Catenary Productions Presents: Sacramento Northern Railway in 1940

Sacramento Northern - Catch the Interurban Experience in Action
In 1940, long after most interurbans had degenerated into poorly maintained shadows of the pre-WWI prime, the Sacramento Northern was operating trains of heavy wooden arch-window cars looking fresh from the paint shop, rumbling slowly through the tree-shaded city streets before racing across open countryside.
Journey back 60 years for a trip on California's legendary Sacramento Northern Railway, from the Bay Area to Chico, in the Sacramento Valley. The woodland and Colusa branches are also covered. The DVD provides a fascinating view of the countryside before it was despoiled by urban sprawl and the automobile.
In the first half of the twentieth century, interurbans served small-town America well -- connecting neighbors by distributing people and commerce reliably and cheaply when life was simpler and less hurried.
This extremely rare color coverage came from a stunning 16mm film shot by pioneer cinematographers Art Alter and Chuck Savage.
In association with Catenary Video Productions.
Please note that this film is NOT my property, intellectual or otherwise. It is being uploaded under the US copyright statute's Fair Use doctrine, which permits unlicensed use of a work for commentary, criticism, historical review, scholarly works, etc. Copyright infringement is not intended.

[@HuntOfficial1776]

It’s crazy how much of rail in America was once electrified. If the Milwaukee Road had still existed, we might have a Acela Express kind of thing out west.

[@Grandpa82547]

Two guys in suits moving the chocks. A different world back then.

[@lorenherrigstad8576]

Invaluable color footage that gives a real idea of what the Sacramento Northern was like to both watch and ride. This video truly brings scenes in more common black and white photos to life.

[@patricknoveski6409]

How beautiful Calif was back then. Even when I grew up in the 50s, it was still country . How quickly it can change, un checked .

[@WhiteCamry]

Further proof that progress is seriously overrated.

[@mikeninneman6575]

I attended Mount Diablo High School in Concord 15 years ago, and one of my teachers had an old yearbook from long before she had ever taught there mentioning the SN school trains which once stopped down the street from the high school. Not knowing much about the SN at the time, I later had the chance to operate the SN 1005 and 1020 when I became a member/motorman at the Western Railway Museum. It was only after this that I learned that these were the very cars that often ran for the school trains to Mount Diablo. It's a small world, as they say!

[@sardu55]

I'm always amazed at how much rail was put in and where it went to. So many right of ways still exist that you wonder when those old roads may return to service. Especially in places like California and other urban areas.

[@trainsupporter9088]

Wow - what a terrific video! I enjoyed each moment of it. I wish all of the electric and interurban systems in the Bay Area could have been saved. But, since they weren't, this video provides a wonderful glimpse on how things used to be. Thank you for uploading it.

[@harri2626]

Wow, what a magnificent film. The quality of the colour filming is superb. The dubbed music and some of the rail/motor sounds often detract, but still fascinating to see the varied rights of way used on the route.

[@ajs_productions]

Thank you, the film looks to be high-quality, with relatively little color variation, etc. The overall detail can largely be attributed to it being 16mm film vs 8mm (which has half of the exposable surface).

[@GeeBoggs]

What an absolute treasure this documentary is. The naturally colored (vs. colorized) footage and accompanying audio are both superb. I particularly enjoyed learning the route from S.F. to Sacramento, certainly as well as the wonderful street footage showing so many automobiles from the 1920s and 1930s. I truly enjoyed this video and thank you for publishing such a rare treat. Gee Boggs, Sonoma, CA

[@ajs_productions]

Thanks for watching. Regarding the audio, I know for sure a majority of it is dubbed audio (some of the audio does happen to be from SN equipment but still).

[@plonss]

What a beautiful trains .. and what a pity this infrastructure was dismantled

[@artlewellan2294]

I've been an advocate for light rail & streetcar in Portland since '92 analyzing western states new starts and expansion. A top priority for me was how bus lines integrate with regional rail. I began with a theory based on a bus system that runs in Denver - the 16th Street Shuttle which runs on a 1-mile short line with the least number of (1983 hybrid buses) that offered 2-minute frequency. Transfers from Denver's light rail lines and peripheral bus lines to the shuttle sparked ridership and influenced development. My questions: Could such shuttles systems be located throughout rail lines? Could expensive high impact rail routes be avoided by relying on such transfers? Would peripheral bus service be streamlined by avoiding circuitous routes to a rail station? Could rail stations with 8 -12 bus routes be reduced in number to 1 or 2 of these shuttle routes? In theory, 2 convenient transfers is a better transit system than 1 inconvenient transfer? Etc etc.

[@mikehawk2003]

VHS? The dubbed sound and music is different than I remember.

[@ajs_productions]

Yessir