Sierra Railroad

Last updated
Sierra Railroad Corporation
Company type Incentive
Industry common carrier
Founded1897;127 years ago (1897)
United States
Headquarters United States
Gold Bond of the Sierra Railway Company of California, issued 15 September 1904 Sierra Railway Company of California 1904.jpg
Gold Bond of the Sierra Railway Company of California, issued 15 September 1904
Two Sierra diesel locomotives. SRR 40 and 42 at Jamestown Jess Fowler Dec64RP - Flickr - drewj1946.jpg
Two Sierra diesel locomotives.
SRR #3 and #8, November 1979 Srr 3 and 8 Nov 79 - Flickr - drewj1946.jpg
SRR #3 and #8, November 1979
SRR Shay #2 with an excursion train at Montezuma, California, 1979. SRR 2 Montezuma Dec 79xRP - Flickr - drewj1946.jpg
SRR Shay #2 with an excursion train at Montezuma, California, 1979.

The Sierra Railroad Corporation is a privately owned common carrier. Its Sierra Northern Railway freight division handles all freight operations for all branches owned by the Sierra Railroad. The company's Mendocino Railway group operates the diesel- and steam-powered Sacramento RiverTrain (Woodland-Sacramento) and the Skunk Train (Fort Bragg-local). The company's Sierra Energy division is for energy projects.

Contents

History

The similarly named Sierra Railway Company of California was founded in 1897 to connect the California Central Valley to the Gold Country foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Its historic western terminus has always been in Oakdale where a junction was once formed with both the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway and the Southern Pacific. The Santa Fe's (now BNSF Railway) Oakdale Branch provided one freight outlet to the AT&SF Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Valley Division at Riverbank, California; the Southern Pacific Oakdale Branch from Stockton was abandoned in 1986 and torn out by 1990. The Sierra Railroad bought the BNSF mainline from Riverbank MP1 to Oakdale in 2008. The portion of the former Sierra Railway conveyed by the railroad's historic owners, the Crocker Family, to the California State Park System are with "Sierra Railway", which preserves the original operating name of the entire line and is headquartered at Railtown 1897 State Historic Park in Jamestown, California.

Beginnings

Sierra Railway route in 1931 Sierra RY & Yosemite RR.jpg
Sierra Railway route in 1931

The Sierra Railway Company of California was incorporated on February 1, 1897 by founders Thomas S. Bullock, Prince André Poniatowski, and William H. Crocker. In May, the first rails were laid in the grain fields just east of Oakdale, and the stops grew to include Occidental (Now called Arnold), Paulsell, Warnerville, Cooperstown, Chinese, and finally on November 8, 1897; Jamestown, California. The railroad owners had no intention of ending the line there, and the line was extended to Tuolumne, some 16 miles from Jamestown. By 1900, the line had been completed, the same as it is today,[ when? ] with the exception of the abandonment of the Standard to Tuolumne Right-Of-Way. In 1937, the Sierra Railway was sold at a public auction to the new Sierra Railroad Company, and the debts of the original company were settled. In 1955, the railroad made the switch from steam to diesel power, but retained the steam locomotives for movie and television work for which the railroad is famous. In 1971, the Sierra Railroad used its vintage steam locomotives and facilities to its advantage, and opened "Rail Town 1897" as a tourist attraction. In 1979, The Crocker Association, which was the sole owner of the railroad at that time, closed Rail Town and put both the Sierra Railroad and the Jamestown complex with equipment up for sale separately. In 1980, the Sierra Railroad was sold to Silverfoot Inc., and in 1982 the California Department of Parks and Recreation purchased the Jamestown facilities and reopened the site as Railtown 1897 State Historic Park. In 1995, Silverfoot resold the operation to the Sierra Pacific Coast Railway, and in 2003 merged with the Yolo Shortline Railway, as it exists today.[ when? ]

