Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad, the T&T, was a class II railroad
extending through remote reaches of the Mojave Desert
from the Santa Fe Railway railhead at Ludlow, California
, through Death Valley
and Amargosa Valley
, terminating at the Mining town
s of Tonopah
and Goldfield
in the Great Basin Desert
in Nye County, Nevada
. The railroad was listed as a common carrier
, however it was built by Francis Marion Smith
the "Borax King" and his Pacific Coast Borax Company
primarily to transport borax
to processing and market. The line is now completely abandoned.
. From Gold Center the T&T reached into Beatty, Nevada
with joint trackage rights with the Brock Road Bullfrog Goldfield Railroad. The T&T also reached Rhyolite, Nevada
over the Bullfrog Goldfield trackage via the connecting wye at Gold Center. From 1908 to 1914 the Bullfrog Goldfield Railroad, which also serving the mines around Beatty, was combined into the T&T, and then combined again in 1918 after the demise of the Las Vegas and Tonopah Railroad
. The T&T owned and ran both lines under a "new railroad identity" from 1920 until January, 1928.
The T&T also had a 7 miles (11.3 km) branch that ran from its mainline at Death Valley Junction, California
to the Lila C Mine
with the station named "Ryan". At Horton, California
the T&T separated from the narrow gauge Death Valley Railroad
- DVRR. The DVRR ran for 21 miles from Death Valley Junction west to Devar, later renamed Ryan
, and different than the Lila C. Mine's Ryan, via Colmanite and was abandoned in 1931. The T&T branch had 3 rail tracks (both narrow and standard gauge) from Horton to Death Valley Junction. The T&T branch was built in 1907 and the DVRR was built in 1914. The branch to the Lila C. was removed not long after all operations were transferred to Devar - Ryan
.
to Death Valley but grading was terminated in 1905 due to rate problems with the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad. The "San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad" was later shortened to "Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad
," and is the present day Union Pacific mainline between Los Angeles
and Salt Lake City.
Once the mining boom ended, the railroad struggled to survive, as borax
shipping came to comprise the majority of its business. After the borax mining and operations were moved from the Death Valley region to the Boron, California
mine and facilities in 1927, the line relied upon whatever traffic could be found. Over most of its existence, U.S. Borax
(USB) had made up the losses from the railroad's operations. Discussions for cessation/abandonment were started as early as 1930. After the major flood of 1933, Ludlow was abandoned and operations ran north from Crucero
, a Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad railhead. The 26 miles (41.8 km) of track between Crucero and the T&T's connection with the Santa Fe Railway at Ludlow was placed out of service on October 8, 1933. After the flood of 1938, applications for abandonment were pursued.
By 1940 the entire line was out of service and on July 18, 1942, scrapping began at Beatty and terminated a year later at Ludlow. Final abandonment with the I.C.C. was approved on December 3, 1946.
Class II railroad
A Class II railroad in the United States is a mid-sized freight-hauling railroad, in terms of its operating revenue. , a railroad with revenues greater than $20.5 million but less than $277.7 million for at least three consecutive years is considered a Class II railroad...
extending through remote reaches of the Mojave Desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
from the Santa Fe Railway railhead at Ludlow, California
Ludlow, California
Ludlow is a small town in the Mojave Desert on Interstate 40, located in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The older remains of the ghost town are along historic Route 66.-Geography:...
, through Death Valley
Death Valley
Death Valley is a desert valley located in Eastern California. Situated within the Mojave Desert, it features the lowest, driest, and hottest locations in North America. Badwater, a basin located in Death Valley, is the specific location of the lowest elevation in North America at 282 feet below...
and Amargosa Valley
Amargosa Valley
The Amargosa Valley is a Nevada landform east of the Amargosa Range that is the eponym for the town of Amargosa Valley, Nevada. The Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad ran through the valley from 1906 to 1940.-Solar thermal plant:...
, terminating at the Mining town
Mining town
A mining community, also known as a mining town or a mining camp, is a community that houses miners. Mining communities are usually created around a mine or a quarry for the extraction or smeltering of ore.-United States:...
s of Tonopah
Tonopah, Nevada
Tonopah is a census-designated place located in and the county seat of Nye County, Nevada. It is located at the junction of U.S. Routes 6 and 95 approximately mid-way between Las Vegas and Reno....
and Goldfield
Goldfield, Nevada
Goldfield is an unincorporated community and the county seat of Esmeralda County, Nevada, United States, with a resident population of 440 at the 2000 census. It is located about southeast of Carson City, along U.S...
in the Great Basin Desert
Great Basin Desert
The Great Basin Desert is an area of nearctic high deserts across parts of Nevada, California, and Utah that extends into the Colorado River watershed , but which is mostly a portion of the central Nevada desert basins of the Great Basin.It along with the Escalante Desert, Mohave Desert, the...
in Nye County, Nevada
Nye County, Nevada
-National protected areas:* Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge* Death Valley National Park * Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest * Spring Mountains National Recreation Area -Demographics:...
