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Foothill Rails--Misc.--Feather River Ry
Feather River Railway
(Feather River Pine Mills/Hutchinson Lumber)


Topo map showing the mainline and the main logging line.

Built in 1922 under the name Hutchinson Lumber Co, originally this logging line ran from the woods at Mooretown, later called Feather Falls, to a connection on the Western Pacific at Bidwell (now underwater). The Western Pacific hauled the logs from this point to the mill in Oroville, a distance of about seven miles. The company became Feather River Pine Mills in 1927 and soon thereafter a fire burned down the Oroville plant. Several years later in 1938 a new mill was built at Feather Falls. At this time the railroad became the common carrier, Feather River Railway with the logging lines from the mill eastward into the timber still being carried under the name of Feather River Pine Mills. Georgia Pacific eventually bought the entire operation. 1966 saw the end of the trains, mainly due to the building of the Oroville dam.

Hutchison Mill Site, Oroville


Panaramic view of the old mill site.

Aerial view and topo map of the Hutchinson Mill site in Oroville. Most if not all the remains on site are from later operations.

The Mainline

1. 2. 3. 4.
1.-4. This series of USGS lidar and Google satellite views follow the main line as it climbs from Lake Oroville eastward towards Feather Falls,CA.

5. 6.
5.-6. West and east views at Onyett,CA. A water tank once stood here in image 6. The location is marked on the above
lidar and satellite views, images 3 and 4.

7. 8.
7.-8. These two USGS lidar and Google satellite images cover the mainline from Onyett to Feather Falls,CA.
Unfortunately the lidar had been blurred over Native American holdings.

9. 10.
9.-10. This is the only grade crossing of the mainline and Lumpkin Road. At some point the road was re-cut lower.
These two images are marked on the above lidar and satellite images.

Feather Falls

1. 2. 3. 4.
1. USGS lidar image marked with photo locations for the images below.
2. Post 2020 North Complex Fire Google satellite image marked with photo locations for the images below.
3. Pre fire satellite view of the Feather Falls mill site.
4. Topozone topo map of the Feather Falls mill site.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
1.-2. West and east views of the right of way at the entrance to the drying yards.
3.-4. Post 2020 North Complex Fire images of the drying yard. This view was previously impossible due to forest growth.
5.-6. Pre and post fire images of the log pond.

7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
7.-8. West and east views of the mainline near just north of the log pond.
9. The mainline crossing of Mill Road. Note the indentations from the ties. From here, this is the main logging line.
10.-11. Pre-fire images just below Mill Road of the main logging line.

12.
12. This westward view of the entire mill site as viewed from Mill Road was impossible before the 2020 fire. Log pond is center of image.

The Logging Line

Aerail view and topographic map of the Rogerville and surrounding area.

1. 2. 3.
4. 5. 6.

Much of La Porte Road north of the Lumpkin Road turn off was once logging line as evidenced by the many spikes that can be found in the road. Also viewable is a nice cut near the road junction.
The photos are numbered and match references on the aerial view above. Images 6 is off the map but continues up La Porte Road.

Locomotive Roster
Number Type Builder Bldr.# Built History & Notes Dispositon
Feather River Railway
#1 Shay 3tr Lima #3169 1921 ex Feather River Pine Mills #1,
nee Hutchinson Lmbr #1		 on display Oroville,CA
#2 Shay 3tr Lima #3177 1922 ex Feather River Pine Mills #2,
nee Hutchinson Lmbr #2		 to display at Oroville Dam,CA,
to Railtown 1897 as Sierra #2
#3 Shay 3tr Lima #3221 1923 ex Feather River Pine Mills #3,
nee Hutchinson Lmbr #3		 to Georgia Pacific #3,
to PSRMA,Campo,CA,
to Cass Scenic #11
#4 0-6-0T Porter #3951 1907 ex Feather River Pine Mills #4,
ex Hutchinson Lmbr #4,
nee Mammoth Copper Mining #4		 scrapped 1957
#5 Shay 3tr Willamette #9 1923 ex Feather River Pine Mills #5,
nee Hutchinson Lmbr #5		 scrapped 1957
#8 50Ton GE #30791 1951 ex CD Johnson Lmbr #8 to Georgia Pacific #8,
to Yaquina Pacific RHS
#91 Shay 3tr Lima #3322 1928 ex Georgia Pacific #91,
ex Rayonier #91,
ex Polson Logging #91,
nee Hofius Steel & Equip #6		 for parts only,
scrapped
#101 S-3 ALCo #78140 1950 ex Oregon Pacific & Eastern #101,
ex Georgia Pacific #101,
nee Hammond Lmbr #101		 to Fordyce & Princeton #1,
to Fordyce & Princeton #662,
to Cadiz #10,
to Dardanelle & Russelville #19
#102 SW900 EMD #25504 1959 ex Hammond Lmbr #102 to Oregon Pacific & Eastern #102,
to Ashley Drew & Northern #102,
to ADN #907,
to Gloster Southern #907,
to ADN #907,
to Georgia Pacific #907,
to Domtar #907
#A 8ton DLC Plymouth #3476 1930 ex Unemployed Exchange Assn,
nee Garfield & Co		 to Oregon Pacific & Eastern #9,
to OPE #14 1/2,
scrapped
?? 0-4-0T Porter #3654 1907 ex Feather River Pine Mills,
ex Hutchinson Lmbr,
nee Mammoth Copper Mining #2		 to Modesto & Empire Traction #4,
to Atlas-Olympia Gravel #4,
to Henry J Kaiser Gravel #104


Also see my Oroville page.

    
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