Western Railroad Discussion > NWP announces NEW business & building of Petaluma spurs.

At the regular North Coast Rail Authority (NCRA)  meeting in Novato today, Former North Coast Congressman Doug Bosco and current Legal Counsel for the Northwestern Pacific Railroad announced that the NWP has been notified of 200 cart loads of "Organic" wheat are shipped from Canada via C.N. Union Pacific, & Cal.Northern routing to NWP Petaluma. No other details were disclosed whether the cars are coming in units trains or whom the consignee might be.  Bosco also announced that Dutra Construction of Petaluma is going put in a spur into their rock and asphalt Plant just south of the new Haystack Bridge.  They bought a brand new switch for $700,000 from SMART.  The high price for track includes the CTC switch connection and PTC wiring.  Construction will start after the first of the year. Currently rock for the plant is barged to the sight.  Dutra anticipates the rock coming in by rail.  It was not anoced where the rock was coming from.  Finally, Engineer Mike Strider from HDR Engineering, working closely with NWP was in the audience to hear Bosco say the engineering by HDR was complete and that construction of a new spur for Lagunitas Brewing north of Petaluma.  They will get incoming cars of barely and wheat and ship beer out. The spur will be built at the end of an existing drill track which connects the Adobe team track and Willowbrook Milling. In the THIRD IMAGE, In this file photo, at Willowbrook, the spur will come off the drill track which is in between the SMART DMU's and the #2009. The first file photo show the Lagunitus Plant from the main line.  The track will be right in front of the tanks and silos.  In the middle file photo, the west bank immediately to the left of the old Haystack Swing span is the current location of Dutras plant.  Text and Photos by Mike Pechner

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It may be that Dutra is converting to rail out of necessity.  Earlier this year, while planning a crew regata on the Petaluma River, one of the locals mentioned to me that the river was so shallow in places that the rock barges only could come up the river at very high tides.

Things seem to keep getting better and better for the NWP. I wish them the best. And I assume the brewery is to be receiving inbound loads, and of what?

loopy7764 Wrote:
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> Things seem to keep getting better and better for
> the NWP. I wish them the best. And I assume the
> brewery is to be receiving inbound loads, and of
> what?

Mike's post clearly states the Brewery will receive loads of Barley & Wheat, and ship out Beer.

"Organic wheat"

LOL LOL LOL.

Thank for posting this informative narrative plus photos.Your updates are appreciated.Bill Webb

Expect more traffic;

Sept8, 2015:Dutch brewer Heineken NV said Tuesday it has taken a 50% stake in Lagunitas Brewing Co. and plans to expand the California-based brewery into the world’s first global craft brand by exporting Lagunitas beers to countries such as Germany and France.Heineken didn’t disclose terms of its investment. But Lagunitas, which brews in Petaluma, Calif., and Chicago, expects to sell more than 800,000 barrels this year. Recent craft-brewery acquisitions have priced craft brewers at more than $1,000 a barrel, which would value Lagunitas at more than $800 million.The acquisition gives Heineken, the world’s third-largest brewer, a stake in one of the fastest-growing craft breweries in the U.S. at a time when sales of the Heineken brand have slowed and craft beer gains momentum in markets like the U.K., Sweden and Japan, where Lagunitas has distribution.Sales by volume of specialty beers made by craft brewers outpaced the beer industry globally over the past five years, growing at a compound annual rate of 7.8% compared with global beer growth of 1.3%, according to industry tracker Plato Logic.Sales of Lagunitas IPA, an India Pale Ale, and Lagunitas’ Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’, a wheat ale, helped the company deliver compound annual growth of 58% between 2012 and 2014 and made it the nation’s sixth-largest independent brewer last year.“The craft-beer phenomenon has become one of the largest drivers of premium beer-market growth in the U.S., and it’s making inroads in more key beer countries,” Heineken Chief Executive Jean-Francois van Boxmeer said in a note to employees.Founded in 1993, Lagunitas is one of a small number of brewers to expand nationally. Driven by founder Tony Magee, an outspoken champion of craft beer, it last year increased sales to 599,000 barrels of beer from 72,000 barrels in 2009, according to industry tracker Beer Marketer’s Insights.Lagunitas will continue to operate independently and led by Mr. Magee. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter.

My god, how can the UP and BNSF handle an increase of Carload traffic......its not in containers!
Maybe a few old timers remember how it was done and can pass the info on.

mundo Wrote:
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> My god, how can the UP and BNSF handle an increase
> of Carload traffic......its not in containers!
> Maybe a few old timers remember how it was done
> and can pass the info on.

To be fair some regions on both UP (especially) and BNSF do a better than others servicing car load traffic customers.  What is needed is SYSTEM WIDE high service level standards.


Allen

Remember all the Beer that moved from Gemco to Phoenix that the UP gave up on its first big  meltdown even after it had refurbed a boat load of insulated Beer cars?
Andy

So, a local brewery will be shipping beer by boxcar, I presume, while other long-time brewers ship less and less by boxcar.  Funny world.