Northern Railway (California)

The Northern Railway was a non-operating subsidiary of the Southern Pacific Railroad during the 19th century, created primarily as a device to consolidate the management of a number of smaller subsidiary railroads. The initial railroad opened in 1876 from Woodland, California, to Williams; and extended to Willows in 1878, and to Tehama in 1882. In 1877, a line of the Northern Railway was built between Oakland and Martinez.^[1] On May 15, 1888, the Northern Railway was consolidated with the Winters and Ukiah Railway; Woodland, Capay, and Clear Lake Railroad; West Side and Mendocino Railroad; Vaca Valley and Clear Lake Railroad; San Joaquin and Sierra Nevada Railroad (narrow gauge); Sacramento and Placerville Railroad; Shingle Springs and Placerville Railroad; Santa Rosa and Carquinez Railroad; Amador Branch Railroad; and Berkeley Branch Railroad, forming the Northern Railway Company. It was merged into the Southern Pacific Railroad system in 1898.