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A Daunting
Task Ahead **
The McCloud River Railroad in
Northern California is often
seen covered in white. Nothing
adds to the isolation of a deep
pine forest, than a ten or
twenty foot layer of snow. In
the first few years of the
railroad's existence , it would
shut down for winter but soon
each year the men of the McCloud
ventured bravely out into the
wilds and battled the snows with
usually no more than a bucker
plow or Johnson spreader. Crews
would gallantly climb aboard the
plow train and ride along until
the plow had backed up enough
snow that it literally stalled
the train, then the crews would
jump off and shovel the snow out
of the way. Some times the cuts
made by the plows were as deep
as the engines were tall and
they were completely engulfed in
their trenches with nothing but
smoke and steam emerging from
the top to show they were there.
On occasion when the wedge
and pusher plows were not up to
the job the Southern Pacific
loaned one of there Rotary plows
to do the work.
In February of 1938 One such
snow storm stranded a log train
at Car A. With several cars
derailed and little hope of
pulling themselves out, the
train crew sent to Pondosa for
help. Help arrived through 19ft
snow (On a make shift sled) from
Pondosa and after the crew was
revived with food and water, the
train was re-railed and they
begin to dig their way out. One
unfortunate fellow, a brakeman
named Frank Green slipped while
working and fell under the
wheels of number 14 and died.
The workers gently set aside his
body and worked on. They finally
made it to Pondosa, which was
still cut off from the rest of
the road. A radio station in Los
Angeles was asked to broadcast
the message that a relief train
was on the way and in the little
town of Pondosa the broadcast
was heard, (more than 800 miles
away) on battery powered radio
in the community. After all the
effort, blood sweat and tears
that was put into this rescue
effort, the town of Pondosa was
reached, two days later the
temperature rose dramatically
and the conditions which
stranded a train and a town, no
longer existed.
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A Snow Train, Log
Loaders stand idly by in
the distance** |
Three Engines and a
caboose follow the big
wedge plow over the
trestle.** |
Shovel Crews get the job
done. ** |
The Big Plow Set to
Work. ** |
Today's Work Horse * |
Standard Steel
advertisement using the
McCloud snow to promote
their product*** |
click on pictures to enlarge
*
Image Courtesy of Dirk Rose
** Image Courtesy Charles Russell
**Images Courtesy Of The McCloud
Heritage Junction Museum Please
see interchange page for more
info on this.
*** images from post cards or
original media
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