View source for Sierra Railroad

{{Short description|Freight transportation company in Northern California}}
{{For|the Sierra Valley Railway|Beckwourth Pass}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{no footnotes|date=November 2009}}
{{Infobox company
|name = Sierra Railroad Corporation
|type = [[Privately held company|Incentive]]
|industry = [[common carrier]]
|foundation = {{start date and age|1897}}<br>[[United States]]
|location = [[United States]]
}}
[[File:Sierra Railway Company of California 1904.jpg|thumb|Gold Bond of the Sierra Railway Company of California, issued 15 September 1904]]
[[File:SRR 40 and 42 at Jamestown Jess Fowler Dec64RP - Flickr - drewj1946.jpg|thumb|Two Sierra diesel locomotives.]]
[[File:Srr 3 and 8 Nov 79 - Flickr - drewj1946.jpg|thumb|SRR #3 and #8, November 1979]]
[[File:SRR 2 Montezuma Dec 79xRP - Flickr - drewj1946.jpg|thumb|SRR Shay #2 with an excursion train at Montezuma, California, 1979.]]
The '''Sierra Railroad Corporation''' is a privately owned [[common carrier]]. Its [[Sierra Northern Railway]] freight division handles all freight operations for all branches owned by the Sierra Railroad. The company's '''Mendocino Railway''' group operates the diesel- and steam-powered [[Sacramento RiverTrain]] (Woodland-Sacramento) and the [[Skunk Train]] (Fort Bragg-local).  The company's '''[[Sierra Energy]]''' division is for energy projects.

==History==
The similarly named '''Sierra Railway Company of California''' was founded in 1897 to connect the [[California Central Valley]] to the [[Gold Country]] foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Its historic western terminus has always been in Oakdale where a junction was once formed with both the [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway|Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway]] and the Southern Pacific. The Santa Fe's (now [[BNSF Railway]]) Oakdale Branch provided one freight outlet to the AT&SF [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Valley Division]] at Riverbank, California; the [[Southern Pacific Transportation Company|Southern Pacific]] [[Oakdale Branch]] from Stockton was abandoned in 1986 and torn out by 1990. The Sierra Railroad bought the BNSF mainline from Riverbank MP1 to Oakdale in 2008.  The portion of the former Sierra Railway conveyed by the railroad's historic owners, the Crocker Family, to the California State Park System are with "Sierra Railway", which preserves the original operating name of the entire line and is headquartered at [[Railtown 1897|Railtown 1897 State Historic Park]] in [[Jamestown, California]].

==Beginnings==
[[File:Sierra RY & Yosemite RR.jpg|thumb|Sierra Railway route in 1931]]
The Sierra Railway Company of California was incorporated on February 1, 1897 by founders [[Thomas S. Bullock]], Prince [[André Poniatowski]], and [[William H. Crocker]]. In May, the first rails were laid in the grain fields just east of Oakdale, and the stops grew to include Occidental (Now called Arnold), Paulsell, Warnerville, Cooperstown, Chinese, and finally on November 8, 1897; Jamestown, California. The railroad owners had no intention of ending the line there, and the line was extended to Tuolumne, some {{convert|16|mi|km}} from Jamestown. By 1900, the line had been completed, the same as it is today,{{when|date=May 2021}}  with the exception of the abandonment of the Standard to Tuolumne Right-Of-Way. In 1937, the Sierra Rail'''way''' was sold at a public auction to the new Sierra Rail'''road''' Company, and the debts of the original company were settled. In 1955, the railroad made the switch from steam to diesel power, but retained the steam locomotives for movie and television work for which the railroad is famous. In 1971, the Sierra Railroad used its vintage steam locomotives and facilities to its advantage, and opened "Rail Town 1897" as a tourist attraction. In 1979, The Crocker Association, which was the sole owner of the railroad at that time, closed Rail Town and put both the Sierra Railroad and the Jamestown complex with equipment up for sale separately. In 1980, the Sierra Railroad was sold to Silverfoot Inc., and in 1982 the California Department of Parks and Recreation purchased the Jamestown facilities and reopened the site as [[Railtown 1897 State Historic Park]]. In 1995, Silverfoot resold the operation to the Sierra Pacific Coast Railway, and in 2003 merged with the Yolo Shortline Railway, as it exists today.{{when|date=May 2021}}

