Lake County Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Lake County Railroad , based in Lakeview
, Oregon
, United States
, is owned by the Lake County
government and operated by the Modoc Northern Railroad
. It runs south from Lakeview to Alturas, California
, and then back every Thursday. The LCR hauls products for both the perlite
mine and lumber
from the Fremont Sawmill.
(NCO) and was constructed around 1908. In 1926 the NCO became an operating subsidiary of the Southern Pacific Railroad
(SP). By 1929 the NCO was entirely operated by the SP.
In March 1985 the SP filed to abandon the line and the abandonment was approved 5 months later. The county stepped in to save the route, vital to local businesses and the state legislature enacted a law permitting local governments to own railroads outside of the state, and then the Oregon State Lottery agreed to fund up to 85% of the purchase price if the county could find an operator. The county went to work, and the Great Western Railway, an established shortline based out of Colorado, agreed to operate the line on a contract basis. Lake County purchased the line from SP on January 18, 1986, to keep the line open. The county contracted with the Great Western Railway to operate the line.
The LCR began operations on November 1, 1997, when it took over the 54.45 miles formerly operated by the Great Western Railway of Colorado
under contract. The county operated the rail line on precarious financial footing with frequent derailments and grants needed for maintenance funding.
The line was leased in 2005 to the Modoc Northern Railroad
Lakeview, Oregon
Lakeview is a city in Lake County, Oregon, United States. The population was 2,294 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Lake County. Although it is an incorporated city, the municipal government refers to the community as "The Town of Lakeview", and bills itself as "Tallest Town in Oregon"...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, is owned by the Lake County
Lake County, Oregon
Lake County is a county in the high desert south central region of the U.S. state of Oregon, so named for the many lakes found within its boundaries, including Lake Abert, Hart Lake Reservoir, and Goose Lake. While Lake is among Oregon's largest counties, it is sparsely populated with 7,895...
government and operated by the Modoc Northern Railroad
Modoc Northern Railroad
The Modoc Northern Railroad connects Klamath Falls to Alturas, California and Lakeview, Oregon to Alturas, California. Modoc Northern Railroad operates over 160 miles of track in northeastern California and southern Oregon and is based in Tulelake, California...
. It runs south from Lakeview to Alturas, California
Alturas, California
Alturas is the county seat of Modoc County, California, United States. Alturas is located on the Pit River, east of the center of Modoc County, at an elevation of 4370 feet...
, and then back every Thursday. The LCR hauls products for both the perlite
Perlite
Perlite is an amorphous volcanic glass that has a relatively high water content, typically formed by the hydration of obsidian. It occurs naturally and has the unusual property of greatly expanding when heated sufficiently...
mine and lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
from the Fremont Sawmill.
Motive Power
| LCR No. | Engine Type | Builder No. | Date Built | Previous Owners |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 700 | GP7u | 18604 | August 1953 | ex-CLC Columbia and Cowlitz Railway The Columbia and Cowlitz Railway , is a wholly owned subsidiary of Weyerhaeuser Company, and is headquartered in Longview, Washington; the railroad serves an route from the Weyerhaeuser Company mill in Longview to the junction just outside the city limits of Kelso... 700:2; ex-CWWR 776; ex-WTCX Weyerhaeuser Weyerhaeuser is one of the largest pulp and paper companies in the world. It is the world's largest private sector owner of softwood timberland; and the second largest owner of United States timberland, behind Plum Creek Timber... 776; ex-NW 2436; née NKP 436 |
| 1617 | GP7 EMD GP7 The EMD GP7 is a four-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division and General Motors Diesel between October, 1949 and May, 1954. Power was provided by an EMD 567B 16-cylinder engine which generated . The GP7 was offered both with and without control cabs, and... |
18977 | December 1953 | ex-GWR 1617; ex-BN Burlington Northern Railroad The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company formed from a merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1996.... 1617; née CBQ Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington or as the Q, the Burlington Route served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri,... 261 |
| 1761 | GP9 EMD GP9 An EMD GP9 is a four-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division in the United States, and General Motors Diesel in Canada between January, 1954, and August, 1963. US production ended in December, 1959, while an additional thirteen units were built in Canada, including... |
19110 | January 1954 | ex-WRIX 1761; ex-SJVR San Joaquin Valley Railroad The San Joaquin Valley Railroad is one of several short line railroad companies and is part of the Sunset Division of RailAmerica. It operates about of track primarily on several lines in California's Central Valley/San Joaquin Valley outside of Fresno, California and Bakersfield, California... 1761; ex-SJVR 101; ex-SDAE San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway The San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway is a short-line American railroad originally founded in 1906 as the San Diego and Arizona Railway by sugar heir, developer, and entrepreneur John D. Spreckels... 101; née UP Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman.... 224 |
History
The line was originally part of the narrow gauge Nevada-California-Oregon RailwayNevada-California-Oregon Railway
The Nevada–California–Oregon Railway was a narrow gauge railroad originally planned to connect Reno, Nevada to the Columbia River. However, only of track were laid so service never extended beyond Lakeview, Oregon...
(NCO) and was constructed around 1908. In 1926 the NCO became an operating subsidiary of the Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
(SP). By 1929 the NCO was entirely operated by the SP.
In March 1985 the SP filed to abandon the line and the abandonment was approved 5 months later. The county stepped in to save the route, vital to local businesses and the state legislature enacted a law permitting local governments to own railroads outside of the state, and then the Oregon State Lottery agreed to fund up to 85% of the purchase price if the county could find an operator. The county went to work, and the Great Western Railway, an established shortline based out of Colorado, agreed to operate the line on a contract basis. Lake County purchased the line from SP on January 18, 1986, to keep the line open. The county contracted with the Great Western Railway to operate the line.
The LCR began operations on November 1, 1997, when it took over the 54.45 miles formerly operated by the Great Western Railway of Colorado
Great Western Railway of Colorado
The Great Western Railway of Colorado operates about of track in Colorado and interchanges with the Union Pacific Railroad as well as the BNSF Railway. It is a currently a subsidiary of OmniTRAX but was founded in 1901 to serve the Great Western Sugar Company and other sugar, beet, and molasses...
under contract. The county operated the rail line on precarious financial footing with frequent derailments and grants needed for maintenance funding.
The line was leased in 2005 to the Modoc Northern Railroad
Modoc Northern Railroad
The Modoc Northern Railroad connects Klamath Falls to Alturas, California and Lakeview, Oregon to Alturas, California. Modoc Northern Railroad operates over 160 miles of track in northeastern California and southern Oregon and is based in Tulelake, California...