This book covers a number of shortline railroads that connected with the Western Pacific in Stockton, San Francisco, and the Oakland Area. Coverage includes: Tidewater Southern, Stockton Terminal & Eastern, Central California Traction in the Stockton Area, various Oakland and Alameda terminal lines, and the San Francisco Belt Railway. In the intro the author says that the book is intended as an overview, and it fills that role well. None of these lines receive extensive coverage, but the reader is given some good info on each along with photos, and rosters. The CCT, STE, and SF Belt all have far more detailed books available, but for the rest this work is pretty much the only print resource on them.