==Locomotive roster==
{|class="wikitable"
!Number
!Builder
!Type
!Date built
!Heritage
!Disposition
!Notes
|-
|A
|[[Plymouth Locomotive Works|Plymouth]]
|DLC6
|1925
|HC Collins
|
|
|-
|1
| rowspan="2" |Unknown
|{{whyte|2-6-0}}
| rowspan="2" |Unknown
|Prescott & Arizona Central #1
|Sold/Transferred to West Side Lumber Company as Mill Switcher
|
|-
|2 (1st)
|{{whyte|4-4-0}}
|Prescott & Arizona Central #2
|[[Scrap]]ped circa 1899
|Only used during construction of the railroad
|-
|2 (2nd)
|[[New York Locomotive Works|New York]]
|{{whyte|0-6-0}}
|1889
|Northern Pacific
|Sold to Lassen Lumber & Box, scrapped in 1940
|
|-
|[[Sierra No. 3|3]]
|[[Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works|Rogers]]
|{{whyte|4-6-0}}
|1891
|Prescott & Arizona Central #3
|Donated to [[Railtown 1897 State Historic Park]], Operational
|Known as the "Movie Star Locomotive" for its roles in many films and television shows
|-
|4
|[[Baldwin Locomotive Works|Baldwin]]
|{{whyte|4-4-0}}
|1882
|Northern Pacific #99
|Sold to West Side Lumber Company as Tuolumne Mill switcher in 1917, scrapped in 1938
|
|-
|5
|[[Schenectady Locomotive Works|Schenectady]]
|{{whyte|0-6-0}}
|1899
|New
|Sold to Hawaii Consolidated (converted to a 2–6–2), scrapped in 1947
|Sierra's first new locomotive.
|-
|6
| rowspan="2" |[[Baldwin Locomotive Works|Baldwin]]
| rowspan="2" |{{whyte|4-4-0}}
|1883
|Northern Pacific #144
|Sold to Atlas-Olympia, later converted to a stationary boiler and scrapped in 1937
|Primarily assigned to passenger service. 
|-
|7
|1882
|Northern Pacific #93
|Sold 
|disposition unknown, presumed scrapped.
|-
|9
|[[Heisler locomotive|Heisler]]
|Heisler 2-Truck
|1899
| rowspan="8" |New
|Sold to Standard Lumber Company as #8, resold to West Side Lumber Co., scrapped in 1947
| rowspan="3" |Built for service on the Angels Branch.
|-
|10
| rowspan="3" |[[Lima Locomotive Works|Lima]]
| rowspan="2" |Shay 2-Truck
|1902
|Sold to Hofius Stell & Equipment, resold to Walville Lumber Co. then to Diamond Match Co. scrapped in 1942
|-
|11
| rowspan="2" |1903
|Sold to United Commercial Company, resold to Pickering Lumber Co., resold to Verdi Lumber Co. then to Clover Valley Lumber Co., scrapped in 1952
|-
|12
|Shay 3-Truck
|Sold to Pickering Lumber Co., now owned by the Pacific Locomotive Association, stored serviceable
|Sierra's only 3-Truck Shay. Built for service on the Angels Branch.
|-
|18
| rowspan="2" |[[Baldwin Locomotive Works|Baldwin]]
| rowspan="2" |{{whyte|2-8-0}}
|1906
|Sold to private owner, now stored in Merrill, OR
|Tender sold to Tidewater Southern in 1952 for use with their #132 and scrapped with loco in 1955.
|-
|20
|1916
|Sold to US Army as #6814, resold to Kurth Lumber as #20, scrapped in 1955.
|
|-
|21
|[[Climax locomotive|Climax]]
|Climax 2-Truck
|1906
|Sold to Sugar Pine Railway as #1, resold to Grant Rock & Gravel, Stillwater Lumber, Zimmerman, Wells, Brown, Sigardson & Bartholomew Logging and finally Jamestown-Oregon Lumber Co.
|Sierra's only Climax. Built for service on the Sugar Pine Railway.
|-
|22
| rowspan="7" |[[Baldwin Locomotive Works|Baldwin]]
| rowspan="2" |{{whyte|2-8-0}}
|1920
|Sold to California Western as #41, scrapped in 1950
|
|-
|24
|1912
|Nevada Copper Belt #3
|Scrapped in 1955
|
|-
|26
|{{whyte|2-6-0}}
|1908
|Ocean Shore #6
|Sold to Davis-Johnson Lumber Co., scrapped in 1939
|Sierra's only {{whyte|2-6-0}} locomotive
|-
|[[Sierra Railway 28|28]]
|{{whyte|2-8-0}}
| rowspan="2" |1922
| rowspan="5" |New
|Donated to [[Railtown 1897 State Historic Park]], Operational
|
|-
|30
| rowspan="2" |{{whyte|2-6-2}}