. The railroad was listed as a common carrier
Common carrier
A common carrier in common-law countries is a person or company that transports goods or people for any person or company and that is responsible for any possible loss of the goods during transport...
, however it was built by Francis Marion Smith
Francis Marion Smith
Francis Marion Smith was an American miner, business magnate and civic builder in the Mojave Desert, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Oakland, California.Frank Smith created the extensive interurban public transit Key System in Oakland, the East Bay,...
the "Borax King" and his Pacific Coast Borax Company
Pacific Coast Borax Company
The Pacific Coast Borax Company was a United States mining company founded in 1890 by the American borax magnate Francis "Borax" Smith, the "Borax King".-History:...
primarily to transport borax
Borax
Borax, also known as sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, or disodium tetraborate, is an important boron compound, a mineral, and a salt of boric acid. It is usually a white powder consisting of soft colorless crystals that dissolve easily in water.Borax has a wide variety of uses...
to processing and market. The line is now completely abandoned.
Construction and territory
Grading began on the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad - T&T line on July 30, 1905. 50- and 65-pound rails were laid starting on November 19, 1905. The line was completed on October 30, 1907, with the T&T tracks ending at Gold Center, NevadaGold Center, Nevada
Gold Center was a mining town in Nye County, Nevada.Located in the Bullfrog Mining District near Tonopah, Gold Center was established in December 1904 with a United States Post Office being authorized on January 21, 1905. The town began publishing its own newspaper in 1907. The location of the...
. From Gold Center the T&T reached into Beatty, Nevada
Beatty, Nevada
Beatty is a census-designated place along the Amargosa River in Nye County in the U.S. state of Nevada. U.S. Route 95 runs through the CDP, which lies between Tonopah, about to the north, and Las Vegas, about to the southeast. State Route 374 connects Beatty to Death Valley National Park, about ...
with joint trackage rights with the Brock Road Bullfrog Goldfield Railroad. The T&T also reached Rhyolite, Nevada
Rhyolite, Nevada
Rhyolite is a ghost town in Nye County, in the U.S. state of Nevada. It is located in the Bullfrog Hills, about northwest of Las Vegas, near the eastern edge of Death Valley. The town began in early 1905 as one of several mining camps that sprang up after a prospecting discovery in the surrounding...
over the Bullfrog Goldfield trackage via the connecting wye at Gold Center. From 1908 to 1914 the Bullfrog Goldfield Railroad, which also serving the mines around Beatty, was combined into the T&T, and then combined again in 1918 after the demise of the Las Vegas and Tonopah Railroad
Las Vegas and Tonopah Railroad
The Las Vegas and Tonopah Railroad was a 197.9 mile railroad built by William A. Clark that ran northwest from a connection with the mainline of the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad at Las Vegas, Nevada to the gold mines at Goldfield...
. The T&T owned and ran both lines under a "new railroad identity" from 1920 until January, 1928.
The T&T also had a 7 miles (11.3 km) branch that ran from its mainline at Death Valley Junction, California
Death Valley Junction, California
Death Valley Junction is a tiny Mojave Desert community in unincorporated Inyo County, California, at the intersection of SR 190 and SR 127, just east of Death Valley National Park. The zip code is 92328, the elevation is , and the population fewer than 20. The city limits sign reports a...
to the Lila C Mine
Lila C, California
Lila C is a former settlement in Inyo County, California. It was located southwest of Death Valley Junction, at an elevation of 2562 feet .-Borax Company:...
with the station named "Ryan". At Horton, California
Horton, California
Horton is a former settlement in Inyo County, California.It was located at the junction of the Death Valley and Tonopah and Tidewater Railroads east-southeast Death Valley Junction.The name honors Ben Horton, railroad company official....
the T&T separated from the narrow gauge Death Valley Railroad
Death Valley Railroad
The Death Valley Railroad was a narrow gauge railroad that operated in California's Death Valley.It was built in 1914 by the Pacific Coast Borax Company to carry borax with the route running from Ryan, California, located just east of Death Valley National Park, to Death Valley Junction, a distance...
- DVRR. The DVRR ran for 21 miles from Death Valley Junction west to Devar, later renamed Ryan
Ryan, California
Ryan is an unincorporated community in Inyo County, California.[1] It lies at an elevation of 3045 feet south of the Amargosa Desert in the Mojave Desert.[1]...
, and different than the Lila C. Mine's Ryan, via Colmanite and was abandoned in 1931. The T&T branch had 3 rail tracks (both narrow and standard gauge) from Horton to Death Valley Junction. The T&T branch was built in 1907 and the DVRR was built in 1914. The branch to the Lila C. was removed not long after all operations were transferred to Devar - Ryan
Ryan, California
Ryan is an unincorporated community in Inyo County, California.[1] It lies at an elevation of 3045 feet south of the Amargosa Desert in the Mojave Desert.[1]...
