Northwestern Pacific Railroad Network

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Was just thinking the the recent expansion in shelville, the Sonoma pallet spur and the mystery reload customer that what would the likely hood be of rebuilding the rail line up to Graskopf wine storage on 8th street?? I know on their website they say truck to Napa to transload to rail but could they do that at their facility if they had rail access again?? What about tranaloading boxcars of wine at the shelville transload then storing the cars in the cage for security until they are ready to go to out. Does anyone know if the rail line up 8th street was ever officially abandoned?? Just dreaming of more buinsess for NWP and making Sonoma a powerhouse for them.

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I lived in Sonoma when this facility was built. It has a trailing point switch for a train heading to Sonoma. That means to switch the building the train would be blocking Napa Road. It was built with the tracks curving in from the Sonoma direction. The switch would be just a few feet from the roadway.


Does anyone know if SMART or NCRA owns the ROW?  Most of the track is gone and there are about 10 paved driveways crossing where the track used to be.  

From the research I've done I believe the property is still owned by union pacific after taking over southern pacific. I know the parks department wants to turn it into a bike path but last I heard up wanted a ton of money for it. Maybe NWP could work a deal with them.

Groskopf-Wieder Trucking aka G&W

Storing any kind of liquor in that cage would NOT keep it secure. Boxcars would have to loaded and underway before the end of the day.

I hauled wine out of Sebastiani's back in the 1970's when they still loaded box cars at the Winery. Groskop-Wieders yard was on Denmark street east of 8th Street. We used to go up 8th street to East Napa then  right on to 5th ST East (?) turn right go over the bridge to Spain St turn left on Spain then go maybe 100 yards to the warehouse driveway.


Hello Jim!!!

I don't remember the tank cars at Sebastiani, wonder if it was actually wine or grape juice from the crush?  They may have been crushing grapes ands selling the juice to other winery. Cherokee trucking out of Lodi area has always been a big hauler of grape juice/wine in tankers. Probably Ripple would have been the "premium grade" stuff compared to those loads!  A trucking company call Scarifanno or something like that used to haul  joints with empty glass. They would pull into the parking lot on the northeast  side of the winery to uncable their loads then jingerly come south back across the ROW to turn west into the bottling plant/warehouse.

Those loads of empty glass were 13.6 tall and rather top heavy and unsecured. One day one of the drivers had the misfortune to lose a good portion of the load right on the street at the rail crossing. I didn't hear it, I was loading at the warehouse, but I saw the poor guy out there in the street trying to cleanup the mess.

South Tahoe is good although a little warmer than we like it for these past few days, and not cooling of as much at night like it had been. The lake it way down, but I've seen things I never seen before in the 43 years I lived here!

On Medicare now, retirement is within reach but I just can't seem to grab it!

Probably moving to our Woodland property when I do finally get it together to  finally pull the pin.

I was going through my wallet the other day and found I have Jim Derrington's business card with the Larry Derrington info you gave me written on the back it. I REALLY DO have to get down there to do some more family research. I'd like to meet up with Gary Kiser if he's still around and anybody else that would have known about Neuman's in Schellville.

Did I tell you the family dairy out on Springhill Rd was sold to members of the Levi-Strauss (clothing) families?

Some shenanigans regarding that property by a dairy operator  from Two Rock, which I'll tell you about when we FINALLY get to Mary's fer lunch! I DO think about Negri's raviolis ALOT though also!!!!!

You doing ok?

I just don't remember any details of the wine, but you have to be right.  I only remember that my dad had a 36 inch Stillson pipe wrench that he would use sometimes on the fuel tank car. He would be asked to go to Sebastiani because tank car valve leaked.  Maybe valve had cap to keep dirt out, don't know. They would insist of giving him bottle(s) of wine in thanks, but he never would take it as he never would drink it (Liked scotch). Besides, he always thought that he was paid for his work, no freebies.  I would also think Sebastiani would be filling car rather than emptying it.  Hate to tell you, poor old Gary Kiser passed late last year.  Leroy Poncia early this year.  Old age sucks.  All well here, glad to hear you respond with info on this site. There are so many members, but doesn't seem like a lot from the 1950-70 era.  I sure wish someone had pictures of the old Sonoma yard. My dad never took any.  Once he had a short 8mm movie of consist moving through yard, but he only filmed it to finish roll.  If I ever take the time, I am going to get it on a DVD and post it on this site.  It is really nothing much tho......

Glad to here you are doing fine.

It takes a thread that juggles the memory banks to come up with "stories" and I don't check the site as often as maybe I should.

Sorry to hear Gary passed, I had a feeling though that he might before I could get down there.

I'll give you a heads up when I'm planning a trip down there.


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