D&C Book Overview
California High Country Narrow Gauge Railroads
by George Turner
ISBN: 1-931064-02-4
Hardbound, 152 pages, maps, photos, drawings.
Price: $39.95
California is well known for its vast natural
resources such as timber, and
mineral wealth. Lesser known is how those
resources were obtained,
especially in the earlier days when industrial
transportation was in its
infancy.
Originally published in 1964 as Narrow Gauge Nostalgia, California High
Country Narrow Gauge Railroads
shows and tells the story of several interesting and colorful lines
built and used to conquer some of
California's most rugged regions. First used in Colorado, narrow gauge
railroads proved an ideal choice for
many challenging situations in the Golden State. The operating
conditions alone would have given the
larger railroads ulcers, and "schedules" were mainly a general guide.
Mechanical problems and inclement
weather were less exception and more norm. Yet somehow these valiant
little lines carried on, and this
book tells their story.
California High Country Narrow Gauge Railroads covers over 90 years of
California slim rail history, from
the grading of the Nevada County Narrow Gauge in 1875 to the latter-day
U. S. Gypsum Railroad at
Plaster City. The lines covered include large operations such the Carson
& Colorado Railroad and small
lines such as the Merced Gold Mine Railroad. The vast California
timberlands are shown in part by the
Bodie & Benton Railway, Brookings Lumber & Box Railroad, and the Diamond
& Caldor Railroad. Finally,
you'll see a unique California narrow-gauge railroad in the Mt. Lowe
scenic railway plus a pictorial section
on the colorful Carson & Colorado. Virtually all the lines in this book
have vanished to time, but their
memory lives on here. The book includes maps to show where these rugged
lines ran, and there are
drawings and plans for model railroaders wishing to recreate these
historic roads. So hop on board for
some rugged nostalgia to the days when gold was helping to win the west
and the virgin timber stood tall!
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