Route Proposal: The Mccloud River Railroad In The 80s

Discussion in 'Route Suggestions & Proposals' started by drgwfan3005, Mar 29, 2022.

  1. drgwfan3005

    drgwfan3005 Member

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    The McCloud River Railroad was a class 3 common-carrier railroad that operated in Siskiyou, Modoc, and Shasta Counties, California. The railroad's interchange with the Southern Pacific at Mount Shasta, CA, was recently featured in Milepost Simulations' Mt. Shasta Line, though no stock was included. The McCloud River had many unique aspects, such as a switchback and characteristic red ballast. I am proposing the entire length of the McCloud River Railroad, from Mt. Shasta to Burney, as well as the branches to Hambone, Pondosa, and Berry, and the BN-owned but McCloud operated line to Lookout, as it existed in the mid 80s.

    Before we get to the specifics of the Train Sim route, let's dive into a bit of history first. In 1897, lumber interests in the area of Vandale, CA, established the railroads to haul logs to the mill and finished products out to the SP at Upton. Vandale was rechristened as McCloud soon after, and the mill was rebuilt and expanded. The McCloud built two different lines: one as a mainline, which would be in place permanently, and the other as temporary logging spur built with little grading meant to haul logs out of one tract and to the mill, after which they would be promptly torn up and the track reused elsewhere. The railroad's main remained between McCloud and Upton until 1905, when the main was extended almost 10 miles to Bartle. In 1907 a new line was built off the existing line between McCloud and Upton to Sisson (later renamed Mt. Shasta City), and the original line was abandoned. In 1927 the camp of Pondosa (a misspelling of Ponderosa) was established by the lumber company, and a new line was built from Bartle to Old Pondosa (renamed Hambone) to the camp. in 1929 the Great Northern and the Western Pacific railroads were building the Inside Gateway, a new line connecting LA and San Francisco to Portland and Seattle. The proposed meeting point was Lookout, CA, about 20 miles away from the closest point on the line (Hambone). The decision was made to build a line to Lookout, and it was completed in 1931. The line was sold the next year to GN, however McCloud remained the operator of the line. In 1951, a new branch was built to Pondosa, and the old line was abandoned. In 1955, a new line was built to the town of Burney, which included the famous Lake Britton bridge. The railroad had already bought several diesels, and in 1955 the last two stem engines were retired. However, one, 2-6-2 25, was kept on the property in storage. Also around this time the logo came into use, designed by a McCloud highschooler. In 1964, the giant corporation US Plywood bought the lumber company, and quickly stopped shipping logs by rail. Traffic took an immediate hit, but due to the mills served at McCloud, Pondosa, and Berry, as well as a few other producers of interchange product along the line kept the railroad operating. Around this time the railroad began offering excursions behind newly-restored 25. The excursion business earned the railroad quite a bit of money, and excursions were frequent until the 25 was in need of an overhaul in 1975. During this time, the railroad took delivery of new cabooses, and the vice-president of the railroad sketched the idea of the all-door boxcar on a napkin while eating lunch with the president of the International Car Co. The Thrall-door boxcars were built soon after, and could be spotted all over the US in various liveries. The railroad also bought 3 EMD SD38s (37-38), and an SD38-2 (39). In 1977, US Plywood (now called Champion International) shut down the McCloud mill, and sold the railroad to the company Itel. A major part of Itel's business was boxcar leasing, and shortly after the sale Itel leased 400 boxcars to the McCloud River. The shops at McCloud became a servicing point for other railroad's boxcars. By this point, the only remaining mills on the line were at Lorenz (near Burney) and Berry, although each produced enough to keep trains moving. During the recession that hit in 1981, McCloud wound up storing nearly all of its boxcars on home rails, filling the McCloud Yard and other spurs. Locomotives were also leased out to BN and/or SP as an extra revenue generator. One new industry, a diatomaceous earth reload, was opened at this time. The 25 was also restored and was used on excursions and for the filming of Stand by Me, during the bridge chase scene, which used the McCloud's own Lake Britton Bridge. A new paint scheme was also developed, and all 3 SD38s were painted in it. In 1985, the Bear Creek bridge on the Pondosa branch was washed out, and the railroad began using the stub end as car storage for surplus boxcars given to them by Itel. The traffic picked up in the early 90's, with healthy 18-car trains leaving Burney. Despite the increase in traffic, Itel decided to sell the railroad, and it was sold to employee Jeff Forbis in 1992. Jeff Forbis renamed the railroad "McCloud Railway," and painted the SD38s in a scheme reminiscent of that worn by the railroad's first diesels almost 50 years prior. The 39 was deemed surplus and sold to Union Pacific, still in factory paint. In 1995, the decision was made to begin passenger operations, and the Mt. Shasta Sunset Dinner Train was created. It proved a great success and quickly became the largest form of revenue on the line. Meanwhile, operations on the Lookout saw only one train a week, sometimes with only one revenue car. In 2003, BNSF started abandonment proceedings on the line, after attempting to sell the line to McCloud for a grand total of $1. The McCloud was already falling behind in track quality, and couldn't take on the extra maintenance. The last train ran in 2003 and the line was pulled up several years later. In 2006 Sierra Pacific no longer wanted to ship goods out by rail, and the last train ran that year and all track was abandoned to a point 3 miles (railroad) east of McCloud. The last dinner train ran in 2010, and since than the railroad has mostly remained idle.

    For a more on the McCloud River visit this site: http://www.mccloudriverrailroad.com/

    Now on to the actual proposal.
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    This system map shows basically what I'd want included with the route. It totals up to around 85 miles, so it certainly isn't the smallest route, but no means the largest. The era that I think would be best is the mid to late 80s, as there was the most diverse traffic during this time (hoppers, woodchips, boxcars, centerbeams/bulkheads).

    There are many notable points on the line, such as the switchback at Signal Butte and the bridge over Lake Britton (famous for its appearance in the film Stand by Me). So far, there have been very little short lines in Train Sim, and either this or the Sierra would be a great candidate for a route.

    Because the line did not handle through traffic, not much in terms of variation are needed to run the route realistically. For locomotives, I would suggest

    SD38 (two schemes, factory paint and auburn)
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    SD38-2 (factory paint only)
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    (Possible) 2-6-2 25
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    In terms of rolling stock, I would suggest

    FMC Center Double Door Boxcar (IPD schemes with MR patched reporting marks, Southern Pacific)
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    Bulkhead (SP high & low)
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    Centerbeam (MR)
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    Dicalite Hopper (NAHX or similar reporting mark)
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    Woodchip (SP)
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    Short caboose (MR, two colors)
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    If 25 is included, then some passenger equipment would also be necessary.

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    That's basically all I have for this proposal. Other pieces of rolling stock that could be included are thrall-doors, or McCloud-modified boxcars made from old thrall-doors. See you on the rails!

    -DRGWFan3005
     

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  2. sphexi

    sphexi Active Member

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    Although it is impossible for DTG and 3rd party developers to create all the routes that are highlighted in this area of the forum, it is always fascinating to read the well researched suggestions. Thanks for sharing your idea, it would be a great connector to the new Shasta Route!
     

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