Editing Carson and Colorado Railway

{{Short description|Defunct railroad in the western US}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox rail
| railroad_name  = Carson and Colorado Railway
| logo_filename  = 
| logo_size      = 
| system_map     = 
| map_caption    = 
| map_size       = 
| marks          = 
| image          = 
| image_size     = 
| image_caption  = 
| locale         = [[California]] and [[Nevada]]
| start_year     = 1880
| end_year       = 1960
| successor_line = [[Southern Pacific Company]]
| gauge          = {{track gauge|3ft|lk=on}}
| length         = {{circa| {{convert|300|mi|-1}} }}
| hq_city        = 
| map            = {{Carson and Colorado Railway|inline=y}}
}}

The '''Carson and Colorado Railway''' was a U.S. {{track gauge|3ft|lk=on}} [[Narrow gauge railways|narrow gauge]] railroad that ran from [[Mound House, Nevada|Mound House]], [[Nevada]], to [[Keeler, California|Keeler]], [[California]], below the [[Cerro Gordo Mines]]. It was incorporated on May 10, 1880, as the Carson and Colorado ''Railroad'', and construction on the railroad began on May 31, 1880. The narrow gauge track was chosen to reduce cost. Much of the route now parallels [[U.S. Route 95 Alternate (Schurz-Fernley, Nevada)|U.S. Route 95 Alternate]], [[U.S. Route 95 in Nevada|U.S. Route 95]], [[Nevada State Route 360]], [[U.S. Route 6 in California|U.S. Route 6]], and [[U.S. Route 395 in California|U.S. Route 395]].

The Carson and Colorado began operations with a single [[Baldwin Locomotive Works|Baldwin]] {{whyte|4-4-0}}, the ''Candelaria''.  The first train arrived at Keeler on August 1, 1883. The {{convert|300|mi|adj=on}} route reached an altitude of {{convert|7100|ft}} in [[Montgomery Pass, Nevada|Montgomery Pass]].<ref>{{harvnb|Turner|1974|p=2}}</ref> The railroad served an arid area heavily dependent on mineral resources for economic activity. The line was reorganized as the Carson and Colorado ''Railway'' in 1892 to reduce accumulated debt.<ref name="Turner 1974 p.4">{{harvnb|Turner|1974|p=4}}</ref>

== Sale to the Southern Pacific ==
From its inception, the Carson and Colorado was a hindrance to the [[Virginia and Truckee Railroad]] (V&T), the parent company of the C&C, who sold the line to the [[Southern Pacific Company]] in 1900.<ref>Ferrell, Mallory Hope.  ''Southern Pacific Narrow Gauge,'' p. 59, Pacific Fast Mail, Edmonds, Washington, 1982.</ref>  [[Darius Ogden Mills]] (part owner) was once quoted saying "Either we built the line 300 miles too long, or 300 years too early!" Silver and gold discoveries at [[Tonopah, Nevada]] and [[Goldfield, Nevada]] provided a major boost of revenues shortly after the Southern Pacific purchase.<ref name="Turner 1974 p.4" /> From the time of the purchase until 1905, all of the C&C’s freight traveled over the V&T's trackage from Mound House to Reno, and vice versa. Because of the changeover from {{convert|3|ft|adj=on}} narrow gauge to standard gauge cars, all the freight had to be handled by hand at Mound House, which caused a great bottleneck, especially after the mining booms of Tonopah and Goldfield. Southern Pacific (SP) proffered an offer to purchase the V&T, but the price was placed too high. As a result, the SP began constructing the Hazen cutoff, which circumvented the V&T entirely after it opened.<ref>Hilton, George W.  ''American Narrow Gauge Railroads,'' p. 439-40, Stanford University Press, Stanford, California, 1990.</ref> The northern {{convert|140|mi}} from Mound House to [[Mina, Nevada]] was converted to {{track gauge|4ft8.5in|allk=on}} in 1905; and the remaining C&C was merged into the Southern Pacific's {{track gauge|3ft}} narrow gauge subsidiary, the [[Nevada and California Railroad]].<ref name="Turner 1974 p.6">{{harvnb|Turner|1974|p=6}}</ref> The Nevada and California Railroad was reorganized into the [[Central Pacific Railroad]] in 1912.<ref name="Turner 1974 p.6" /> In the early 20th century, it operated under the name "Southern Pacific Keeler Branch". Portions of the line were abandoned in the 1930s and the 1940s, and the last narrow gauge common carrier made its final run on April 29, 1960.<ref>{{harvnb|Likes|1975|p=83}}</ref> The rails were removed in January, 1961.