|Sold to Howard Terminal Railway as #6 (rebuilt as 2-6-2T), now owned by the Pacific Locomotive Association, undergoing restoration as 2-6-2 configuration as built
|Mostly assigned to the Angels Branch.
|-
|32
|1923
|Sold to Tidewater Southern, April 1940, renumbered 132; scrapped in 1955
|Original tender wrecked 1952, replaced with tender from Sierra #18. 
|-
|34
| rowspan="2" |{{whyte|2-8-2}}
|1925
|Sold to Reed Hatch 1962, resold to Fred Kepner circa 1987, stored at Railtown 1897. 
|Leased to and operated by Railtown between 1971 and 1980.
|-
|36
|[[American Locomotive Company|ALCO]]
|1930
|Sold to Reed Hatch 1962, used on White Mountain Scenic Railroad, now privately owned in [[Merrill, Oregon|Merrill, OR]]
|Sierra's last new steam locomotive.
|-
|38
| rowspan="4" |[[Baldwin Locomotive Works|Baldwin]]
|{{whyte|2-6-6-2}}
|1934
|Weyerhauser Timber Company #4
|Sold to Rayonier Inc., now privately owned in Merrill, OR 
|Sierra's only articulated locomotive.
|-
|40
| rowspan="3" |[[Baldwin S-12|S-12]]
| rowspan="2" |1955
| rowspan="2" |New
|Scrapped in 2008
|Sierra's first Diesel.
|-
|42
|Stored out of service
|Sierra's last completely new locomotive
|-
|44
|1951
|Sharon Steel #10
|Scrapped in 2008
|
|-
|45
| rowspan="5" |[[Electro-Motive Diesel|EMD]]
|[[EMD GP9|GP9]]
|1954
|Great Northern #667
|In service
|
|-
|46
|[[EMD GP9|GP9E]]
|1957
|Southern Pacific #5731
|Sold
|
|-
|47
|[[EMD GP7|GP7]]
|1952
|Reading Company #607
| rowspan="6" |In service
|
|-
|48
| rowspan="2" |[[EMD GP20|GP20]]
| rowspan="2" |1961
|AT&SF #1162
|Currently leased to Napa Valley Wine Train
|-
|50
|AT&SF #1130
|
|-
|52
| rowspan="2" |[[R.J. Corman/Railpower]]
|RP20DB
|2014
|New
|Built from ex Yolo Shortline #135.
|-
|56
|RP20GE
|2007
|UPY #2628
|
|-
|131
| rowspan="2" |[[Electro-Motive Diesel|EMD]]
| rowspan="2" |[[EMD GP9|GP9]]
| rowspan="2" |1957
|SP #5759
| rowspan="2" |From Yolo Shortline.
|-
|132
|SSW #823
|Stored, out of service
|-
|133
|[[Homebuilt/Railpower]]
|RP20DB
|2012
|New
| rowspan="3" |In service
|Built from ex T&NO GP9 #436. 
|-
|134
| rowspan="2" |[[Electro-Motive Diesel|EMD]]
| rowspan="2" |[[EMD GP7|GP7u]]
| rowspan="2" |1952
|AT&SF #2704
| rowspan="2" |From Yolo Shortline
|-
|136
|AT&SF 2833
|-
|1227
|[[Lima Locomotive Works|Lima]]
|{{whyte|0-6-0}}
|1914
|SP
|Restoration
|From Golden Gate Railroad Museum
|-
|2608
| rowspan="5" |[[R.J. Corman Railroad Group|R.J. Corman/Railpower]]
| rowspan="5" |RP20GE
| rowspan="3" |2006
|UPY #2608
|Out of service, waiting repair
|
|-
|2609
|UPY #2609
|In service
|
|-
|2612
|UPY #2612
| rowspan="2" |Out of service, waiting repair
|
|-
|2620
| rowspan="2" |2007
|UPY #2620
|
|-
|2652
|UPY #2652
|In service
|
|-

|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Trains|California}}

*[[California Western Railroad]]
*[[List of heritage railroads in the United States]]
*[[Sacramento RiverTrain]]
*[[Sierra Railway 3]]

==External links==
{{Commonscat}}
* http://www.sierrarailroad.com
* http://www.sierranorthern.com
* http://www.sacramentorivertrain.com
* http://www.sierradinnertrain.com
* http://www.skunktrain.com
* http://www.sierraenergy.com/
* http://www.railtown1897.org/
* [http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf396n99nd/ Guide to the Sierra Railroad Records] at [[The Bancroft Library]]

{{California railroads}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sierra Railroad}}
[[Category:Heritage railroads in California]]
[[Category:Logging railroads in the United States]]
[[Category:Defunct California railroads]]
[[Category:History of the Sierra Nevada (United States)]]
[[Category:Amusement park companies]]