:Transportation in Mendocino County, California]]
[[Category:Defunct California railroads]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Mendocino County, California]]