Jeff,

isn't Doug Bosco a shareholder of the nwp?

What was the contract dispute that made rail ways leave?

If North Coast Railroad (1988?-1999) as managed by NCRA, was NCRA am operating railway at one time or was a contractor running the NCR?

Why did California Northern decided not to operate West of schellville in 1996?

Thank you for your replies. Great info.


Jeff Moore Wrote:
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> Joe- Answer to your question goes something like
> this. Bryan Whipple had the Eureka Southern from
> 1984-1986, when the road entered receivership
> under the direction of trustee Jerry Gregg.
> Jerry's plans submitted to the bankruptcy court in
> late 1990 called for the EUKA to be be sold or
> liquidated, but the courts rejected that plan as
> inadequate. Meanwhile, the California state
> legislature passed a bill creating the North Coast
> Railroad Authority, owned by Humboldt, Mendocino,
> and Trinity counties. NCRA tendered an offer to
> the bankruptcy court, who ordered the sale, which
> closed on 1 April 1992. NCRA itself set up the
> North Coast Railroad to replace Eureka Southern as
> operator. California Northern leased the line
> south of Willits in 1993. In 1997, several years
> of negotiations resulted in a series of
> transactions. Sonoma County joined NCRA's
> ownership group, and that entity acquired the line
> from Willits south to Healdsburg. A new entity,
> the Northwestern Pacific Railroad Authority,
> itself owned by NCRA, Golden Gate Bridge District,
> and Marin County, purchased the line south of
> Healdsburg. NCRA obtained a permanent freight
> easement over this line. NCRA at that point
> changed the name of its North Coast Railroad to
> the Northwestern Pacific, as it acquired rights to
> the name and logo along with the line. It was
> they who got the black widow painted power leased
> from Omnitrax. NCRA decided they wanted out of
> the railroad operating business, I think they had
> John Darling and his Rail-Ways on board just
> before the FRA emergency orders closed the south
> end. Rail-Ways did do the work that returned part
> of the south end to operation in 2001 for a few
> months, until NCRA removed them as a result of a
> contract dispute, which sparked so litigation
> between the parties for quite a while. Meanwhile,
> SMART bought out Norrhwestern Pacific Railroad
> Authority, though NCRA retained is freight
> easement, which is what John Williams and his
> investor's NWP operates over today. Does this
> help? Any other questions?
>
> Jeff Moore
> Elko, NV