Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railway
Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Transportation, Railroads, History, Art & Architecture, Photography, Pictorials, Travel
| Author: | John Schmale, Kristina Schmale | ISBN: | 9781439636527 |
| Publisher: | Arcadia Publishing Inc. | Publication: | February 16, 2009 |
| Imprint: | Arcadia Publishing | Language: | English |
| Author: | John Schmale, Kristina Schmale |
| ISBN: | 9781439636527 |
| Publisher: | Arcadia Publishing Inc. |
| Publication: | February 16, 2009 |
| Imprint: | Arcadia Publishing |
| Language: | English |
With a schedule regulated by the tides and the needs of chickens, the Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railway operated for 81 years as a delightfully quirky egg-hauling enterprise. Modern electric railroad technology paired with ancient low-tech steamboats made possible the overnight shipping of fresh produce to a voracious San Francisco market. The railroad helped Petaluma earn the moniker �the egg basket of the world.� Incorporated in 1903, the railroad provided efficient train service to this fertile farm region. The famous botanist Luther Burbank located his experimental farm near Sebastopol and proclaimed it is nature�s �chosen spot of all the earth.� The railroad survived the devastating 1906 earthquake, opposition from three larger railroads, the Great Depression, and fierce auto-truck competition. The corporation was, mercifully, abandoned in 1984, and most of the rails were removed by 1988. Happily, recent plans call for a tourist trolley to operate over a portion of surviving Petaluma tracks.
With a schedule regulated by the tides and the needs of chickens, the Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railway operated for 81 years as a delightfully quirky egg-hauling enterprise. Modern electric railroad technology paired with ancient low-tech steamboats made possible the overnight shipping of fresh produce to a voracious San Francisco market. The railroad helped Petaluma earn the moniker �the egg basket of the world.� Incorporated in 1903, the railroad provided efficient train service to this fertile farm region. The famous botanist Luther Burbank located his experimental farm near Sebastopol and proclaimed it is nature�s �chosen spot of all the earth.� The railroad survived the devastating 1906 earthquake, opposition from three larger railroads, the Great Depression, and fierce auto-truck competition. The corporation was, mercifully, abandoned in 1984, and most of the rails were removed by 1988. Happily, recent plans call for a tourist trolley to operate over a portion of surviving Petaluma tracks.
