Quote:

Arthur Giddings, a former electrician lineman with the Northwestern Pacific Railroad in Tiburon, wrote a memorial to Willis A. Silverthorn, a former NWP locomotive engineer. He makes a pitch for a return of passenger rail and ferries as a remedy for Marin's "transportation crisis."

"The ferryboats and the trains, which men of the caliber of Bill Silverthorn ran for so many years, made it possible for countless commuters to reach their destinations in less time and in a far more relaxed frame of mind than do many of those who today fight their way in automobiles through congested traffic."

Although he states that any rail renaissance would need "concrete assurances of future patronage," riding a train "was a civilized and efficient way" to get around Marin.

The year? 1967.

Quote:

Arthur has lived in Marin since 1917. An electrical engineer, he relates his experience with the Northwestern Pacific Railroad in Marin during the busy years of the 1920s. He explains the importance of railroads as carriers and sets forth concrete plans to reactivate railroads and utilize roadbeds at the Larkspur Ferry Terminal. He submitted a proposal to the Urban Mass Transit Administration for their consideration. Arthur also has a collection of 3,000 photos relating to railroad right-of-ways.