Diamond and Caldor Railway
The Diamond and Caldor Railway was a
History
The railroad was built by the California Door Company which was founded in 1884 in
In late 1903, the company began construction of a narrow-gauge railroad to connect the two mills. The railroad was formally incorporated on 9 February 1904, and opened in 1905.[1] It ran along the North Fork of the Cosumnes River. Operations continued until abandonment on April 10, 1953. The railroad primarily operated with Shay locomotives. The remaining Shays, with the exception of #4, were scrapped in 1953. Engine #4 was displayed at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds for several years and is now in the process of being restored by the El Dorado Western Railway Foundation.
Until a fire destroyed the mill at Caldor in 1923, the line hauled rough-cut lumber from Caldor to the sash and door factory in Diamond Springs. After the company built a modern electric mill at Diamond Springs, the railroad hauled uncut logs from the woods to the new mill.
Because the Diamond and Caldor was a common carrier, it had to comply with
Locomotives
Number | Type[3] | Builder | Works number | Date | Notes[4] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | T
|
Baldwin | 8955 | 1887 | built as T locomotive as the Ferries and Cliff House #3; scrapped in 1921
|
2 | 2-truck Shay locomotive | Lima | 863 | 4/1904 | scrapped in 1940 |
2nd # 2 | 2-truck Shay locomotive | Lima | 2842 | 3/1916 | built as Patterson & Western RR # 2; purchased in 1922 |
3 | 2-truck Shay locomotive | Lima | 905 | 8/1904 | scrapped in 1938 |
4 | 2-truck Shay locomotive | Lima | 1896 | 4/1907 | preserved |
5 | 3-truck Shay locomotive | Lima | 2617 | 12/1912 | built as Madera Sugar Pine # 5; purchased for parts in 1935; scrapped in 1948 (for railroad roster purposes, #5 was assigned to a speeder)[5] |
6 | 3-truck Shay locomotive | Lima | 2153 | 4/1909 | scrapped in 1953 |
7 | 3-truck Shay locomotive | Lima | 2522 | 3/1912 | scrapped in 1953 |
8 | 3-truck Shay locomotive | Lima | 2921 | 7/1917 | scrapped in 1953 |
9 | #9 was assigned to a speeder[5] | ||||
10 | 3-truck Shay locomotive | Lima | 3252 | 2/1924 | scrapped in 1953 |
10 | Bogie railcar | Diamond and Caldor Workshops | Built around 1921 and powered by a JX series Studebaker truck engine. |
See also
- El Dorado Western Railway Foundation A foundation dedicated to preserving the Diamond and Caldor Railway and preserving Shay #4.
- El Dorado Western Railway blog A weblog that chronicles the weekly effort rebuild the Diamond & Caldor No. 4 Shay locomotive.
- Foothill Rails - Diamond & Caldor Locomotive Roster, Maps, History of Line.
- Book about El Dorado County Railroads
References
- ^ a b Barnhill, John; Brandon, Andrew. "Diamond & Caldor Railway". Pacific Coast Narrow Gauge.
- ^ Johnson, Bob; Gibson, Jack (1954). "Four Logging Railroads Go". The Western Railroader. 17 (172). Francis A. Guido: 3&4.
- ^ "Diamond & Caldor Roster". TrainWeb. Retrieved 2013-04-14.
- ^ Koch, Michael (1971). The Shay Locomotive Titan of the Timber. The World Press. pp. 411, 412, 424, 430, 438, 442, 447, 448&459.
- ^ a b Richter, D.S. (1954). "Roster of Locomotives". The Western Railroader. 17 (172). Francis A. Guido: 7.