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Sierra Northern Railway has been an integral part of California since 1897. Adapting itself throughout the decades, the company has had a prominent presence in the many regions it serves, providing consistently reliable transportation of goods and services.
The initial operation was between Sonora, Jamestown, and the lumber towns of Standard, and Tuolumne in the Sierra Nevada region of the state east of Stockton in the nearby San Joaquin Valley. During the height of the California gold rush, passenger trains and freight trains – the latter predominately loaded with freight, lumber, and gold, brought civilization and the outside world to the area. Connecting directly with both the Santa Fe, and Southern Pacific railroads at Oakdale, additional revenue came from Hollywood’s frequent use of Sierra’s trains in movies and television shows.
Today, with assets in both the northern and southern part of the state, the current management team is not only responsible for operations on the original line out of Oakdale, but in West Sacramento, Fort Bragg, and Santa Paula, Calif.
With its employees living and working in the areas it serves, Sierra Northern Railway has a vested interest in supporting the communities where it operates. The company’s commitment to corporate citizenship takes several forms, including ensuring a strong safety culture throughout the organization, investing in community organizations and causes, maintaining a positive work environment by treating its employees with dignity and respect, and contributing to environmental sustainability.
Sierra Northern Railway is continually investing in its infrastructure to ensure safe and efficient operations in the communities where we operate, while also reducing our impacts on the environment. On average, rail is four times more fuel efficient than trucking, with one rail car removing four trucks from local roads. In addition, moving freight by rail instead of trucks reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 75%.
Sierra Northern Railway also is leading the industry in the conversion of diesel locomotives to hydrogen-fueled, zero-emission locomotives, and in July 2023 the company in partnership with the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District received $19.5 million from the State of California to expand those efforts. The company by 2027 will have a fleet of four hydrogen-fueled switching locomotives operating in West Sacramento, paving the way for its entire fleet and the more than 260 switchers throughout California with other rail companies to be converted.
Sierra Northern Railway supports numerous organizations and causes in the communities where it does business, including through financial and in-kind donations, sponsorships, and memberships. Recent examples include:
We operate in five locations throughout California:
Oakdale, CA
551 S Sierra Ave. Oakdale, CA 95361
24 Hour Emergency Number:
(209) 988-4961
Santa Paula, CA
212 N 12th St. Santa Paula, CA 93060
Phone: (530) 490-1446
24 Hour Emergency Number: (888) 864-6995
West Sacramento, CA
1745 Enterprise Blvd. West Sacramento, CA 95691
Phone: (530) 666-9646
24 Hour Emergency Number: (530) 902-8257
MOTCO: Military Ocean Terminal Concord – Concord, CA (Operated from West Sacramento)
Proctor & Gamble – Sacramento, CA (Operated from West Sacramento)
Mr. Beard is a fifth-generation railroader and is currently the President and CEO of the Sierra Northern Railway. Previously he held the position of Chief Operating Officer for the Modesto and Empire Traction Company located in Modesto, California. Ken began his railroad career in 1994 where he spent time working with all divisions of the railroad. His experience includes track design and construction, Genset and Hydrogen Hybrid locomotive design and operation as well as intermodal operations. He has served as the President of the California Short Line Railroad Association since 2006 and as such is deeply involved with both federal and state regulators as well as the legislators within the state of California. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
Mr. MacDonald is a first-generation railroader with fourteen years of experience. Before joining Sierra Northern, he was a shift manager for Union Pacific Railroad at a system locomotive shop in Oregon. Brenton began his railroad career in 2009 in train operations and through the years has learned all aspects of the railroad necessary to assist in running Sierra Northern Railway. He has extensive knowledge of how Class One railroads are structured and operate, which is useful when having to resolve issues between railroad entities. Brenton has been an active member in the California Short Line Association since 2016 and has participated in many events with federal and state regulators as well as industry vendors. Brenton graduated from the University of California, Davis, with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering.
Mr. Pennington has more than 8 years of experience in the California Short Line Railroad industry. He began his career at Sierra Northern Railway in 2015 as an Engineer/Conductor. In 2018, Cole was promoted to the position of Assistant Manager of Safety and Training and then in 2019 he was promoted to Manager of Safety and Training. Cole was promoted to his current role in 2022. Cole leverages his broad knowledge in regulations, procedures, maintenance, and the railroad industry within the Company and with external stakeholders. He holds an Associate of Science degree in Fire Technology from Folsom Lake College.
Mr. Arias is a first-generation railroader with nineteen years of industry experience. Prior to joining Sierra Northern Railway in 2015, Isaac began his railroad career in 2004 working at the transload yard at the Modesto Empire & Traction (MET) and quickly worked up into railroad operations to the role of Operating Supervisor. Through the years Isaac has learned all aspects of the railroad necessary to assist in running Sierra Northern Railway. He has great knowledge and built strong relationships with the local Class One operating teams, which is essential in keeping rail traffic flowing efficiently for the Oakdale Division.
Mr. Blackburn is a first-generation railroader with over 11 years of experience. Prior to working at Sierra Northern Railway, he began his career with the Sacramento Southern Railroad in the Car Department and Maintenance of Way. It was there he also learned train operations. Mr. Blackburn then joined Sierra Northern as the Railbike Manager for the River Fox Train of Mendocino Railway. Matthew has also worked as an engineer, conductor, and dispatcher for Sierra Northern Railway. Mr. Blackburn graduated from American River College with an Associate of Science Degree in Railroad Operations in 2015.
Mr. Ashmead is a third generation railroader and has over twenty years of railroad services. His experiences started with Union Pacific Railroad where he managed several key customer accounts in various locations in the Western United States. He was also an agent for the BNSF. Mr. Ashmead served as VP Marketing and Sales, AVP Industrial Development and Public Relations with another large Short Line holding company focusing on 10 Short Line Railroads. His territories received the highest companywide customer satisfaction survey results for several years. Other experiences have included railcar asset leasing, serving on several Boards including, (ASLRRA) American Short Line Regional Railroad Association, Utah Operation Lifesaver and currently the (PNWARS) Pacific Northwest Association of Rail Shippers. He joined the Sierra Railroad Leadership Team as Vice President of Marketing in 2022. Mr. Ashmead is a graduate of the University of Nebraska Omaha with a degree in Secondary Education with a minor in Political Science.