Logging Railroads of California

Logging Railroads.

A. M. Leach Lumber Company.
36in Gauge. Constructed by Andrew Martin Leach to bring timber from the woods to his mill in Challenge. Finished lumber from the mill was then sent by flume down to Honcutt on the Southern Pacific. The railroad was later extended to a new mill at Beantown. In 1892 Leach moved his railroad to the end of the flume at Owl Gulch. Challenge Mills to Beanville, Yuba County. 1884 - 1894

Birce & Smart Lumber Company.
36in Gauge.

Smart Station, Nevada County.

Johnson - Pollock Lumber Company.
36in Gauge. Incorporated in 1912 to harvest timber from the northern slope of Mt. Hebron. The company operated several miles of track from Jerome up the mountain and utilized a Shay locomotive. In 1919 the mill at Jerome burned down and the railroad equipment sold to the nearby Mt. Hebron Lumber Company. Jerome, Siskiyou County. 1912 - 1920

Sierra Lumber Company.
39.5in Gauge. Formed through the consolidation of 3 different logging interests, the Sierra Lumber Company constructed and operated several horsedrawn tramways. In 1880 a tramway near Lyonsville was converted to a strap iron railroad and by 1900 the operation was profitable enough to build a second line along Chico Creek. In 1907 the company became part of the Diamond Match Company. Operations Near Lyonsville and Chico Creek. Butte, Tehama and Plumas Counties. 1881 - 1907

Towle Brothers Lumber Company.
36in Gauge. Constructed during the 1880s the Towle Brothers operated a vast narrow gauge system out of Towle station along the Central Pacific. By the late 1890s the lumber supply began to dwindle and the Towle Bros relocated their operation to Fulda. In 1902 shortly after George Towle's death the family sold the operation to the Reed Lumber Co. of Canada. Towle to a point near Omega, Nevada County. 1885 - 1902