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Marking 100 years since the historic consolidation of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad (NWP) in 1907, Riding the Rails presents the fascinating story of trains in Marin County and celebrates the railroad boom from the first tracks laid by pioneer railroad companies in the 1870s through the bustling days of the NWP passenger and freight service ending in the 1970s. Marin’s Historic Trains Before bridges and highways connected Marin County to the rest of the Bay Area, railroads were the center of transportation in Marin. Beginning with the first railroad line in 1869, trains offered a fast, efficient and dependable form of transportation for over a century. As the railroads prospered, so did Marin’s industries. Trains provided access in and out of the county delivering local products to a variety of markets. Electric interurbans hustled commuters from the Sausalito ferry terminal to depots throughout southern and central Marin. Steam trains carried tourists to the top of Mt. Tamalpais and to Marin’s luxury hotels and rustic campgrounds. The Northwestern Pacific Railroad In 1907 the Southern Pacific and the Santa Fe formed the Northwestern Pacific Railroad (NWP) by consolidating severalexisting lines. This merger allowed the network of railroadsthroughout northern California to operate under one company.The newly formed NWP provided a main line route connectingSausalito to Eureka, dominating rail traffic between northern California and Marin until the end of service in the 1970s. This exhibition presents the history of the NWP and its predecessors, and celebrates the centennial of the Northwestern Pacific’s presence in Marin and the important contributions the railroad made in Marin’s development. Presented in collaboration with the Northwestern Pacific Railroad Historical Society.