|
 The
Feather River Rail Society is a California 501c(3)
Non-Profit Educational & Historical Corporation
headquartered in Portola, California, at the
headwaters of the Feather River. Located 50
miles Northwest of Reno, Nevada, the primary mission
statement of the Western Pacific is
to preserve the Western Pacific Railroad with a
secondary mission to preserve subsidiary and
interchange railroads within the territories WP
served.
These missions also
include the preservation and interpretation of the
history of the WP, with emphasis on:
-
The "Willing
People" as a vital link in the development of the
rail industry on the west coast.
-
The steam and
diesel evolution.
-
WP's influence in
the passenger tourism industry.
-
The impact of
freight competition between neighboring railroads.
-
WP's influence in
the lumber, mining and agriculture industry from
Plumas County through out Northern California.
The FRRS is the owner
and operator of the Western Pacific Railroad Museum
in Portola. The FRRS is
wholly funded by admissions, locomotive rentals,
gift shop sales, and generous donations of time,
material, labor and money, and does not receive
funding from any local, federal or state
governments. The volunteers of the FRRS
restore equipment, operate trains, sort and catalog
archives, repair and improve the facilities, and
perform hundreds of "house keeping" type duties
related to keeping the museum open.
In addition to the
museum grounds and equipment, the Society is the
custodian of several notable archive collections,
including historic photographs, equipment
diagrams, business ledgers, authorizations for
expenditure, equipment records and other important
documentation from the Western Pacific Railroad
and its subsidiaries, as well as the famous
"California Zephyr" passenger train. This
collection represents a nearly complete and total
history of the railroad. The archives are
currently being cataloged and electronically
scanned for presentation and availability to the
general public to preserve for future
generations. Because of this on-going work, the
main archives are unavailable for public access.
However, our long range goals for the
museum include a climate controlled archive
library on the museum
grounds.
On behalf of the over
1,100 members of the Feather River Rail Society,
we invite you to join us
in preserving the Western Pacific Railroad and the
California Zephyr for current and future generations
to enjoy railroading in it's native habitat. |
