California Shortlines & Industrials

Stauffer Chem.
San Jose, CA
Sept. 26, 1981

Stockton, CA
October 1986

Chemurgic Agri-Chemical
Turlock, CA
March 15, 2004

Three photos by
John Bauer

GE 44-ton (30465, 8/50)

Originally Pine Flat Dam Contractors #2851
Sold in 1953 to Pacific Fruit Express (Roseville, CA), re#1
Retired by PFE in 1966
Stored in Fresno, then sold to Cross Equipment Co. (dealer)
Sold 7/71 to International Minerals & Chemicals (San Jose, CA)
IM&C became Stauffer Chemical, Accent Div.
Plant closed in 1985
Sold to Stockton, Terminal & Eastern, re# 569 (there 10/86)
Sold in 1992 to Chumurgic Agri-Chemical (Turlock, CA), re# 26
Repainted WP-style silver/orange/black, lettered "Turlock Western"

A very interesting series of photos by John Bauer. First photo shows the unit operating, sans one engine and hood (the other engine was being overhauled). That may be it's old PFE paint. Second photo shows it all put back together and freshly repainted in one awful shade of blue. Third photo apparently in storage on the ST&E in Stockton, looks like that blue paint didn't hold up too well! Fourth photo shows it at Turlock, CA, owned by Chemurgic Agri-Chemical, painted in classy WP-style silver, orange and black and lettered "Turlock Western".

Alameda, CA
June 16, 1982

Alameda, CA
June 21, 1989

Photo courtesy Almanor Railroad, 1985

A&MR Notes

Oakland, CA
June 1985

5' 6" gauge!

Ray Jacox photos

Summer 1978

Baldwin S-12 #17
March 15, 2004

Ex US Steel same# (Pittsburg, CA)
Nee Armco Steel #1200 (location?)

Turlock, CA
March 15, 2004

Acquired in 1992
Ex Stockton Terminal & Eastern #25
Nee Central California Traction same#

Turlock, CA
March 15, 2004

Ex DuPont same# (Antioch, CA)
Nee Santa Fe same#
Out of service?

Sure would be nice to see this unit restored to it's original Santa Fe black with silver "Zebra Stipes"!

Stockton, CA
May 8, 1983

"Somewhere in Humboldt County" according to John
June 29, 1985

Burrell, CA
March 16, 2004

Previously used by Foster Farms at Livingston, CA
Acquired by Foster Farms in 1980
Ex Southern Pacific #1218
Nee Southern Pacific #1051

According to John, there is a sign in the window of this unit that reads "Owned and to be operated by the Pacific Locomotive Association NCRY" . I'd love to see this unit restored to it's original SP black with orange tiger stripes!

Aromas, CA
Nov. 5, 1981

Tracy, CA
April 8, 1990

Tracy, CA
July 28, 2002

Still going strong after 63 years! Built in Februrary 1939 as Electro-Motive Corp. demonstrator #804 (also it's EMC serial number), it was sent to the the SP for evaluation, and tried at the SP's West Oakland Coach Yard. It was purchased by the SP that April, and renumbered SP 1000, becoming the SP's first wholly-owned diesel electric locomotive (the earlier City of San Francisco streamliners were jointly owned with the Union Pacific and Chicago & North Western).

The 1000 remained in the Bay Area until after World War II, when the SP's SW1's were all reassigned to Southern California. The 1000 returned north to the Bay Area in the 1960's, when it was assigned to SP subsidiary Northwestern Pacific's isolated trackage in Marin County.

In December 1967, it's services no longer required on the NWP due to abandonment of the isolated trackage, it was sold to Holly Sugar for service at their plant in Dyer (Santa Ana), CA, and was renumbered 1.

It was transferred north to the Tracy plant in March 1981. The Tracy plant no longer processes raw sugar, but it does receive bulk sugar in covered hoppers for packaging and distribution. These photos were taken on a Sunday morning, as it moved empty covered hoppers out to the UP interchange under I-205.

Thanks to Joe Strapac for providing the history of this unit through his SP Motive Power Reviews.

Woodland, CA
April 3, 1997

Eagle Mountain, CA
Jan. 1975?

Newark?, CA
Oct. 1986

August 2004

My only trip to McCloud was a few minutes to take a few pictures one hot Saturday afternoon this summer. SD38's #36 and #37 along with derailedS-12 #30 were sitting out in the sun, no sign of SD38 #38. I took quite a few pics that afternoon, but due to a roll of film getting lost in the mini-van's center console (since found), I haven't got all the pics processed yet.

(top) S-12 #30 sits with its' rear truck pushed off the end of the track. I understand it has been sitting like this for some time. This wanderer was originally McCloud River #30, then ended up on the Rayonier's logging line out of Forks, WA as their #203. After that line shut down it ended up working for US Steel in Pittsburg, CA as their #16 before returning to McCloud. Note that even though it is rostered as McCloud Railway #30, it has the number 16 steciled on the side, and still carries number 203 in the hood side number board! See Jeff Moore's McCloud Rails website for detailed history on this unit.

