Western Railroad Discussion > SMART Contractor begins work on 2.5 mile extension to Windsor

Similar in scope of the recently opened Larkspur extension, the next leap for SMART is from the end of the Airport station adjacent to the operation center and the City of Windsor. Between the end of SMART track and Windsor is the spur that provides service to the only rail-served industrial park in the North Bay.  It is possible to likely that the main line switch will not be replaced because of the cost of the CTC/PTC which SMART requires.  The high-level platform with gauntlet tracks will be built north of the Windsor Depot built with Federal Transit Funds over 10 years ago. The main line 132 lb rail was laid in 1966 and has already been removed and all that remains are to remove the ties before the ROW is graded. A skip loader with forks is picking up the ties for stacking and removal. The concrete ties arrived the day before on bulkhead flats and ​unloaded near the discarded wood ties. Text and Photos by Mike Pechner 

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Sorry I'm not up on this. State?

California.  The extension is north of Santa Rosa.

Stacy & Witbeck I assume is the contractor?

Dick Samuels

Are any of the Museums getting any of the track and hardware? it would be nice. 

Answer to all questions........Shortline Sammie......yes, Stacty-Witbeck-Herzog, all rail is going to A  K metals..   Northwestern Pacific the freight operator will eventually get to Willits, but for the time being, the next extension to Cloverdale will yeild sand and gravel and two lumber compaines. 

Slight correction to Mike's comments:
A&K Track materials out of stockton will be getting the OTM.
The extension terminates a connection to a currently unused spur which has/had potential despite lackluster interest from the property owner, but does get the NWP closer to Cloverdale. SMART is no longer responsible for replacing switches that get torn out for their projects.

hawker95 Wrote:
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> Slight correction to Mike's comments:
> A&K Track materials out of stockton will be
> getting the OTM.
> The extension terminates a connection to a
> currently unused spur which has/had potential
> despite lackluster interest from the property
> owner, but does get the NWP closer to Cloverdale.
> SMART is no longer responsible for replacing
> switches that get torn out for their projects.

No rail though? Are they scrapping the rail then? Any decent ties in there Mike?

I would guess that the average age of the ties in this stretch is over forty years old dating to when I had something to do with this stretch of track.
Tie life is nominly assumed to be twenty five years these tries all look like eight foot  ties so may be older. Many will not even be landscape quality.

Why does the NWP even bother with providing freight service with loads being so meger and sparse? Does NWP even turn a profit?

DFWJIM Wrote:
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> Why does the NWP even bother with providing
> freight service with loads being so meger and
> sparse? Does NWP even turn a profit?

Common carrier obligations, although I'm not sure where you get "sparse" and "meger" car counts from. In addition to the regular grain shuttles, storage cars suppliment the NWP with an increased steady income, as it does for a majority of small shortlines across the country.

What is the estimated completion date of the Windsor project. Would guess about two years but have no idea. Who relieved SMART having not to put switches back in for potential freight customers.

usmc1401 Wrote:
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> What is the estimated completion date of the
> Windsor project. Would guess about two years but
> have no idea.

Late 2021 according to their website.

http://sonomamarintrain.org/Windsor-Extension

usmc1401 Wrote:
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> What is the estimated completion date of the
> Windsor project. Would guess about two years but
> have no idea. Who relieved SMART having not to put
> switches back in for potential freight customers.

The inept and useless NCRA did.

The next extension will be to Healdsburg not Cloverdale and I'll bet anybody that it never gets to Cloverdale, as there won't be demand or money to do it. The economic inpact of the virus to ridership has pretty much shut Smart service down to 10% of former ridership. Besides the possiblility of restarting freight service the best bet would be connecting bus service in spite of the fact that the local Congressman got fed money to build a station maybe 15 years ago.

The Cloverdale station was built over thirty years ago.