Railroad Freight Yards by Zina Abbott

 

My upcoming book in the Old Timey Holiday Kitchen series features the third sibling of the Jewell family, the brother of two sisters, who already had their own romances published. In prior books, I identified him as having a railroad job in Kansas City, where the family came from before everyone but him moved to Colorado. Rather than being a ticket agent, baggage handler, or rail maintenance laborer, I decided he should work with managing freight. Thus started my quest to learn the ins and outs of how rail freight was handled in the 1880s.

 Although possibly a decade or two later than the setting of my story, this photograph is of the Kansas City freight yard. Note that many of the cars appear to be made of wood. There is also at least one gondola (like an open wagon) and a few metal tank cars. These cars get moved around the freight yard and from one railway's freight yard to another by using smaller locomotives designated for use strictly in a company's own freight or repair yards. 

Do not trust the inforation you receive from AI on a Google search to be infallible. When I specifically asked about the Kansas City freight warehouse in 1885, I was told the freight for all the companies were handled together and managed by one freight terminal. Then, after stumbling onto a Facebook Kansas City historical group, I searched back through several years of entries and found this 1884 map of the Kansas City rail yard. There were five railway companies that used the Kansas City Union Depot (orange), the passenger terminal located in what is called the West Bottoms district (note the names of some of the neighborhoods) part of Kansas City. However, only three--Missouri Pacific (maroon), Union Pacific (blue), and Missouri River, Fort Scott, and Gulf (green) had freight depots there.

At the time this 1881 map of Kansas City and eastern Kansas was drawn, it appears the only section that was identified as Kansas City, Kansas, then was the little lip of land west of the straight north-south Kansas-Missouri border, east of the Kansas River, and south of the Missouri River. The smaller communities to the west of the state line--Wyandotte, Riverview, Armstrong, Armourdale, and Argentine--were not absorbed into Kansas City, Kansas, until a later time.

The Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway did have rail access to the Kansas City, Missouri, depot (orange next to the yellow-green arrow), but its freight yard was located in Argentine, Kansas (blue circle). 

 

 Here is a map of another freight yard. Kensington, Michigan, was a hub for two rail lines, the Illinois Central Railroad and the Michigan Central Railroad and Belt Railway Connection. It appears both rail lines shared a passenger depot (red). However, the bottom-right of the map shows the roundhouse (blue), the freight house (green), and thirteen and a half miles of track that is part of the freight yard (orange) of the Michigan Central Railroad.

 

The situation is slightly different for a town like Salida, Colorado, the city on which I based my hypothetical town of Cleora. In 1885, Salida was a connection station. It had two spur lines, but all three lines were part of a single rail company, the Denver and Rio Grande Railway. On the birdseye view map drawn in the nineteenth century, the depot was identified, as was the roundhouse. I know there was a machine shop, but the other buildings were identified as workshops. With all the silver mining and agriculture in the area, I am sure the Salida station managed its fair share of freight. However, I have found almost no information about it.  

In the image above, No. 6 is the Kansas City Roundhouse. No. 5 is the freight yard.

 

The possible reason I had difficulty finding pictures of freight yards might be due the fact that most of them are not pretty. Railroad depot buildings and train platforms are designed to be visually appealing to passengers. They are similar to nicely landscaped front and back yards, intended to delight the homeowners and impress friends and neighbors. Freight yards (also repair yards) are more like a residential side yard--that six-foot space between the garage and the fence where people keep their garbage cans, water hoses, and miscellaneous junk that does not fit inside the garbage can, so they store it there until they collect enough to justify a trip to the dump.

 

Here is the Pennsylvania Lines Great Freight Yard at Conway, PA. Look at the coal cars waiting to be shipped in all directions.

 

And, when one is talking about Kansas City's Kansas Pacific /Union Pacific Railroad's freight yard, let us not forget the closely related stockyard with the Cattle Exchange building next door. Some cattle might have been sent to local meat packing plants, but the majority were loaded onto cattle cars and transported north by other railroads to places like Chicago.

 

Stollen by Stella is not currently on pre-order but will be published in December. 

Book description:

     Stella Jorgenson struggles to enjoy the holiday now her father’s new job meant moving away from extended family and friends. She does not look forward to spending Christmas dinner with her father’s boss and his family, including the son scheduled to start working on her father’s crew—all strangers. Hopefully, baking her late mother’s traditional Stollen to share will inspire the spirit of Christmas.

     For Thomas, the one bright spot about moving home with his parents was both his sisters were married and out of the house. Unfortunately, along with his new foreman and the man’s daughter, his persnickety, former schoolmarm older sister and pesky, trouble-making younger sister will be home for Christmas. Perhaps he could convince himself to look forward to being with family and merrily celebrating the holiday if being here was not a constant reminder he had been forced out of the job he loved.

