The Western Pacific Railway Company

The Western Pacific Railway Company functioned not only as a carrier but as a substantial in-house engineering and cartographic organization. Its Chief Engineer’s office in San Francisco produced line maps, profile drawings, yard and station plans, and detailed shop and terminal blueprints used to construct and operate the Feather River Route and associated terminals. Their output ranged from large-scale route maps and right-of-way plats to station and yard “station plans” and building blueprints (engine terminals, freight houses, ice houses, section houses), many of which bear San Francisco office headers and job numbers that tie them to specific construction programs (although it should be noted that drawing numbers mostly were internal and not unique across different departments).

Because the Western Pacific was creating a brand-new main line and urban terminals between 1906 and 1909, the railroad’s map- and plan-making work was integral to its route selection, the impressive grading, bridge and tunnel design, yard layout, and terminal facilities. Surviving drawings and maps are mainly preserved in institutional archives and railroad museums, though plans such as these occasionally emerge on the open market.