Jon Schmidt – Nicasio Northern Railway
Description
The Story
In the early 20th century the farmers and ranchers of the North San Francisco Bay decided that they needed a way to get their product to market. They pooled their resources and built the Nicasio Southern Railroad from Nicasio, Marin County, CA, USA to the port of Bayside on San Francisco Bay. Between underestimating the cost of construction and overestimating the traffic, the railroad failed.
San Francisco financiers saw an opportunity, took over the railroad as the Nicasio Northern Railway, and extended it to Ureeka. At this time (1929, approximately) the road is surviving, barely.
The Nicasio Northern is a short line, best characterized as a “rails in the mud” San Francisco North Bay railroad. It operates freight and passenger, including a ferry schedule to San Francisco. Its route goes from Bayside to Ureeka in the north (railroad east). The connection to the national rail network is via Skalville to Yawn (staging). Wittils boasts the Highland Lumber Co. which has lumber mills worked by the company’s logging railroad. There are also interchange tracks to the Casper & Big River RR which goes to the coast.
The Nicasio Northern railway weaves through the hills on muddy and slippery roadbed. Need I mention that this is earthquake country? Even if the right of way was once perfectly laid out with straight tangents and smooth grades and curves, it didn’t stay that way. The little steam engines rock and roll as they lead their trains across the pike.
The Model
The Nicasio Northern is an HO-scale model railroad. It is designed for TT&TO operation with JMRI switchlists. It runs only steam (and a Doodlebug), with Soundtraxx sound in the locomotives and Digitrax DCC for control. Track is complete and operational. The layout has a peninsula in the center of the 15 x 21 foot space, and the rest of the track runs around perimeter of the room. Bayside yards and the engine terminal are on the peninsula. It has 40” aisles. It is NOT disabled accessible (stairs).
Scale: HO
Era: 1920 – 1940
Approximate Size: 15 feet x 21 feet
Percent Complete Benchwork-100% Trackwork-100% Scenery-40% Signaling- 100%
Location: San Rafael
Access: Step hazards – stairs, etc., No roller access (wheelchairs, walkers, etc.)
Parking: Close Street Parking is available (< 200 feet)
On-Line Information