This book is the result of my work with the Western Railway Museum’s collection of Sacramento photographs. The Western Railway Museum, located at Rio Vista Junction, is a public museum operated by the Bay Area Electric Railroad Association (BAERA.) Except for those indicated otherwise, all of the photographs in this book are from that collection. In appreciation for access to this collection, all author’s royalties from this book will be contributed to the Western Railway Museum, specifically for the restoration of the Sacramento streetcars in their collection. My thanks to the archive staff and volunteers, especially archivist Bart Nadeau, Mike Dreiling, and Harry Aitken, who helped provide many answers to my constant deluge of questions, and to BAERA member Grant Hess, whose photographs and knowledge of Oak Park history added much to this book.
Thanks also to Bob Blymyer for his technical assistance, peer review, and information about early streetcar lines and the buses of the post-streetcar era. Bob has been a BAERA member for over 30 years. Thanks also to Tom Tolley and the staff of the Sacramento Room at the Central Sacramento Library, Kyle Wyatt of the California State Railroad Museum, and the staff of the Sacramento Archives and Museum Collections Center (SAMCC).
Thanks to my editor at Arcadia, John Poultney, for encouraging me to start this book and as the deadline approached, urging me to finish it.
Thanks to my wife, Vivian, for her support, encouragement, and understanding.
Thanks to Birdie Boyles, Jack Davis, and Al Balshor, who shared their memories of the streetcars and life, work, and play in Sacramento.
Finally, thanks to the rail fan photographers of the Bay Area Electric Railroad Association who photographed Sacramento’s streetcars. These photographers include (but are not limited to) Roy Covert, Peter Khyn, F. T. Hill, Addison Laflin, E. L. Estacaille, and Vernon Sappers. Without their enthusiasm for streetcars and their copious photographs, this book would be impossible.