In the late 1980s the railroad's freight redwood lumber traffic rapidly declined. Georgia-Pacific gradually shifted lumber shipments to more flexible highway trucks until the Northwestern Pacific Railroad [North Coast Railroad Authority] was embargoed and shut-down from Willits to the California Northern Railroad and Union Pacific mainline connection near the SF Bay Area. By 1996, before the NWP embargo, CWR lumber shipments were less than 500 cars per year and passenger service became the line's main source of revenue. All freight service was discontinued in 2001. Today the passenger excursion trains are the railroad's sole source of revenue. Freight traffic is likely to restart in 2014 as the NWP is being re-opened. Occasionally, the CWR stores equipment or runs special trains on NWP trackage.
The No. 45 prepares for a journey in 1979.
Gas-powered, self propelled, passenger railcars were added in 1925 and CWR steam passenger trains were mostly eliminated. These motorcars were nicknamed "Skunks" because people said "You can smell 'em before you can see 'em." In 1965 the line reintroduced summer steam passenger service between Fort Bragg and Willits with Baldwin-built steam locomotive No.45, calling the colorful train "The Super Skunk." That train was discontinued in 2001, then revived in September 2006 as a special event train. No.45 continues to power excursion trains from Fort Bragg, California as far as Northspur, California, the CWR's mid-point, on selected weekends summer to early autumn.[1]
Without the considerable revenue lumber and general merchandise freight once contributed to the bottom line, maintaining the railway through such rugged terrain is a major undertaking, both logistically and financially, and service is not always available for the full trip from Fort Bragg to Willits, California. However, shorter trips to intermediate points usually run year-round.
The railroad has also been featured in several movies, including The Signal Tower (1924), Racing with the Moon (1984), and The Majestic (2001).
