Sacramento Northern, Legendary Interurban

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 paintshop, rumbling slowly through the tree-shaded city streets before racing across open countryside.

Journey back 80 or more 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 stunning 16mm film taken by pioneer cinematographers Art Alter and Chuck Savage. From Transit Gloria Mundi, in association with Catenary Video Productions. This is digitally enhanced and color corrected directly from the master for the previous VHS version.