The Napa Valley Wine Train is a privately operated tourist train that runs between Napa and St. Helena, California. Much of the rail line parallels State Route 29 after leaving the City of Napa and passes the towns of Yountville, Rutherford and Oakville. The route passes by many the region's vineyards and wineries located in Napa County.
History[]
The railroad's track is part of what was originally the Napa Valley Railroad founded by early California pioneer Samuel Brannan in 1864. Brannan established it to bring tourists to the resort town of Calistoga, California which he also founded. The railroad's 42 miles (68 km) of track ran from Calistoga to Vallejo, California where it connected with San Francisco Bay Area ferry boat service.
The NVRR operating company was formed in 1987 by local entrepreneurs and headed by Vincent DeDomenico. DeDomenico was a veteran of more than 50 years in the food business and was formerly the president of Golden Grain, a company founded by his father and famous for its Rice-A-Roni. DeDomenico purchased the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company in 1964 and sold both it and Golden Grain to the Quaker Oats Company in 1986. The NVRR acquired the right of way for $2.5 million after Southern Pacific notified the Interstate Commerce Commission of its intent to abandon the line in 1985.
The gap in actual usage during the prolonged transition from Southern Pacific freight use to the proposed Wine Train service was not enough to take the line out of use, although the many years of deferred maintenance necessitated the investment of approximately $20 million to rehabilitate the line before trains could be safely operated on it. The rail line connects to the Union Pacific Railroad and California Northern Railroad and has hosted special trains from Amtrak as well as private excursion trains.
Locomotive Roster[]
| Number | Images | Heritage | Type | Builder | Built | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52 | 
|
U.S. Army Railroad | GE 80-ton switcher | General Electric | 1943 | ||
| 57 | 
|
U.S. Army Railroad | GE 80-ton switcher | General Electric | 1952 | ||
| 62 | 
|
Southern Pacific Railroad | ALCO RS-11 | American Locomotive Company | 1959 | It was purchased from the California Western Railroad in 1989. | |
| 69 | 
|
Portland and Western Railroad | EMD Rebuilt GP9R | Electro-Motive Diesel | 1958 | It entered into revenue service on November 2. 2016, and it was originally M&StL #710. | |
| 70 | 
|
Canadian National Railway | Alco FP9A | American Locomotive Company | 1959 | Stored | |
| 71 | 
|
Canadian National Railway | Alco FP9A | American Locomotive Company | 1959 | Stored | Prime mover scrapped as of 2023 |
| 72 | 
|
Canadian National Railway | Alco FP9A | American Locomotive Company | 1959 | Stored | |
| 73 | 
|
Canadian National Railway | Alco FP9A | American Locomotive Company | 1959 | It was rebuilt to burn natural gas & has an EMD 12-645E prime mover. | |
| 1864 | Frameless | CSX Transportation | NZE15B (ex-3GS21B) | Knoxville Locomotive Works | 2023 | Ex-CSXT 1304 | |
| N/A | Frameless | NZE15B | Knoxville Locomotive Works | 2023 |
Trivia[]
- The railroad never operates steam locomotives.
- However much of its history railroad was powered by steam locomotives but they were replaced by the diesel engines in 1938, so today they still use the diesels.
- There are two locomotives on lease from outside owners: #48 & #5076.
- The Wine Train is operated by the Napa Valley Railroad (reporting mark NVRR). Some of the NVRR equipment is marked NVR.
- The NVRR track is currently utilized for limited daily scheduled passenger excursions of the Napa Valley Wine Train and occasional freight service.