The former parent company, Virginia and Truckee Railroad, has been reconstructed from [[Virginia City, Nevada|Virginia City]] to a station near Mound House. Passenger (tourist) service has been restored along much of the original V&T right of way, with investigations into returning service to [[Carson City, Nevada|Carson City]] again in the future.

== Locomotives ==

{| class="wikitable"
! Number
! Builder
! Type
! Date
! Works number
! Notes
|-
| 1st #1
| [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
| {{whyte|4-4-0}}
| 1880
| 5285
| sold to [[Eureka and Palisade Railroad]] 1907
|-
| 2nd #1
| [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
| {{whyte|2-8-0}}
| 1914
| 41300
| ex-[[Nevada-California-Oregon Railway]] #14 acquired 1928 sold to [[Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad]] #9 1933
|-
| 3rd #1
| [[General Electric]]
| 50 Tonner
| 1954
| 32226
| sold 1961
|-
| 2
| [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
| {{whyte|4-4-0}}
| 1881
| 5428
| scrapped 1907
|-
| 1st #3
| [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
| {{whyte|4-4-0}}
| 1881
| 5430
| scrapped 1908
|-
| 2nd #3
| [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
| {{whyte|4-4-0}}
| 1887
| 8791
| ex-[[Nevada-California-Oregon Railway]] #3 acquired 1928 scrapped 1934
|-
| 1st #4
| [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
| {{whyte|4-4-0}}
| 1881
| 55782
| sold to Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad #7 1929
|-
| 2nd #4
| [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
| {{whyte|4-6-0}}
| 1899
| 17124
| ex-[[Nevada-California-Oregon Railway]] #4 acquired 1928 scrapped 1934
|-
| 1st #5
| [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
| {{whyte|4-4-0}}
| 1882
| 6089
| scrapped 1932
|-
| 2nd #5
| [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
| {{whyte|4-6-0}}
| 1899
| 17123
| ex-[[Nevada-California-Oregon Railway]] #5 acquired 1928 scrapped 1934
|-
| 1st #6
| [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
| {{whyte|4-4-0}}
| 1882
| 6090
| scrapped 1907
|-
| 2nd #6
| [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
| {{whyte|4-4-0}}
| 1877
| 4223
| ex-[[South Pacific Coast Railroad]] #6 merged 1905 scrapped 1926
|-
| 3rd #6
| [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
| {{whyte|4-6-0}}
| 1903
| 22020
| ex-[[Nevada-California-Oregon Railway]] #6 acquired 1928 scrapped 1934
|-
| 1st #7
| [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
| {{whyte|4-4-0}}
| 1883
| 6687
| scrapped 1932
|-
| 2nd #7
| [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
| {{whyte|4-6-0}}
| 1903
| 22012
| ex-[[Nevada-California-Oregon Railway]] #7 acquired 1928 scrapped 1935
|-
| 1st #8
| [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
| {{whyte|4-4-0}}
| 1883
| 6689
| scrapped 1932
|-
| [[Southern Pacific 8|2nd #8]]
| [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
| {{whyte|4-6-0}}
| 1907
| 31445
| ex-[[Nevada-California-Oregon Railway]] #8 acquired 1928 donated to [[Sparks, Nevada]] 1955
|-
| 1st #9
| [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
| {{whyte|4-4-0}}
| 1885
| 7604
| ex-[[South Pacific Coast Railroad]] #16 merged 1905 scrapped 1911
|-
| [[Southern Pacific 9|2nd #9]]
| [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
| {{whyte|4-6-0}}
| 1909
| 34035
| ex-[[Nevada-California-Oregon Railway]] #9 acquired 1928 donated to [[Laws, California]] 1960
|-
| 10
| [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
| {{whyte|4-4-0}}
| 1885
| 7605
| ex-[[South Pacific Coast Railroad]] #17 merged 1905 scrapped 1933
|-
| 11
| [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
| {{whyte|2-6-0}}
| 1881
| 5649
| ex-[[South Pacific Coast Railroad]] #11 merged 1905 rebuilt to 4-6-0 1924 scrapped 1934
|-
| 12
| [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
| {{whyte|2-6-0}}
| 1881
| 5650
| ex-[[South Pacific Coast Railroad]] #12 merged 1905 rebuilt to 4-6-0 1924 scrapped 1934
|-
| 13
| [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
| {{whyte|2-8-0}}
| 1882
| 6157
| ex-[[South Pacific Coast Railroad]] #13 merged 1905 scrapped 1927
|-
| 14
| [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
| {{whyte|4-6-0}}
| 1886
| 7939
| ex-[[South Pacific Coast Railroad]] #18 merged 1905 retired 1945
|-
| 15
| [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
| {{whyte|4-6-0}}
| 1889
| 9929
| ex-[[South Pacific Coast Railroad]] #22 merged 1905 scrapped 1935
|-
| 16
| [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
| {{whyte|4-6-0}}
| 1886
| 7941
| ex-[[South Pacific Coast Railroad]] #19 merged 1905 scrapped 1935
|-
| 17
| [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
| {{whyte|4-6-0}}
| 1887
| 8487
| ex-[[South Pacific Coast Railroad]] #21 merged 1905 retired 1945, then used to provide steam for the SP engine terminal at [[Salem, Oregon]] until scrapped 1952.<ref>"Locomotive Notes",''[[Trains (magazine)|Trains and Travel]]'' magazine, November 1952</ref>
|-
| [[Southern Pacific 18|18]]
| [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]]
| {{whyte|4-6-0}}
| 1911
| 37395
| ex-[[Nevada-California-Oregon Railway]] #12 acquired 1928 donated to [[Independence, California]] 1955
|-
| 22
| [[Schenectady Locomotive Works]]
| {{whyte|4-6-0}}
| 1899
| 5399
| ex- [[Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad]] then [[Nevada-California-Oregon Railway]] #22 acquired 1929 scrapped 1949
|}

