OK-- here is a current description of the Molena Warehouse and the Molena Speeder Shed on the old SN right-of-way of the Western Railway Museum :

The Molena warehouse was constructed in the 1920’s. It was used by area farmers to transfer and store
grain and other agricultural products for eventual loading onto Sacramento Northern rail cars on the adjacent
spur for shipment to markets. The warehouse is of wood frame construction with walls and roof covered with
corrugated steel panels. There are few windows or interior walls, reflecting a utilitarian style typical of line
side buildings constructed by the Sacramento Northern and others at the time. A large door at the northeast
corner allowed trucks to enter the building from an adjacent access road. On the west side there are five
large sliding doors that were used to transfer goods to rail cars on the spur. The building is 85 feet wide by
220 feet long. The roof is divided into two parts, with a gable roof over the main warehouse and a hip roof
over the south end. The building is currently used by area farmers for hay bale storage.


The Molena speeder shed was constructed in the 1920’s and is typical of many track maintenance buildings
located along the Sacramento Northern line. The shed is of wood frame construction with walls and roof
covered with corrugated steel panels. It is 10 feet wide by 18 feet long. The simple design and use of
economical materials allowed the railroad to quickly erect these buildings whenever and wherever needed.
The north end of the building was used for storage of a small gasoline powered track inspection vehicle
commonly called a “speeder.” A set of rails ran from inside the shed to the edge of the main line track. The
track maintenance crew would push the speeder on these rails out of the shed onto wooden planks set
between the mainline tracks. Remnants of these planks remain. The crew would then manually lift the
speeder onto the main line track. The south end of the shed was used for storage of track maintenance tools
and parts. The west speeder door is the only shed opening.

More to come...

KRK