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1896
- McCloud River Railroad -
McCloud Railway - 2009
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| Information
regarding: |
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| By an
appreciative rail fan and admirer of the hundred mile short line,
that defied, weather, mountains, time and economics, for the
longest time. |
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Now that the
powerful shortline railroad that hauled "Pine
Across the Mountain" has steamed over the hill and
into the sunset, we can take some time a reflect
upon the McCloud River Railroad and it's
erstwhile sibling the McCloud Railway. From the
time the two dozen steamers had plied the track
for the railroad and for the McCloud River Lumber
Company to the burbling Baldwin diesels and
finally the EMD SD-38s testing the strength
of the lightweight track, the purpose of the MCRR
was to haul timber to the mills, and lumber out of
the shadow of Mt Shasta to
it's connections for the cities of
California Oregon and beyond. Despite
monstrous winters, two world wars, a crippling
depression and all the other vagaries of history,
in the last one hundred years, the railroad never
flagged in it's duty. It never failed to perform,
until it had completed the course set before it. |
So lets take a trip back
across the rails of memory and remember fondly the
McCloud River Railroad, the McCloud River Lumber
Company, Mother McCloud and finally the McCloud
Railway. All aboard! |
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| This website is
by no means meant to be a complete compendium of the
McCloud River Railroad and McCloud Railway. There are
more complete sites available on the internet, you
will find them listed in the "Interchange" section.
Also I am by no means the most experienced,
knowledgeable, or experienced person when it comes to
this railroad. I have visited it a handful of times
and ridden it just once. But having spent a lot of
time in, on and around Mount Shasta as a child, when I
later learned more of this railroad as an adult,
fifteen years ago, I immediately became enamored with
it. Nothing in the intervening course of time has
dulled that affection. |
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Solitude:
This to
me is the McCloud River Railroad. Nearly one hundred
miles of well rusted light weight rail, rough
hewn ties reeking of creosote and mounds of red lava
ballast, stretching as far as the eye can see,
completely empty. In years passed, these rails
near Burney might have seen daily service, of late
they have seen weekly service, if that and now, they
have been lifted and removed entirely. But for me and
my memories of running up and down this quiet
stretches of empty tracks with the enthusiasm of a
kid.....this will always be McCloud.
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Plentitude:
This picture was taken on the road
between the Bartle junction and Hambone. Looking south
west into McCloud River basin. Active log cutting has
been going on in this area for a hundred years, and
yet with proper management you can see such
activities, have not have a debilitating effect on
this environment. Somewhere in the middle of those all
those trees is the railroad between Bartle and
McCloud. |
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All
photo's, unless otherwise noted, are credited to Craig
Nolan, Please
E-mail for permission before use
*Historic Images
on flash courtesy Of The McCloud Heritage Junction Museum,
Color Phot0s copyright mccloudriverrailroad.com
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All inquiries are welcome by email |
