Mining Railroads of California
Mining Railroads.
American Borax Company: Columbia Mine and Railroad.
36in Gauge. Known as the "ABC" Railroad locally, the American Borax Co. operated a short railroad connecting their Columbia mine with a processing plant in Daggett. A portion of the line utilized shared/leased trackage from the Waterloo Mining Company and was later purchased when that company ceased operation. The mine was closed and the equipment sold in 1907.
Daggett, San Bernardino County. 1900 - 1907
Carson Hill Mining Company.
36in Gauge.
Carson Hill, Calaveras County.
Calico Railroad.
36in Gauge. Hauled silver ore from mines near Calico down to the mill at Daggett. Known variously as the: Daggett & Calico Railroad, the Waterloo Mining Company Railroad, Oro Grande Mining Railroad, occasionally the Calico & Daggett, or simply the Calico Railroad. Some names were official, some reflected the ownership at one point, and others simply described where the railroad located or the points connected.
Daggett, San Bernardino County. 1888 - c.1903
Dairy Farm Mining Company.
36in Gauge. Constructed to carry copper ore from the Dairy Farm Mine to a transfer trestle along the Southern Pacific Railroad's mainline near Sheridan. The operation was short lived, operating a single season before shutting down.
Sheridan to Van Trent, Placer County. 1913 – 1914
Empire Coal Mine & Railroad Company.
36in Gauge. Constructed to carry coal from the mines at Stewartsville to a wharf at Antioch on the San Joaquin River.
Stewartsville to Antioch, Contra Costa County. 1877 – 1897
Los Angeles Municipal Cement Mill.
36in Gauge. Constructed by the city of Los Angeles to supply cement to the Los Angeles Aqueduct project in 1907. To move material from the quarry a narrow gauge railroad was constructed. The mill continually produced cement through the completion of the aqueduct in 1913 and ceased operation in 1915.
queduct (Later called Monolith), Kern County. 1906 - 1921
Merced Gold Mining Company.
24in Gauge. Formed in 1894 through the conglomeration of 26 quartz mines. Initially a 24" gravity tramway, the line purchased an 8 ton Porter locomotive in 1897 affectionately called the "Whistling Billy". The line helped extract nearly $800,000 worth of gold until operations ceased in 1904.
Near Coulterville, Mariposa County. 1896 - 1904
Old Mission Portland Cement Company.
36in Gauge. Old Mission Portland Cement Company of San Juan Bautista, owned a gauge quarry railroad, and was associated with and was the majority owner of the standard gauge California Central Railroad (previously the San Juan Pacific Railway). This railroad connected the town of San Juan Bautista and the cement plant with the Southern Pacific Railroad at Chittenden on the Pajaro River.
San Juan Bautista, San Benito County.
Pacific Coast Borax Company: "Baby Gage" Railroad.
24in Gauge. Constructed to bring ore from the “Grand View”, “Lizzie J. Oakley” and “Widow” mines to an ore tipple in Ryan for transloading to Death Valley Railroad cars. The line was initially 3 miles long and later extended to over 5 miles.
Ryan Area, Inyo County. 1914 - 1950
Pacific Coast Borax Company: Borate & Daggett Railroad.
36in Gauge.
Daggett, . 1899 -
Pacific Coast Borax Company: Gerstley Mine Railroad.
24in Gauge. 3 miles long, connecting the Gerstley Mine with a connection with the Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad, at Gerstley Siding, 4 miles north of Shoshone.
Gerstley Siding, Inyo County. 1922 - 1927
Pacific Coast Borax Company: Lila C. Tramway.
Dual Gauge. 6.7 miles long, connected the Lila C. Mine with the Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad at Death Valley Junction. Originally constructed as a standard gauge branch it was later converted to dual gauge by the Death Valley Railroad. The branch was removed in 1917 but relaid as narrow gauge only in 1920 and operated until 1926.
Death Valley Junction to Ryan, Inyo County. 1907 - 1926
Palm Borate.
30in Gauge. Constructed to haul borax from the company mine to the to the plant. After completion, the line operated 10 days before the price of borax dropped out and the operation closed.
Daggett, San Bernardino County. 1908 - 1908
Patterson & Western Railroad.
36in Gauge. The railroad was built to haul manganese ore from a mine located at the end of the line. The railroad ran from a connection with the Southern Pacific in Patterson, westward up Del Puerto Canyon to Jones.
Patterson to Jones, Stanislaus County, CA. 1916 - 1920
Quartz Hill Railroad.
36in Gauge. Constructed by the Mammoth Copper Mining Company in 1904 to supply quartz for use in mining flux for the company smelter at Keswick. The 3.5 mile railroad connected the leased quartz hill gold mine in the “old diggings” mining district with Cuargo on the Southern Pacific Railroad. The quartz supply played out in 1915 and the railroad was torn up.
Cuargo to Quartz Hill Mine, Shasta County. 1904 - 1915
United States Gypsum Company.
36in Gauge. Started life as the Imperial Valley Gypsum and Oil Corporation, later owned by the Pacific Portland Cement Company. The United States Gypsum Company continues to operate the 20.5 mile line, hauling gypsum from the mine to the processing plant in Plaster City where it is transloaded to standard gauge cars on the San Diego and Imperial Valley Railroad.
Plaster City, Imperial County. 1921 – Present
Yellow Aster Mining Company.
36in Gauge.
Randsburg, Kern County.