CALIFORNIA GOLD COUNTRY SHORTLINE Sierra Northern BY JAKE MIILLE/PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR R
AILROADS AND AMERICAN HISTORY go hand in hand. Nowhere else is that so evident as it is in northern
California. The Sierra Northern Railroad (SERA) operates in the same mining towns that were once known as the heart of the California Gold Rush of the late 19th century. The region served by the railroad’s Oakdale Division between Oakdale and Sonora, Calif., is best described as “forgotten.” Most of the roads in this area are still dirt, many structures lie abandoned, and the only visible life is herds of free-ranging cattle grazing throughout the golden brown hills. There are few obvious intrusions from the modern world, which gives the countryside a sense of timelessness.
Cutting through this all-but-forgotten land is a historic railroad line that is continuing more than 100 years of dependable service.
History The Sierra Northern was formed from
the 2003 merger of the Sierra Railroad and the Yolo Shortline, and currently operates more than 100 miles of track in Mendocino, Tuolomne, Stanislaus, and Yolo counties. Owner Sierra Industrial Group also owns the California Western Railroad (the “Skunk Train”) in Fort Bragg, as well as the Sierra Energy technology group. The three rail operations (two Sierra Northern divisions and the California Western)
do not connect to one another, but share common resources and management. Founded as the Sierra Railway Co.
in 1897, the railroad was designed to connect California’s Gold Country with the Central Valley region. Completed in 1900, the railroad stretched from Oakdale to Tuolumne and Angels Camp. Reorganized in 1937, the Sierra Railroad cut back to Jamestown, and later made the switch from steam to diesel in 1955. The “Railtown 1897” tourist attraction opened at Jamestown in 1971, but was closed by 1979. The state purchased the Jamestown complex in 1982, operating it as Railtown 1897 State Historic Park. The former Sierra Railroad makes up the bulk of SERA’s Oakdale Division.
OPPOSITE: With loaded lumber cars in tow, Sierra Northern No. 52 winds its way through the foothills around Keystone, Calif., on March 18, 2014. TOP: Sierra Northern RP20BD No. 52 (rebuilt from a Santa Fe GP7) and GP20 No. 48 (built for Santa Fe in 1961 as No. 1162) cross Tim Bell Road near Paulsell, Calif., on March 18, 2014. These lonely dirt roads are frequented by the local farmers and not many others.
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