Eureka Southern Railroad

The Eureka Southern Railroad (reporting mark EUKA) was a shortline freight and excursion railroad that ran over former Northwestern Pacific trackage from Willits, California to Eureka, California.

On September 8, 1981, Bryan Whipple purchased the soon-to-be abandoned northern end of the Northwestern Pacific mainline from Willits, California to Eureka, California. His Eureka Southern Railroad holding company purchased the segment of the line from the Southern Pacific Railroad for $4.95 million, and commenced operations on November 1, 1984 using four EMD GP38 2,000-horsepower (1,500 kW) locomotives it acquired from Conrail, built in 1969.

Over the course of its life, the line struggled to make money. Though wood products had historically been the top source of revenue for the Northwestern Pacific and subsequently the Eureka Southern, historic overharvest on private lands limited timber availability, and coupled with rising environmental restrictions in the area caused traffic numbers to fall consistently. The EUKA also faced a constant battle with the elements in the famed Eel River Canyon, historically one of the most expensive to maintain stretches of track in the United States. Finally, on December 15, 1986, the road filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy, but continued operations.

The line operated an excursion train, the "North Coast Daylight", as a joint venture with Sierra Western Corp., the owners of historic passenger cars. Several of the cars had originally been Southern Pacific Daylight cars; others were a hodge-podge of vintage passenger, diner, and dome cars of the same era, painted in the iconic "Daylight" orange-striped scheme. The trains were pulled by Eureka Southern locomotives.

On Saturday mornings, the "North Coast Daylight" passengers rode excursion buses from the San Francisco Bay area to Willits, where they boarded the train. The train followed the scenic Eel River Valley north to Eureka (a route never served by the original Southern Pacific Daylight trains). Passengers generally were retired, and had grown up during the 1930s, 40s, and 50s when rail travel was more popular and important. Meals, snacks, and beverages were served throughout the trip in dining, lounge, and dome cars. Lunch menus were limited ("beef or chicken?") but the meals were well-prepared and most diners were pleasantly surprised. Passengers stayed overnight in Eureka, then boarded again on Sunday mornings for the return trip to Willits and (by bus) to the Bay Area. The ride was not always comfortable. The cars were unheated, air conditioning often failed, and meals often were late. The vintage rail car toilets simply emptied their contents onto the tracks below, and passengers were asked not to flush while the train was stopped in the stations at Willits and Eureka.

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