Napa Valley Wine Train facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Napa Valley Wine Train
Locale	Napa County, California, USA
Connections	Union Pacific Railroad and California Northern Railroad
Commercial operations
Original gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Preserved operations
Operated by	Napa Valley Railroad
Reporting mark	NVRR
Stations	4
Length	18.0 mi (29.0 km)
Preserved gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Commercial history
1864	Started
1869	Purchased by California Pacific Railroad Extension Company and becomes California Pacific Railroad
1895	leased to Southern Pacific Railroad
1898	Southern Pacific Railroad takes over
1905	Electrification and renamed San Francisco, Napa and Calistoga Railway
1985	Southern Pacific Railroad notified the ICC of its intent to abandon
1987	Freight service ceased
Closed to passengers	1929
Closed	1987
Preservation history
1987	NVRR established
1987	NVRR acquires right-of-way
1989	Began operation
Headquarters	Napa, California
Website
http://www.winetrain.com

The Napa Valley Wine Train is a special train that takes people on fun trips. It travels between the towns of Napa and St. Helena, California in Napa County, California. As the train moves, it goes past many beautiful vineyards and wineries. These are places where grapes are grown to make wine.

The Napa Valley Railroad (NVRR) runs the Wine Train. Some of their train cars are marked with "NVR."

History of the Napa Valley Wine Train

How the Train Started

The tracks used by the Wine Train today are very old. They were first part of the Napa Valley Railroad. This first railroad was started in 1864 by a pioneer named Samuel Brannan. He wanted to bring tourists to Calistoga, California, a resort town he also helped create.

The original tracks were about 42 miles (68 km) long. They went from Calistoga to Vallejo, California. From Vallejo, people could take ferry boats to the San Francisco Bay Area. In 1869, another company bought the railroad and renamed it the California Pacific Railroad.

Later, in 1885, the tracks were leased to the Southern Pacific Railroad. They connected the line to their main tracks. Southern Pacific fully took over the railroad in 1898. For many years, the tracks were used to carry freight, which means goods and materials. Freight service stopped in 1987.

A New Beginning for the Railroad

In 1987, a group of local business people decided to create a new train company. This company was called the NVRR. It was led by Vincent DeDomenico, who was famous for his food businesses like Rice-A-Roni. DeDomenico bought the railroad tracks for $2.5 million. This happened after Southern Pacific decided they no longer wanted to use the line.

The idea of a "Wine Train" for tourists was not popular with everyone at first. Some people worried about noise and pollution. Others thought it would bring too many visitors to the Napa Valley. A court case even happened about the train. But in 1990, a high court decided that the train could operate.

The tracks needed a lot of repair because they hadn't been used much. About $20 million was spent to fix them up. Today, the rail line connects to other major railroads. It has even hosted special trains from Amtrak.

How the Wine Train Operates

The Napa Valley Wine Train started running on September 16, 1989. Since then, over two million passengers have enjoyed the ride. The main train can carry 320 passengers. It usually makes two trips each day.

The train is often pulled by two powerful Alco FPA-4 engines. These engines were built in the late 1950s. They were first used by the Canadian National Railway. Some of these engines were changed to run on a mix of natural gas and diesel fuel to be cleaner.

In 2009, the city of St. Helena allowed train passengers to get off there. This was a trial program. After Vincent DeDomenico passed away, his son-in-law, Gregory McManus, became the CEO. In 2015, the DeDomenico family sold the Wine Train to Noble House Hotels & Resorts.

What You Can Experience on Board

The train ride is about three hours long and covers 36 miles (58 km). Passengers can enjoy a delicious meal cooked right on the train. They can also try different wines from the region at the wine bar.

The train offers special stops at famous wineries like Castello di Amorosa, Grgich Hills Estate, Charles Krug, and Raymond Vineyards. You can take tours and do tastings at these places for an extra cost. The Wine Train also hosts fun events like murder mystery dinners and holiday trips.

In 2016, the Wine Train added a new experience called "Quattro Vino." This tour takes guests to four Napa Valley wineries. It includes a special four-course meal. In 2017, even more new tours were added. These tours use beautifully renovated 1915 Pullman railcars. There are also "Twilight Private Tours" for evening trips. These tours include appetizers, wine, dessert, and dinner at a winery.

In 2018, the company announced it would lease more passenger cars and a locomotive. This is to help while they renovate some of their own train cars.

The Train's Special Cars

The Napa Valley Wine Train uses nine special cars for its passengers. These include lounge cars, observation cars, and dining cars. They were originally built by the Pullman Company in the early 1900s. These cars were once used on other famous trains, like the "Ski Train" in Colorado.

When the NVRR bought them in 1987, they fixed them up a lot. They added air conditioning and even put 4 inches of concrete in the floors. This helps make the ride smooth and steady. The inside of the cars was decorated with beautiful Honduran mahogany wood and soft fabrics.

In 1997, the train added a Super Dome car. This car has a special glass dome roof for amazing views. It was built in 1952 and had traveled over a million miles before joining the Wine Train. The outside of this car was rebuilt by a circus train repair yard. The inside was restored and updated by the NVRR.

In 2013, a special box car was added to the train. This car holds a powerful generator. The generator makes sure the train always has electricity, especially when the locomotives move to the other end of the train for the return trip. The generator is in a soundproof room. There's also a walkway through the car so passengers can still move around. This is the only walk-through generator car in the world! The roof of this car was even lowered so it wouldn't block the view from the dome car.

Locomotives: The Power Behind the Train

The Napa Valley Wine Train uses several powerful locomotives to pull its cars. Here are some of the main ones:

The 80-ton switcher is now known as #57. The train also sometimes uses two locomotives that are leased from other owners: #48 and #5076.

Future Plans for the Railroad

The Napa Valley Wine Train tracks are mainly used for the daily passenger trips. Sometimes, they are also used for carrying freight. People are looking into new ways to use the railroad.

One idea is to extend the train service further north to Calistoga. Another idea is to add a commuter service. This would help people travel for work or daily activities. A study in 2003 looked into these possibilities. It also considered connecting with other public transportation.

Developers of a new housing project called Napa Pipe have also suggested a private shuttle service. This shuttle would use part of the NVRR line. It would go south to American Canyon. The idea is for trains to leave every 20 or 30 minutes.

Supporters of the commuter service idea shared a plan in 2012. They said the service would need to carry 1 to 1.5 million passengers each year to make a profit. Local transportation groups have shown some interest in these plans.

Images for kids

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  NVRR Diesel locomotives #70 & #72

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  The Quattro Vino, a train to four wineries introduced in 2016