(middle) SD38 #37 with #36. I sure liked the look of the original red and white scheme, especially with the original small fuel tank (see pic below), but this look has grown on me, especially since they've gotten a little weathered.

(bottom two) Shorty caboose #102, one of two (the other was #101) purchased new by the McCloud River from International in 1962.

Kodachromes by
Paul Wester
My collection

June 21, 1997

McCloud Railway SD38 #37 (top) is in fresh "retro" silver and red paint, while #38 (bottom) wears the drab "Box Car Red" scheme.

McCloud, CA
Sept. 2, 1977

Note the very small fuel tank. When the McCloud began leasing out their locomotives in the late 1970's they retrofitted the small fuel tanks on SD38's #36-37 with larger fuel tanks to increase their range.

Bend, OR
October 1998

Oakland, CA
August 8, 1982

Union City, CA
August 2, 1981

Ex-Western Pacific same#
Now stored on Yolo Shortline, Woodland, CA (privately owned?)

EMD SW900E #1198

EMD NW2E #1312

EMD NW2E #1335

EMD SW1200 #2285

October 1988

The Parr Terminal RR (reporting marks PRT) is a switching railroad in Richmond, CA. It was incorporated in July 1950 to take over operations of the Parr-Richmond Industrial Corporation's private railroad. It is owned by Levin-Richmond Terminal Corp.

As of March 1986, the line rostered the following locomotives:

No.	Builder	Model	Serial	Built	Notes
1	Plymouth	WLG	3227	5/29	Four-wheel, gasoline engine, mechanical transmission
2	Alco	S-2	75650	1/48	Ex-Santa Fe
3	Plymouth	ML8	4499	6/43	Six-wheel, diesel engine, mechanical transmission

In October 1988, I found and photographed the following locomotives on the property: Plymouths #3, ex-SP SW900E #1198, ex-SP NW2E's#1312and #1335, and ex-SP SW1200 #2285.

The Plymouth and the two NW2E's appeared to be intact and operable, SW1200 #2285 was in service, but the SW900E was derelict and probably never saw service again.

An excellent article on the Parr Terminal RR by Sean Zwagerman was published in the May 1996 issue of Pacific RailNews . The article reports that the Parr Terminal had (at the time) three locomotives: SW900E #1195, NW2E #1335, and SW1200 #2285, all ex-Southern Pacific units purchased from on-line scrap yard Sims/LMC Recyclers. The article includes photos dated Feb. 1, 1996, showing #1195 at work, and painted in a white, medium blue, and gray paint scheme. There is no mention of SW900 #1198 and NW2E#1312 that I photographed, and I don't recall having seen the #1195 around.

Quincy, CA
July 20, 1981

Quincy, CA

San Francisco, CA
Sept. 1987

Woodland, CA
March 1, 2006

Pretty cool paint scheme!

Woodland, CA
March, 2005

Trona, CA
Nov. 22, 1982

Trona, CA
August 11, 2004

Acquired in 2002, ex-North American Salt (Trona, CA)
Ex-Kerr-McGee (Trona, CA)
Ex-SP #4419 (SD9R)
Ex-SP #3960
Nee-SP #5487

Roster data from Western Shortlines Rosters , which also reports that #2001 was "stored out of service; used for parts".

Trona, CA
August 11, 2004

Acquired in 2002, ex-UP #B4316
Exx-UP #4316
Nee-MP #4316

Note it still carries it's last UP road number (B4316) in the numberboards. This unit appears to be a de-turbocharged SD40-2, note what appears to be a GP/SD38-2 style paper air filter box atop the hood, this would also be confirmed by the horsepower-based 2000-series road number.

Roster data from Western Shortlines Rosters , which also reports that #2009 was "stored out of service".

Trona, CA
August 11, 2004

Acquired in 2000, ex-CP #5710

Roster data from Western Shortlines Rosters

Plaster City, CA
March 8, 2006

Alpaugh, CA
March 16, 2004

Ex Southern Pacific #3399
Exx SP #3472
Nee SP #5639

Western Farm Services operates the six mile long former Santa Fe Alpaugh Branch

Yreka, CA
1985 or 1986

Yreka, CA
1996

Montague, CA
August 1963

Originally Bamberger RR (Utah) #602
Acquired by Yreka Western in 1958, same#
Transferred M/78 to Oregon Pacific & Eastern (both roads owned at the time by Kyle Railways)
Sold in 1994 to Mollala Western Ry (OR), same#
Mollala Western merged into Oregon Pacific RR in 1997, same#
In service on Oregon Pacific