Freight train rolls up to Railroad Square

<p>The first commercial freight train in 13 years rolled into Santa Rosa on Friday evening to the cheers of dozens of onlookers, many of whom waited hours in Railroad Square to witness something that was once commonplace in the city. </p><p>“For Santa Rosa, the train has almost a mystique to it because it's been gone so long,” said Patrick Dirden, a train buff from Sebastopol. </p><p>A red locomotive hauling three freight cars pulled out of Napa Junction shortly after 3 p.m., headed to Petaluma to deliver feed, then passed through Santa Rosa with a load of lumber from British Columbia bound for Standard Structures in Windsor. </p><p>The train had been expected to pass through Santa Rosa around 5 p.m., but was slowed by tests engineers conducted as the train made its way north, explained Doug Bosco, the general counsel of NWP Co., which is operating the freight service on the Northwestern Pacific Railroad between Napa and Windsor. </p><p>Before the train arrived, a festive atmosphere developed among onlookers, who shared pizza, swapped train-spotting stories, and placed coins on the tracks to be smashed. </p><p>“There's more money on these tracks than it took to repair them,” quipped Bosco, a former congressman and longtime rail supporter. </p><p>The arrival of the train is a watershed that could usher in a new era of prosperity for the region if it helped light manufacturing return, said George Powell, a 40-year-old unemployed mechanic. </p><p>“This is a real big moment for the whole county,” said Powell, whose uncle and grandfather both worked on the railroad. </p><p>After delivering the grain to Petaluma, the train dropped its two grain cars and arrived in Santa Rosa hauling only one lumber car.</p><p>Dick Caletti, president of Standard Structures, said the train will allow him to reduce delivery costs for the lumber he buys and the trusses and other products the firm ships out. The company's large wooden transmission towers will soon be able to reach points east less expensively, making the company more competitive, he said. </p><p>There's been no cargo service on the Northwestern Pacific Railroad since 2001, when federal regulators shut the line following storm damage. Service north of Penngrove ceased in 1998. Permission was restored in May after the North Coast Railroad Authority spent $62 million to repair a 62-mile stretch of track between Napa and Windsor. </p><p>Stephen Gale, chairman of the Sonoma County Democratic Party, said he marveled at how an old technology is proving its worth yet again. </p><p>“This is like back to the future,” he said. </p><p>You can reach Staff Writer Kevin McCallum at 521-5207 or kevin.mccallum@pressdemocrat.com.</p>