I remember it well. I worked for the engineers in the (now Hopmonk) old power station. Our secretary was married to one of the train engineers, and she’d go out on the loading dock at the back every day and wave to him when the train rolled through.
Why is it either or (a train or a trail) ? SMART is giving us both. I for one would see benefit from catching a SMART train in downtown Sebastopol (or Forestville) and stepping off in Larkspur / taking the ferry to SF, or north to the airport.
The train was great. Loved watching it come through the middle of town. Looking at the picture of the train reminds me of when I worked at Medico Drug Store while going to Analy High School. It was a great time to be part of as this community kept moving forward. Thanks for the memory. Pretty awesome.
Wow.Ernie Joiner and the Sebastopol Times. The omnipresent Volkswagen on the street. The train on Main was not electric but diesel. The old rail right-of-way, now the Rodota trail, ran electric cars to Santa Rosa before this time. The train, while charming, was not very functional at the end and interrupted the vehicles. It was the end of an era. I think the sign is the Pine Cone, but not positive.
Yep that’s def. The Pine Cone. And you’re so right, the train tracks were slippery and terrible to step on if you were crossing the street, and I had a friend who had a bad injury when one wheel of his motorcycle caught the tracks.
I remember it well. I worked for the engineers in the (now Hopmonk) old power station. Our secretary was married to one of the train engineers, and she’d go out on the loading dock at the back every day and wave to him when the train rolled through.
Good memories, long ago!
So who is the writer of this fun article?
By Dan Kerbein - His byline is below the photo.
Why is it either or (a train or a trail) ? SMART is giving us both. I for one would see benefit from catching a SMART train in downtown Sebastopol (or Forestville) and stepping off in Larkspur / taking the ferry to SF, or north to the airport.
The train was great. Loved watching it come through the middle of town. Looking at the picture of the train reminds me of when I worked at Medico Drug Store while going to Analy High School. It was a great time to be part of as this community kept moving forward. Thanks for the memory. Pretty awesome.
Thanks to those trains, I was able to easily ride my bike to Santa Rosa to work for many years.
I owned Country Blues on Main Street in the 80’s
and saw the train every time it went by-shook the whorl building!
Fascinating history! As a weekly SMART train rider, I am hooked on trains. This article is inspiring.
Wow.Ernie Joiner and the Sebastopol Times. The omnipresent Volkswagen on the street. The train on Main was not electric but diesel. The old rail right-of-way, now the Rodota trail, ran electric cars to Santa Rosa before this time. The train, while charming, was not very functional at the end and interrupted the vehicles. It was the end of an era. I think the sign is the Pine Cone, but not positive.
Yep that’s def. The Pine Cone. And you’re so right, the train tracks were slippery and terrible to step on if you were crossing the street, and I had a friend who had a bad injury when one wheel of his motorcycle caught the tracks.
Whoops. I see article writen by Dan Kerbein! Thank you.
Nice read but I'm a bit confused about diesel and electric power for the engine.