.
Changes
Originally the railroad intended to build from Las VegasLas Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
to Death Valley but grading was terminated in 1905 due to rate problems with the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad. The "San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad" was later shortened to "Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad
Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad
The Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad was a rail company that completed and operated a railway line between its namesake cities, via Las Vegas, Nevada. Incorporated in Utah in 1901 as the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad, the line was largely the brainchild of William Andrews Clark,...
," and is the present day Union Pacific mainline between Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and Salt Lake City.
Once the mining boom ended, the railroad struggled to survive, as borax
Borax
Borax, also known as sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, or disodium tetraborate, is an important boron compound, a mineral, and a salt of boric acid. It is usually a white powder consisting of soft colorless crystals that dissolve easily in water.Borax has a wide variety of uses...
shipping came to comprise the majority of its business. After the borax mining and operations were moved from the Death Valley region to the Boron, California
Boron, California
Boron is a census-designated place in Kern County, California, United States. Boron is located east-southeast of Castle Butte, at an elevation of 2467 feet . The population was 2,253 at the 2010 census, up from 2,025 at the 2000 census...
mine and facilities in 1927, the line relied upon whatever traffic could be found. Over most of its existence, U.S. Borax
Pacific Coast Borax Company
The Pacific Coast Borax Company was a United States mining company founded in 1890 by the American borax magnate Francis "Borax" Smith, the "Borax King".-History:...
(USB) had made up the losses from the railroad's operations. Discussions for cessation/abandonment were started as early as 1930. After the major flood of 1933, Ludlow was abandoned and operations ran north from Crucero
Mesquite Hills
The Mesquite Hills are a low mountain range in San Bernardino County, California.They are in the Mojave National Preserve, and were on the old route of the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad, with a settlement named Crucero on the line in the Mesquite Hills....
, a Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad railhead. The 26 miles (41.8 km) of track between Crucero and the T&T's connection with the Santa Fe Railway at Ludlow was placed out of service on October 8, 1933. After the flood of 1938, applications for abandonment were pursued.
By 1940 the entire line was out of service and on July 18, 1942, scrapping began at Beatty and terminated a year later at Ludlow. Final abandonment with the I.C.C. was approved on December 3, 1946.
Former stops
Many stops along the railroad were named for associates of Francis Marion SmithFrancis Marion Smith
Francis Marion Smith was an American miner, business magnate and civic builder in the Mojave Desert, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Oakland, California.Frank Smith created the extensive interurban public transit Key System in Oakland, the East Bay,...
- Ludlow, CaliforniaLudlow, CaliforniaLudlow is a small town in the Mojave Desert on Interstate 40, located in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The older remains of the ghost town are along historic Route 66.-Geography:...
- Broadwell
- Mesquite
- Crucero
- Rasor - named for Clarence Rasor, Smith's employee
- Soda Lake, later renamed Zzyzx, CaliforniaZzyzx, CaliforniaZzyzx, California , formerly Camp Soda and Soda Springs, is a settlement in San Bernardino County, California. It is the former site of the Zzyzx Mineral Springs and Health Spa and now the site of the Desert Studies Center...
- Baker, CaliforniaBaker, CaliforniaBaker is a census-designated place located in San Bernardino County, California, USA. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 735.Baker was founded as a station on the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad in 1908,...
- named for Richard C. BakerRichard C. BakerRichard C. Baker was the British business partner of Francis Marion "Borax" Smith and eventually became president of the Pacific Coast Borax Company and the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad....
, Smith's business associate - Silver Lake, San Bernardino County, California
- Talc
- Riggs
- Lore
- Valjean
- DumontDumont DunesDumont Dunes is an area of the Mojave Desert containing large sand dunes, located approximately 31 miles north of Baker, California on California State Route 127. Bordered by steep volcanic hills and the slow running Amargosa River, the region is easily recognized from a distance by its distinctive...
- named after Harry Dumont who ran the company's San Francisco office - Sperry - named after Smith's niece Charlotte Grace Sperry
- Acme
- Tecopa, CaliforniaTecopa, CaliforniaTecopa is a census-designated place in the Mojave Desert, in Inyo County, California, United States. Tecopa is located south-southeast of Shoshone, at an elevation of . The population was 150 at the 2010 census, up from 99 at the 2000 census.One of Tecopa's popular features is its natural hot...
- Zabriske - named for Christian Brevoort ZabriskieChristian Brevoort ZabriskieChristian Brevoort Zabriskie was an American businessman and former vice president of Pacific Coast Borax Company...
