The #19 ascending the east side of Butcher Hill bound for Yreka. Yreka received all its natural gas in pressurized tank cars on October 2, 1956. Photo by Jack Bowden.

Two views of the #18 at Yreka on October 1, 1956. Both photos by Jack Bowden.

Left: The #19 in the yard at Montague on October 2, 1956. This is roughly the same location as the final picture in Part Two. Right: The Fruit Growers Supply log reload in Yreka. The railroad would interchange the loads to the Southern Pacific at Montague, which would deliver them to the F.G.S. mill at Hilt, California, twenty-six miles to the north on September 6, 1957. Both Photos by Jack Bowden.

Left: Yreka Western's first diesel, SW8 #602, in Yreka on August 31, 1958. Right: Alco S1 #603, the former Northern Pacific Terminal (Portland, Oregon) #30, shortly after being acquired and repainted. Pictured on February 29, 1964. Both Photos by Jack Bowden.

Left: Alco S1 #604, the former Northern Pacific Terminal #31, still in NPT colors at Yreka on February 29, 1964. The front of the #18 can be seen to the side of the frame. Photo by Jack Bowden. The #19 was not the only Yreka Western locomotive transferred to the Oregon Pacific & Eastern.  Shown here on June 4, 1979 is Yreka Western SW8 #602 in its new home in Cottage Grove Oregon. Photo by Charles Lange.

The #21 returns light to Yreka on July 5, 1989. The still active Hi-Ridge mill is in the background.   Photo by Greg Brown.

Left: The train from Yreka arrives in Montague on July 5, 1989. Right: The westbound train returning from Montague crossing the Shasta River with its namesake in the background. Pictured on July 5, 1989. Both Photos by Greg Brown.

Left: The #21 is switching Timber Products mill on July 5, 1989. Photo by Greg Brown. Right : Central Oregon & Pacific's Weed to Hornbrook train passes the #21 and empty woodchip gondolas at Montague on May 29, 2000. Photo by Dan Haneckow .

Left: A section gang with a work train on February 5, 2001. Photo by John E. Shaw . Right: Yreka Western MRS-1 #204 at the Feather River Rail Society's museum at Portola, California on March 9, 2001. When transportation is worked out, this locomotive will allow overhauls to the #20 and #21. Photo by Dan Haneckow

Yreka, California on August 29, 2000 . Photo by Dan Haneckow.

Notes: The remains of the tender to SP #2093, a 4-6-0, are on the hillside near the enginehouse.  Perhaps this locomotive was leased to the Yreka Western at one time.

Baldwin DS44-750 Demonstrator #750 would be eventually purchased by Weyerhaeuser for use on its Woods Line out of Sycan, Oregon. It exists to this day in Klamath Falls behind a chain link fence on the site of the Oregon, California & Eastern yard.

Yreka Western Railroad,  The Western Railroader: September 1960 by Stanley T Borden.

A Century of Southern Pacific Steam Locomotives, by Guy Dunscomb, Guy Dunscomb & Son, 1963. (Guy, we miss you! DJS).

Pine Across the Mountain, California's McCloud River Railroad , by Robert M. Hanft, Golden West Books 1971.

Southern Pacific's Shasta Division by John Signor, Signature Press 2000.

Oregon Pacific & Eastern Railway by Fred A. Sindt, Fred A, Stindt 1983.

Medford Mail Tribune, January 12, 2000, "Railroad Changes Ownership." by Bill Varble.

Union Pacific Motive Power Review 1968-1977 by F. Hol Wagner Jr, Motive Power Services 1978.

Short Line Junction, A Collection of California & Nevada Railroads by Jack R. Wagner,  Academy Library Guild, 1956.

Internet Resources:

Yreka Western Railroad – Blue Goose Excursions, (2000 Archive: www.yrekachamber.com/railroad.html ).

Alpha Rail Net ( www.alpharail.net ). Larry Tuttle's railroad pages which includes the Central Oregon & Pacific page (and the mother of all CORP rosters), a SP era on the Siskiyou Line page and a page on the Sumpter Valley Railway (and much more).

Bob Morris Photography ( 2000 Archive: www.snowcrest.net/photobob/index.html Current Site: http://www.snowcrest.net/photobob/index.html). Bob Morris photographs the Yreka Western in the 1960's (steam and diesel) and the present day. Also, McCloud Railroad page showing the restoration of ex-Yreka Western #18, CORP and SP Siskiyou Line photographs.  Highly Recommended!

Shasta Sunset Dinner Train ( 2000 Archive: www.mctrain.com ). On the southern slopes of Mt. Shasta is the McCloud Railroad, with an excellent dinner train and two steam locomotives, the #25 and #18 (ex- Yreka Western #18).

Feather River Rail Society ( 2000 Archive: www.oz.net/~samh/frrs/index.html ).

Railspot Engine History Database (2000 Archive: www.railspot.com ).

Western Shortline Rosters (formerly known as Onward, the Shortline Roster Page).

More Than You Probably Need To Know About the Yreka Western , by Regis Cordic. Reprinted from the NMRA Bulletin August 1979.

Trainorders.com  Western Railroad Forum 08/18/00: Topper, John Bauer, Aaron, Goatboat, Bob Morris and J.D. Moore.

Trainorders.com Western Railroad Forum 04/15/01: Goatboat, CBK, Smokebox 1, and JDLX.

Trainorders.com Western Railroad Forum 04/22/01: Smokebox 1 and Kdoug.

Kettle Moraine Railway (2000 Archive: www.kmry.org ). Home of the former Yreka Western #9. 

2012 Additions:

Images of Rail YREKA WESTERN RAILROAD: Matt Starman and Tim Stricker (Arcadia Publishing)

Bob Morris Photography: snowcrest.net/photobob/ywrr.html A multi-part photo album of Yreka Western historic photos and in it's later years of operation.

Kindly direct all correspondence, comments and concerns to Larry Tuttle

All photos and text © 2000, 2001, 2012 by the original photographers and writers.

Used with permission