Locomotive roster

NumberBuilderTypeDate builtHeritageDispositionNotes
A Plymouth DLC61925HC Collins
1Unknown 2-6-0 UnknownPrescott & Arizona Central #1Sold/Transferred to West Side Lumber Company as Mill Switcher
2 (1st) 4-4-0 Prescott & Arizona Central #2 Scrapped circa 1899Only used during construction of the railroad
2 (2nd) New York 0-6-0 1889Northern PacificSold to Lassen Lumber & Box, scrapped in 1940
3 Rogers 4-6-0 1891Prescott & Arizona Central #3Donated to Railtown 1897 State Historic Park, OperationalKnown as the "Movie Star Locomotive" for its roles in many films and television shows
4 Baldwin 4-4-0 1882Northern Pacific #99Sold to West Side Lumber Company as Tuolumne Mill switcher in 1917, scrapped in 1938
5 Schenectady 0-6-0 1899NewSold to Hawaii Consolidated (converted to a 2–6–2), scrapped in 1947Sierra's first new locomotive.
6 Baldwin 4-4-0 1883Northern Pacific #144Sold to Atlas-Olympia, later converted to a stationary boiler and scrapped in 1937Primarily assigned to passenger service.
71882Northern Pacific #93Solddisposition unknown, presumed scrapped.
9 Heisler Heisler 2-Truck1899NewSold to Standard Lumber Company as #8, resold to West Side Lumber Co., scrapped in 1947Built for service on the Angels Branch.
10 Lima Shay 2-Truck1902Sold to Hofius Stell & Equipment, resold to Walville Lumber Co. then to Diamond Match Co. scrapped in 1942
111903Sold to United Commercial Company, resold to Pickering Lumber Co., resold to Verdi Lumber Co. then to Clover Valley Lumber Co., scrapped in 1952
12Shay 3-TruckSold to Pickering Lumber Co., now owned by the Pacific Locomotive Association, stored serviceableSierra's only 3-Truck Shay. Built for service on the Angels Branch.
18 Baldwin 2-8-0 1906Sold to private owner, now stored in Merrill, ORTender sold to Tidewater Southern in 1952 for use with their #132 and scrapped with loco in 1955.
201916Sold to US Army as #6814, resold to Kurth Lumber as #20, scrapped in 1955.
21 Climax Climax 2-Truck1906Sold to Sugar Pine Railway as #1, resold to Grant Rock & Gravel, Stillwater Lumber, Zimmerman, Wells, Brown, Sigardson & Bartholomew Logging and finally Jamestown-Oregon Lumber Co.Sierra's only Climax. Built for service on the Sugar Pine Railway.
22 Baldwin 2-8-0 1920Sold to California Western as #41, scrapped in 1950
241912Nevada Copper Belt #3Scrapped in 1955
26 2-6-0 1908Ocean Shore #6Sold to Davis-Johnson Lumber Co., scrapped in 1939Sierra's only 2-6-0 locomotive
28 2-8-0 1922NewDonated to Railtown 1897 State Historic Park, Operational
30 2-6-2 Sold to Howard Terminal Railway as #6 (rebuilt as 2-6-2T), now owned by the Pacific Locomotive Association, undergoing restoration as 2-6-2 configuration as builtMostly assigned to the Angels Branch.
321923Sold to Tidewater Southern, April 1940, renumbered 132; scrapped in 1955Original tender wrecked 1952, replaced with tender from Sierra #18.
34 2-8-2 1925Sold to Reed Hatch 1962, resold to Fred Kepner circa 1987, stored at Railtown 1897.Leased to and operated by Railtown between 1971 and 1980.
36 ALCO 1930Sold to Reed Hatch 1962, used on White Mountain Scenic Railroad, now privately owned in Merrill, OR Sierra's last new steam locomotive.
38 Baldwin 2-6-6-2 1934Weyerhauser Timber Company #4Sold to Rayonier Inc., now privately owned in Merrill, ORSierra's only articulated locomotive.
40 S-12 1955NewScrapped in 2008Sierra's first Diesel.
42Stored out of serviceSierra's last completely new locomotive
441951Sharon Steel #10Scrapped in 2008
45 EMD GP9 1954Great Northern #667In service
46 GP9E 1957Southern Pacific #5731Sold
47 GP7 1952Reading Company #607In service
48 GP20 1961AT&SF #1162Currently leased to Napa Valley Wine Train
50AT&SF #1130
52 R.J. Corman/Railpower RP20DB2014NewBuilt from ex Yolo Shortline #135.
56RP20GE2007UPY #2628
131 EMD GP9 1957SP #5759From Yolo Shortline.
132SSW #823Stored, out of service
133 Homebuilt/Railpower RP20DB2012NewIn serviceBuilt from ex T&NO GP9 #436.
134 EMD GP7u 1952AT&SF #2704From Yolo Shortline
136AT&SF 2833
1227 Lima 0-6-0 1914SPRestorationFrom Golden Gate Railroad Museum
2608 R.J. Corman/Railpower RP20GE2006UPY #2608Out of service, waiting repair
2609UPY #2609In service
2612UPY #2612Out of service, waiting repair
26202007UPY #2620
2652UPY #2652In service

See also

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