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Southern Pacific Narrow Gauge Railroad |
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Beginnings
Benton
Hammil
Dehy
Shealy
Chalfant
Tom
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All material courtesy of Rich McCutchan unless otherwise noted.
See USE NOTICE on Home Page.
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 08/22
(Image courtesy Yale University Digital Collections)
10/23
A Carson & Colorado train traverses Montgomery Pass circa 1880s.
(Text and photo courtesy Daniel Goodwin) |
The Birth of
a Railroad in Owens Valley
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Decked out in
the "uniform of the day," Fred Balzar typified the
early day conductor. Mr. Balzar went on to greater things, becoming
the Governor of Nevada in 1932.
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Lucius Beebe
and Charles Clegg aboard the Virginia & Truckee car
"The
Virginia City" being served by steward Clarence Watkins.
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Carson & Colorado
Railway Pass.
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Beebe and Clegg's "Gold Coast" private railcar at the Mina engine house (1950)
(Photo courtesy of University of Nevada, Reno - Online Digital Collections) |
(Photo courtesy of ebay) |
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The Carson
& Colorado Railroad was originated, planned and built by
the Virginia & Truckee Railway. It was Lucius Beebe and his
partner, Charles Clegg, who enshrined both roads in their writing
and photography, much of it accomplished while living aboard
their private car "Gold Coast" in the V&T's Carson
yards.
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SPNG pulling a flatcar loaded with a truck.
"Wheelsets usually refers to just an axle with two wheels mounted. A truck is the complete assembly consisting of two wheelsets, a bolster and two sideframes. Wheelsets were usually transported by flatcar with two or more rails and the wheelsets were loaded in alternating positions on the rails. This allowed many more wheelsets to be carried as they could be pushed closer together. Complete trucks took more room but were included in work trains for the rapid recovery of derailed train cars." - Rick Bell
"The flat car is a patented LaMothe Pipe flat car. The car is Caboose/Coach #2 which later became H. Yeringtons private car and was also leased to the NG Tonopah RR where she ran on NG trucks and later SG trucks. Completely rebuilt as original by the Babcock Family. She was built at the V&T Carson Shops with her twin #1 which is currently at Laws detrucked. This image taken at Mound House Nevada.Caboose/officer car #2 sold to Inyo Developement Co. which then sold it to Tonopah RR." - Dennis Burke
(Text courtesy Dennis Burke and Rick Bell, Photo courtesy Rich McCutchan archives) |
The first crossing of the California-Nevada state line by a train of the Carson and Colorado Railroad Company (23 January 1883). Passengers and crew by boundary marker and the front of the locomotive. The location of the crossing is between the Montgomery Pass, near Mount Montgomery, in Nevada, and Benton, California. - circa 1881
(Photo courtesy Loyola Marymount William H. Hannon Library) |
"Route of the Carson & Colorado
RR"
Detailed Southern Pacific Narrow Gauge Route
By Andrew Brandon
06/22
SPNG - Carson & Colorado RR Route
Painstakingly crafted by the Laws RR Museum dedicated volunteers Paul Thompson and Beverly Schroeder. This work shows the actual route from Keeler California to Mound House Nevada with all the stops along the way.
(Photo courtesy Pam Milligan Vaughn)
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08/22
Southern Pacific Routes West of the Mississippi River |
"Chronology
of the Carson & Colorado RR"
by George Turner
"Uncle Collis Purchases One More Railroad"
The San Francisco CALL - February 15, 1900
"Narrow
Gauge in a Wilderness"
by George Turner
04/23
SPNG #8 outfitted with a snow plow
(Photo courtesy of Dennis Burke) |
Southern Pacific Narrow Gauge at a Glance - 1950
Southern Pacific's Narrow Gauge Owens Valley Line |
TRACKAGE:
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Laws to Keeler, California 70.4 miles. Three Foot gauge. |
STATIONS: |
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Laws (MP 506.8 Frame Depot) Closed 2/1959. Elevation - 4,115'.
Kearsarge (MP 550.1) Frame Depot. Torn down 12/1955. Elevation - 3,925
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Owenyo (MP 559.8) Frame Building. Closed 4/1960. Elevation - 3,690'.
Keeler (MP 576.5) Frame Depot. Closed 8/1957. Elevation - 3,610'.
Former Station Names:
Laws, formerly Bishop Creek
Zurich, formerly Alvord
Aberdeen, formerly Tibbets
Keasarge, formerly Independence, then Citrus Keeler, formerly Hawley
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TURNTABLES: |
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Laws: Gallows type, built in 1883
Owenyo: Gallows type, moved here from Keeler in 1910. Dismantled in 1948.
Keeler: Gallows type, built in 1883 and moved to Owenyo in 1910. |
ENGINEHOUSE:
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Keeler, single stall. Burned in 1946. With advent of diesel (1954) servicing was done at Owenyo. |
WATER TANKS: |
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Laws: originally windmill powered.
Aberdeen: windmill powered until 1953
Kearsarge
Owenyo: used standard gauge water supply via pipe.
Keeler |
FUEL OIL: |
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Laws
Owenyo |
TRANSFERS: |
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Owenyo:
Trestle: with narrow gauge above standard gauge.
Gantry: (Queen Truss) hand powered gears.
Dock: manual labor used to transfer materials.
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PRODUCTS HAULED:
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Cattle, sheep, soda, pumice, talc, clay, soapstone, dolomite, slate, pyrophylite (crop dusting), lead,
melatenterite, aluminum silicate, silver ore, potatoes, hay and farm products, sugar beets |
LOCOMOTIVES:
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Three Baldwin 4-6-0's. Number 8, 9, 18. |
ROLLING STOCK: |
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Box - 91, Combination Box/Stock - 14, Stock - 35, Flat - 8
Gondola - 36, Ballast - 38, Tank - 4
Caboose - 1, Baggage & Express - 1, Work - 4 |
03/22
Stage routes along the Owens Valley railroad lines
(Photo courtesy of Hal Eaton) |
Stage time tables along the Owens Valley railroad lines
(Photo courtesy of Hal Eaton) |
08/22
Coming? or Going? - Caboose #400
(Photo courtesy of Dennis Burke) |
Crews who ran steam locomotives always had to combat the heat that was inherent from riding all day on an engine just behind the engine's boiler that constantly radiated heat. This was made worse during the summer months and even more so for those lines that crossed hot and arid desert country.
All these factors of heat discomfort came together on the Southern Pacific's narrow gauge Carson & Colorado line that ran between Nevada and Eastern California in the hot and dry Owens Valley. Any chance that the crews of steam motive power on this line got to beat the heat was cherished and not to be hurried.
A double headed train on the "Slim Princess" has come to a stop under the trees at the water tank at Hammil, California several miles north of Laws. Hammil is on the old line that crossed Mt. Montgomery on the way to Moundhouse, Nevada.
The crews of SP #9 and #22 are enjoying a break from the heat of their engines and the desert itself as they casually go about the watering and servicing of the 2 engines in the welcome shade of the trees next to the track of this stop. If no one seems to be in a hurry, it is because they aren't. All too soon they will have to climb back into the small cabs with the roaring fire in the firebox just a few feet away and back out into the bright blazing sun of the desert.
(Photo and text courtesy of Martin Hansen) |
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