== Towns and railroad stations served ==
[[File:Carson & Colorado RR 1883.jpg|thumb|Route in 1883]]
[[File:Carson and Colorado Railway Route.jpg|thumb|Route as of 1931]]
The following were towns or stops along the line:<ref name=dayton /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.callimachus.org/digital/collection/p131301coll0/id/39 |title=Southern Pacific Narrow Gauge, officially known as the Keeler Branch |publisher=Occidental College |via=Callimachus |access-date=10 December 2020}}</ref>
* [[Mound House, Nevada]] ([[Virginia and Truckee Railroad|V&T Railroad]] to Carson City and Virginia City)
* [[Dayton, Nevada]]
* [[Fort Churchill State Historic Park|Fort Churchill, Nevada]]
* [[Wabuska, Nevada]] ([[Copper Belt Railway]] to Yerington)
* Lux, Nevada
* Moquist, Nevada
* Rio Vista, Nevada
* [[Schurz, Nevada]]
* Stuckey, Nevada
* Copperhill, Nevada
* Gillis, Nevada
* [[Rand, Nevada]]
* Magnus, Nevada
* Walker, Nevada
*[[Thorne, Nevada]]
*[[Hawthorne, Nevada]] (branch to Cottonwood)
*Cottonwood, Nevada (branch only) <!-- Beware. The [[Cottonwood, Nevada]] page is in Elko County, not Mineral County. -->
*[[Kinkaid, Nevada|Kinkead, Nevada]]
*[[Luning, Nevada]]
* New Boston, Nevada
*[[Mina, Nevada]]
*[[Sodaville, Nevada]] (Soda Springs)
*[[Rhodes, Nevada]]
* Tonopah Junction, Nevada ([[Tonopah and Goldfield Railroad]])
*[[Belleville, Nevada]]
* Filben, Nevada (spur to Candelaria)<ref name=dayton>{{cite web |url=https://www.daytonnvhistory.org/cc_routemap.jpg |title=Carson and Colorado Route Map |publisher=Historical Society of Dayton Valley (Nevada) |access-date=10 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160709223656/https://www.daytonnvhistory.org/cc_routemap.jpg |archive-date=July 9, 2016}}</ref>
*[[Candelaria, Nevada]] (spur only)
*[[Basalt, Nevada]]
*[[Montgomery Pass, Nevada|Summit, Nevada]] (Mt. Montgomery)
* Queen, Nevada
*[[Benton, California]]
*[[Hammil Valley, California]]
*[[Laws, California]], [[Owensville, California|Owensville]]
*[[Zurich, California]]
* Monola, California (formerly Alvord)
*[[Kearsarge (ghost town), California|Kearsarge, California]]
*[[Manzanar, California]]
*[[Owenyo, California]] ([[Southern Pacific Railroad]] to Lone Pine, Ridgecrest, and Los Angeles)
* Alico, California
* [[Dolomite, California]]
* Mock, California
* [[Swansea, California]]
* [[Keeler, California]]