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Gauging the Railroad Tracks by Zina Abbott

 

Originally, various railroad track gauges were used in the United States. Some railways, primarily in the northeast, used was called standard gauge, which was a span of four feet, eight and one-half inches (1,435 mm). Other railways used gauges ranging from two feet (610 mm) to six feet (1,829 mm). The Pacific Railroad Acts of 1863 specified standard gauge was to be used throughout the United States.

Where did this unusual width for parallel railroad tracks come from? Train technology was developed in Britain in about 1825. The new technology came to the United States the following year. Britain based the distance between the rails on the standard width of wagon ruts worn in the roads all over Europe, including the British Isles.

The reason these ruts tended to be uniform in distance from each other dates back to the time of the roads built by the Romans. Their chariots were built to be compatible with the width of a pair of warhorses. Since wagons ran into difficulty if their wheels did not fit inside existing ruts, that same gauge became the standard for wagons. Axles were built to accommodate the hubs of wheels so the rims would be four feet and eight and one-half inches.

 

During the Colonial period in North America, wagon sizes and widths followed the same standards as found in Europe—wherever the Roman roads and accompanying ruts played a role in transportation. Like Britain, the railroads followed the same pattern, including using what is known as standard gauge to determine the width between a pair of train rails.

There is a notable exception: Narrow gauge railroads built to allow trains to travel the windy mountain areas.

The Denver and Rio Grande Railway, which opened the mining and lumber operations of the Rocky Mountains to the rest of the country, was one such railroad. Later, much of the track was converted to standard gauge.

Narrow gauge railroads were used throughout the Sierra-Nevada Mountains, particularly for logging operations. The history of the Heisler #2 locomotive gives a picture of a narrow gauge locomotive used. From 1900-03, it was used by the Hetch Hetchy and Yosemite Valley Railroad, mainly to transport logs to be cut into lumber. Then, from 1904-1960, the railroad’s name was changed to the West Side Flume and Lumber Company. There the locomotive played a vital role in timber production by working both the woods and the lumber company switchyard. This little workhorse was also used to push a wedge plow to keep the tracks clear of snow.

 

The narrow gauge Denver & Rio Grande Railway, where my heroine's father and the hero work, was mentioned in my recent Christmas romance, Lemon Cookies by Lisbeth, part of the Old Timey Holiday Kitchen series. To find the book description and purchase options, please CLICK HERE

 

 

 

In Phoebe, my Christmas romance in the Christmas Quilt Brides series, my hero—a proponent of the brand new automobile industry—compared the potential of motorcars to the progress of railroads from when they were first brought to the United States. He described a picture similar to the one above as compared to the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe standard gauge railroad in Oklahoma Territory. To find the book description and purchase options for Phoebe, please CLICK HERE

 

In my next publication, A Surprise for Christmas, part of the Confederate Widows, Spinsters and Proxy Brides series, my proxy bride travels by train shortly after the end of the American Civil War. She arrived in Topeka, Kansas, on the Kansas Pacific Railway, which used standard gauge tracks. This book is currently on pre-order and scheduled for release on December 9th. To find the book description and pre-order link, please CLICK HERE

 

 

 

Sources:

https://truewestmagazine.com/steam-engines/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Track_gauge_in_the_United_States

Tuolumne City Park Heisler #2 display, Tuolumne, California

Angels Branch-Sierra Railroad by Zina Abbott

 

This is my third post on the Sierra Railway, which connected Oakdale in the San Joaquin Valley to the gold fields and lumberyards of the Sierra Nevada Motherlode region. You may find my other two posts by clicking HERE and HERE

Jamestown after Hotel Nevills burned in 1915.  Mainline passenger train 2 on left with 4-4-0 No.6. Angels mixed 22, (without any freight cars), on right with Shay No.11.

The Angels Camp branch of the Sierra Railway brought freight and passenger service to the bustling gold mines in Calaveras County. Construction began in 1897, the year the tracks reached Jamestown. Unlike the eight months needed to construct the 40 miles of track between Oakdale and Jamestown, construction of the 19.3 miles of the Angels Branch took four years to complete. This was due to the elevation changes and resulting steep grades.

A system of four switch back spur tracks were designed to bring the Sierra Railway nineteen tortuous miles over trestles and bridges from Jamestown to Angels Camp.  The Angel’s branch was completed September 15, 1902 and operated until 1935.

 

No. 10 at Melones water tower 1903

The route was designed by a young and ambitious civil engineer named William Hamilton Newell.  the Angels Branch developed Passing through areas with such colorful names as Table Mountain, Tuttletown, Jackass Hill and Gee Whiz Point.

