Tucked between the East Bay cities of Fremont and Sunol, the Niles Canyon Railway is a living museum that moves. Operated by the volunteer-driven Pacific Locomotive Association, this heritage railroad preserves a storied stretch of track tied to the earliest days of transcontinental rail service to the San Francisco Bay.
All year long, it carries passengers through the rugged beauty of Niles Canyon along Alameda Creek in vintage railcars pulled by historic locomotives. Then, as the holidays approach, it transforms into one of Northern California’s most beloved seasonal experiences: the Train of Lights.
A quick look at the railway’s roots
Niles Canyon Railway runs on a former Southern Pacific corridor that helped usher the first transcontinental trains into the Bay Area in the late 1860s.
The line through Niles Canyon linked the Central Valley with the East Bay and, ultimately, Oakland’s waterfront, forming a critical final leg of the coast-to-coast route. Over the decades, the line passed through various railroad companies and saw countless freights and passenger trains before modern operations shifted elsewhere…