== Restoration effort ==
In [[Independence, California]], a non-profit group re-incorporated the Carson and Colorado Railway. They have restored locomotive #18, which was left in Independence in excellent condition by the Southern Pacific in 1955. The locomotive moved under its own power for the first time in 62 years on Saturday October 15, 2016. The locomotive is currently housed in a two stall engine house at the [[Eastern California Museum]] in Independence, CA. There is close to 1000 feet of track for it to operate on. Former SP boxcars #1C and #15 are on rail with engine #18 as part of the exhibit.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.carsoncolorado.com |title=Carson & Colorado Railway |website=Carson & Colorado Railway |accessdate=22 September 2017}}</ref>

== Gallery of C&C equipment ==
<gallery mode=packed>
File:Southern Pacific Engine 9.jpg|The second engine #9, painted in Southern Pacific livery, currently located at the Laws Railroad Museum in Laws, California.
File:SP No. 18.jpg|The engine #18, painted in Southern Pacific livery, currently located in Independence, California. Restored and Operable.
File:Carson & Colorado Caboose 1.jpg|Carson & Colorado Caboose #1, currently located at the Laws Railroad Museum in Laws, California.
File:Carson & Colorado boxcar.jpg|Carson & Colorado boxcar #7, currently located at the Laws Railroad Museum in Laws, California.
File:'Travel Town Museum' 56.jpg|Live stock car #163, currently located at the [[Travel Town Museum]] in [[Los Angeles]], California.
File:'Travel Town Museum' 57.jpg|[[Carter Brothers]] box car #1, currently located at the Travel Town Museum in Los Angeles, California.
File:Grizzly Flats Railroad coach 5.jpg|[[Grizzly Flats Railroad]] Coach #5, built in 1881 for the Carson & Colorado RR, at the [[Southern California Railway Museum]].
File:Carson & Colorado Railroad business car No. 10, the "Esmeralda" (later Southern Pacific narrow gauge) at the Southern California Railway Museum.jpg|Carson & Colorado Railroad business car #10, the "Esmeralda," at the [[Southern California Railway Museum]].
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Southern Pacific 8]]
* [[Southern Pacific 9]]
* [[Southern Pacific 18]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
* {{cite book |title=Slim Rails through the Sand |last=Turner |first=George |publisher=Trans-Anglo Books |year=1974 |isbn=0-87046-016-1 |edition=3rd }}
* {{cite book |title=From This Mountain |last=Likes |first=Robert C. |publisher=Community Printing & Publishing |year=1975 |isbn=0-912494-15-8}}

== Sources ==
* [http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf9r29p0w9/ Guide to the Carson & Colorado Railroad Company records, 1881–1901], at [[The Bancroft Library]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20180228223833/http://dewey.library.unr.edu/xtf/view?docId=ead%2FNC71-ead.xml A Guide to the Carson and Colorado Railroad Records, NC71]. Special Collections, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Reno.

== External links ==
* [http://www.girr.org/girr/relics/spng/spng.html The Southern Pacific Narrow Gauge]
* [http://www.carsoncolorado.com/ Carson and Colorado Railway Restoration Effort]
* [http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~gtusa/usa/ca/ccrr.htm Exploring a Ghost Railroad]
* [http://www.facebook.com/CCRW18 Carson and Colorado Railway Facebook Page]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Carson Colorado Railway}}
[[Category:Defunct California railroads]]
[[Category:Defunct Nevada railroads]]
[[Category:Narrow-gauge railroads in California]]
[[Category:Narrow-gauge railroads in Nevada]]
[[Category:3 ft gauge railways in the United States]]
[[Category:Predecessors of the Southern Pacific Transportation Company]]
[[Category:Mining in California]]
[[Category:Mojave Desert]]
[[Category:Owens Valley]]
[[Category:History of Inyo County, California]]
[[Category:Mining in Nevada]]
[[Category:Railway companies established in 1892]]
[[Category:Railway companies disestablished in 1905]]
[[Category:1892 establishments in California]]
[[Category:1905 disestablishments in California]]
[[Category:Closed railway lines in the United States]]
[[Category:Railway lines closed in 1960]]
[[Category:Southern Pacific Railroad lines]]