, superitendent at Columbus MarshColumbus MarshColumbus Marsh is a playa in Nevada, USA. William Troup discovered cottonball borax at the site in 1870 or 1871. Joseph Mosheimer and Emile K. Stevenot who operated one of the borax concentrating plants at Columbus hired Francis Marion Smith to cut wood for their plant on nearby Miller Mountain...
later in charge of New York operations. - Shoshone, CaliforniaShoshone, CaliforniaShoshone is a census-designated place in Inyo County, California, United States. Shoshone is located on the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad east of Epaulet Peak, at an elevation of 1585 feet . The population was 31 at the 2010 census, down from 52 at the 2000 census.The town was founded in 1910...
- Gerstley, California - named for James Gerstley, Smith's business partner (and later U.S. Borax President from 1950-1961)
- Evelyn, CaliforniaEvelyn, CaliforniaEvelyn is an unincorporated community in Inyo County, California. It is located on the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad south-southeast of Eagle Mountain, at an elevation of 1880 feet ....
- named for Evelyn Ellis, Smith's wife - Horton, CaliforniaHorton, CaliforniaHorton is a former settlement in Inyo County, California.It was located at the junction of the Death Valley and Tonopah and Tidewater Railroads east-southeast Death Valley Junction.The name honors Ben Horton, railroad company official....
- named for the T&T's trainmaster, Ben Horton - Death Valley Junction, CaliforniaDeath Valley Junction, CaliforniaDeath Valley Junction is a tiny Mojave Desert community in unincorporated Inyo County, California, at the intersection of SR 190 and SR 127, just east of Death Valley National Park. The zip code is 92328, the elevation is , and the population fewer than 20. The city limits sign reports a...
- Ryan, CaliforniaRyan, CaliforniaRyan is an unincorporated community in Inyo County, California.[1] It lies at an elevation of 3045 feet south of the Amargosa Desert in the Mojave Desert.[1]...
- named for John Ryan, Smith's trusted supervisor - Lila C, CaliforniaLila C, CaliforniaLila C is a former settlement in Inyo County, California. It was located southwest of Death Valley Junction, at an elevation of 2562 feet .-Borax Company:...
- Bradford Siding, CaliforniaBradford Siding, CaliforniaBradford Siding is a former settlement in Inyo County, California.-Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad:Bradford Siding was located on Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad, where a narrow-gauge line to Ash Meadows, Nevada branched from the mainline north-northwest of Death Valley Junction.- References :...
- Scranton, CaliforniaScranton, CaliforniaScranton is an unincorporated community in Inyo County, California. It is located on the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad northeast of Ryan, at an elevation of 2234 feet .The place was named after Scranton, Pennsylvania....
- Leeland
- Ashton
- Carrara
- Gold Center
- Bullfrog, NevadaBullfrog, NevadaBullfrog is a ghost town in Nye County, in the U.S. state of Nevada. It is located at the north end of the Amargosa Desert about west of Beatty. Less than north of Bullfrog are the Bullfrog Hills and the ghost town of Rhyolite...
- Rhyolite, NevadaRhyolite, NevadaRhyolite is a ghost town in Nye County, in the U.S. state of Nevada. It is located in the Bullfrog Hills, about northwest of Las Vegas, near the eastern edge of Death Valley. The town began in early 1905 as one of several mining camps that sprang up after a prospecting discovery in the surrounding...
- Beatty, NevadaBeatty, NevadaBeatty is a census-designated place along the Amargosa River in Nye County in the U.S. state of Nevada. U.S. Route 95 runs through the CDP, which lies between Tonopah, about to the north, and Las Vegas, about to the southeast. State Route 374 connects Beatty to Death Valley National Park, about ...
External links
- http://www.ttrr.org/ Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad
- ca. 1907 Tonopah and Tidewater RR map (~6.5MB)
- Article on the abandoned Tonopha and Tidewater; includes pictures and map.
See also
- Death Valley RailroadDeath Valley RailroadThe Death Valley Railroad was a narrow gauge railroad that operated in California's Death Valley.It was built in 1914 by the Pacific Coast Borax Company to carry borax with the route running from Ryan, California, located just east of Death Valley National Park, to Death Valley Junction, a distance...
- Las Vegas and Tonopah RailroadLas Vegas and Tonopah RailroadThe Las Vegas and Tonopah Railroad was a 197.9 mile railroad built by William A. Clark that ran northwest from a connection with the mainline of the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad at Las Vegas, Nevada to the gold mines at Goldfield...
- Carson and Colorado Railway
- Borate and Daggett RailroadBorate and Daggett RailroadThe Borate and Daggett Railroad was a narrow gauge railroad built to carry borax in the Mojave Desert. The railroad ran about 11 miles from Daggett, California, USA to Borate, California, USA.-History:...
- List of defunct California railroads
- List of defunct Nevada railroads