“Only men of the Eel River Line would railroad here: the ordinary railroad man would take one look, collect his pay and disappear to flatland railroading to seek a less adventurous form of employment.” – Donald D. Edmisten, Railroad Inspector for the Eureka Southern, 1989 It’s easy to look back and say, “What were they […]
railroad
Posted inLife + Outdoors
The Bear Harbor Railroad, 1892-1905
From May to September on the third Saturday of each month, visitors to Fort Humboldt State Park enjoy free rides behind a couple of veteran steam logging locomotives, courtesy of the Timber Heritage Association. The Falk operated for 40 years from 1884 on, including serving Noah Falk’s eponymous town. The other announces her heritage in […]
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Hospital Cuts, Awkward Railroad Talks, Shelter Funding on Tap in Eureka
Members of the National Union of Healthcare Workers are expected to ask the Eureka City Council tonight to press St. Joseph Hospital officials to reverse course on the elimination of 35 positions and call a public meeting on patient care issues, including staffing levels. News of the layoffs, which the union has described as retaliatory, […]
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Eureka Council to Mull Shelter Funding, Railroad Proposal Concerns, Cannabis and Patrol Contract
The Eureka City Council will consider Tuesday offering continued support for local philanthropist Betty Chinn’s emergency shelter — set up in the wake of the 2016 PalCo Marsh sweep — with $75,000 housing funds. Also up for discussion is whether to request that the California Attorney General’s Office conduct an “investigative review” into a $10 […]
Posted inNews
North Coast Night Lights: South Fork Bridge, July 2018
Built in 1910, this old railroad bridge crosses the Main Fork of the Eel River just upstream of the confluence with the South Fork Eel River. I’m not absolutely certain what to call the bridge, having seen it variously called “South Fork Bridge,” “Dyerville Train Trestle” and “Dyerville Bridge.” It is part of the old […]
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McGuire Calls to Dissolve North Coast Railroad Authority
State Sen. Mike McGuire introduced amendments to Senate Bill 1029 — the Great Redwood Trail Act — today that would effectively dismantle the North Coast Railroad Authority and transfer the northern portion of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad line, from Willits to Arcata, to the state Department of Transportation. The DOT will begin “railbanking” the property, […]
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NCRA Director Gives Agency a Withering Indictment on his Way Out the Door
Anyone who even casually follows the exploits of the North Coast Railroad Authority has seen a particularly absurd example of government folly — a state agency led by a cabal of evangelical cargo cultists with an unfunded mandate to resurrect an insolvent rail line. In recent years, two members of the agency’s board of directors […]
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The Billion-Dollar Dream
A whole lot of money and a whole lot of cargo. That’s what a draft report says is necessary to build and pay for a railroad between the Samoa Peninsula and the national rail system in the Central Valley. Restoring the north-south line would also cost a bundle — more than $600 million, according to […]
Posted inNews
Run Out on a Rail
Last week, in a meeting filled with passionate arguments, surprise twists and dark insinuations, Arcata City Councilmember Alexandra Stillman had her appointment to the North Coast Railroad Authority rescinded by the same committee that appointed her in May. And after some confusion, a vote, more confusion and two re-votes, she was replaced on the NCRA […]
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North Coast Railroad Authority Dodges Legal Challenge, Supports East-West Study
Today’s meeting of the North Coast Railroad Authority’s Board of Directors saw plenty of impassioned arguments, lots of squabbling over legalese and at least two cases of hurt feelings. The two most notable results were these: 1) The board voted 8-1 to delete key parts of a 2011 resolution, thus invalidating an environmental impact report […]