Gee Whiz Point in 1916

Gee Whiz Point refers to the exposed precipice at the end of pair of switchbacks reached after the train worked its way up Indian Gulch after crossing the Stanislaus River to Calaveras County north of Tuolumne County. From here, a thousand feet above the river rapids, the entire expanse of the canyon came into view. Trains would often stop here to let passengers drink in the awe-inspiring vista that gave this location its name.

 

No. 9 with mixed cars on Tuttletown trestle

Because of right of way acquisition problems with the gold mines and the engineering challenges of the Stanislaus River canyon, track laying stopped at Tuttletown till March 1901.

McArdle switch 2. Right side is the reverse track.

To get through the canyon two switchbacks were constructed. The McArdle switchback on the south side and the Pendola switchback on the north side. To find a hand-drawn map of the switchbacks on the Angels Branch, please the check out the blog post on “Angels Branch-Sierra Railway of California 1912 by CLICKING HERE

 

Combine 5 built 1902 by Holman and Co. in San Francisco

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This 19-mile long branch line of the Sierra Railway ran from the Sierra's main yard at Jamestown to the mining community of Angels Camp. In addition to commercial uses, this train was used as a commuter train for workers and school students, who traveled from other parts of the county to Sonora.

Completed in September of 1902, the line here utilized many unconventional elements in its design including multiple switchbacks, curves of nearly 30 degrees, and gradients that hit 4.26 percent in some locations.

 No.10 pulls first excursion September 15, 1902.

With a reputation for daring construction and rugged beauty, this route became a favorite for sightseeing and excursion trains as well as the normal passenger and freight traffic for which the line was built.

 No.30 pulling train Mixed 22 with combine 5

Near the town of Melones, the Sierra encountered the Stanislaus River Canyon, which necessitated the use of four switchbacks to keep grades at a minimum. This required the use of a shorter locomotive than used on other lines, which led to the purchase of the 2-6-2 Baldwin No. 30, which was specifically built for the steep and crooked Angels Branch. Until the No. 30’s arrival, the line had operated solely using geared locomotives.

Baldwin Locomotive Works completed locomotive number 30 in May, 1922 for the Sierra Railway Company of California. She is slightly smaller than the common Baldwin-built logging 2-6-2. The locomotive was built for service on the railroad’s branch line to Angels Camp in Calaveras County, which opened for service in September, 1902.

Angels Camp Depot 1905

It was difficult to find a single straight section of track on the entire 19.3 miles from Jamestown to Angels Camp. In some places, curves reached a maximum of 29 degrees, while grades topped out at 4.26 percent. Major stops were Jamestown Yard, Omega, Tuttletown, El Rico, McArdles, Melones, Carson Hill, and Angels Camp.

Bridge over Stanislaus River-now under water due to New Melones Dam

Part of the route included crossing the Stanislaus River. A 300 foot trestle and bridge crossed fifty feet above the river. Due to the construction of the New Melones Dam in 1976, the old bridge and town of Melones is now covered by water.

Carson Hill Crossing

Unfortunately, completion of the line coincided with the decline of California’s Gold Rush, including the “second gold rush,” which began in the late 1880s. As the mining industry slowly collapsed, the need for the railroad faded. Declining profits coupled with the development of paved roads and automobiles led to the Angels Branch line being abandoned in March 1935. Within two years the rails were gone, and a year after that the entire company filed for bankruptcy and entered receivership, eventually re-organizing itself as the Sierra Railroad.

Many sections of the Angels Branch route remain visible today. Grab a snack and something to drink, then settle in to watch this You-Tube which will take you on the remnants of the Angels Branch of the Sierra Railway. Please CLICK HERE

 

My latest release is my Christmas Quilt Brides romance, Beulah. To find the book description and purchase options, please CLICK HERE

 

 

 

My other Christmas romance this year is Vinegar Pie by Varinia from the Old Timey Holiday Kitchen series. To find the book description and purchase options, please CLICK HERE

 

 

 

My most recent romance set in Tuolumne County, the home of the Sierra Railway, is A Watchman for Willow. To find the book description and purchase options, please CLICK HERE 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

Tuolumne County Historical Museum

https://angelsbranch.com/

https://angelsbranch1912.blogspot.com/2018/08/welcome-to-my-railway.html

https://angelsbranch1912.blogspot.com/2018/08/short-history-and-rolling-stock.html

https://www.abandonedrails.com/angels-branch

https://www.ncry.org/about/collection/steam/sierra-railway-30/

https://tchistory.org/railroad-transportation/

https://angelsbranch1912.blogspot.com/2018/08/hereis-program-im-using-for-train.html