Not-so Well Known Shortlines

N

N Gauger

1:20.3 Train Addict
Dec 20, 2000
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South Eastern, PA
mywebpages.comcast.net
The How do you name your layout thread, is such a neat idea, that it got me thinking :D :D :D

Some of us must know about the thousands of small railroads that once existed in the US. (Or maybe still do)

How about it??? Want to teach us something about a Railroad that we've never heard of?????

Answer any or all of these questions:

Name of railroad____________________
What Was/is it's location(Ex:Southeast PA)
Where it ran-- From:________________ To:______________
When it ran -- From:________________ To:______________
How did you hear about it_______________________________
Did you ever ride on it________________________
What did it haul to make it's money________________
Is it still in operation____________________
If not - what's there now??__________________
If you know..... Why did it go out of business__________________
If it has an "Official Web Site" List it___________________________
Was the railroad built for a single purpose______________________
Built by a Private company_________________

If you have any other information to share(Pics etc...)________________


Well???? What do you think?????
 
Name of railroad..... Leiper Railway

What Was/is it's location: Southeast PA

Where it ran-- From:Lieper Quarry in Nether Providence, PA To: Chester, PA (Baldwin Loco Works)

When it ran -- From: 1809 To: 1819

How did you hear about it: Grew up about 3 miles from it :)

Did you ever ride on it: Nope :( :(

What did it haul to make it's money: Stone From the Leiper Quarry (Also Owned by Thomas Leiper)

Is it still in operation: no :( Everything but the origianl "house" that had the mill attached, is gone....

If not - what's there now?? I-476 (The Blue Route) in Southeastern, PA.. followed the route of the Railway & subsequent Canal. All remnants were destroyed or covered up by the foundation of the highway.

If you know..... Why did it go out of business: No idea, save that they finaly got permission to build the canal. They started using the Leiper canal & stopped using the trains in 1819

If it has an "Official Web Site" List it.. Lieper Raiway Leiper canal

Was the railroad built for a single purpose: To haul stone for the Leiper Quarry to teh Delaware River to be sold. (Only built because they could not get permission to build the canal. (See above)

Built by a Private company.. Yes - Thomas Leiper

If you have any other information to share(Pics etc...) Unfortunatly, just the web sites listed above. There is a Leiper Railway Marker
 
this is a great idea. i remember finding a website or a posting that listed in alphabetcal order all railroads by state. Included were all the fallen flags. I can't remember where I found it, though. I remember being amazed at all the extinct shortlines near where i lived.

kevin
 
Name of railroad___Sacramento Northern Railroad
What Was/is it's location(Ex:Southeast PA)
Where it ran-- From:__San Francisco, CA_ To:__Chico, CA__
When it ran -- From:__1906__ To:__1987__
How did you hear about it__Model Railroader article___
Did you ever ride on it_Yes--part of the mainline is a museum/tourist railroad now, (in fact 2 spots are museums)__
What did it haul to make it's money_People, fruit & vegetables, steel, everything else__
Is it still in operation_No, but one of its branches still hauls freight for another railroad__
If not - what's there now??_BART, abandoned right-of-way, bike trails, other railroads, streets_
If you know..... Why did it go out of business_Absorbed by parent company, then acquired by UP__
If it has an "Official Web Site" List it_ http://www.people.virginia.edu/~ggg9y/home.html __
Was the railroad built for a single purpose_No, for both passengers and freight__
Built by a Private company_By two--originally the Oakland Antioch & Eastern and the Northern Electric_

If you have any other information to share(Pics etc...)_The website above has gobs of SN information. It was originally an electric interurban that also hauled freight, which gradually dieselized from the Forties to the Sixties__


Well???? What do you think?????
 
The SN was pretty big and well-known for a little-known short line, so here's a smaller one:

Answer any or all of these questions:

Name of railroad__Mattole Valley Lumber Company____
What Was/is it's location(Ex:Southeast PA)
Where it ran-- From:_Petrolia, CA___ To:_Mattole Valley___
When it ran -- From:__1908___ To:___1918_____
How did you hear about it_Engine on display at CSRM___
Did you ever ride on it_No, but its engine is still around__
What did it haul to make it's money_Tanbark, used to tan leather__
Is it still in operation__No__
If not - what's there now??_Two miles of dirt__
If you know..... Why did it go out of business_Ran out of trees____
If it has an "Official Web Site" List it___________________________
Was the railroad built for a single purpose_Yes, to haul tanbark__
Built by a Private company_Yes_

If you have any other information to share(Pics etc...)________________
 
The CSRMF library website has an index to its collections, but it isn't really that useful without having access to the collections/library, and for that you have to make a trip up to Sacramento.

Here's the site with the general library search engines, anyhow:

http://66.129.110.33/
 
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