Dunsmuir, CA questions - Trains Magazine

BLack Butte is the connection between the Central Oregon & Pacific and Union Pacific. However, it is very close to Weed. CORP does have a switcher that does work around Weed during the day, but for the most part the hauler trains that go over the Siskiyous are all-night jobs.

The Yreka Western is an interesting catch. They are very, very busy at the moment, as they have regained all of the traffic they lost due to the tunnel fire. Their steam locomotive is a 90-ton Baldwin logging mikado, #19, which served owners in Arkansas and Mexico before coming to the nearby McCloud River Railroad in 1924. The Yreka Western bought it in 1953 and have used it ever since except for the period of 1970-1988 when it worked on the affiliated Oregon Pacific & Eastern railroad in Cottage Grove, OR. There is a sign attached to the door of the Yreka depot claiming that they will have the #19 back up and running by May. Their freight locomotive alternates between an EMD SW-8 (dynamic-brake and m.u. equipped!) and an Alco MRS-1.

The McCloud Railway is also an interesting shortline. They are still using their three SD38's to bring heavy lumber and diatomaceous earth drags out of Burney once or twice a week. The current management does have most of the railroad up for abandonment, but there are two Notices of Intent to file Offers of FInancial Assistance filed with the STB now. The current rumors have the current management ending operations east of McCloud sometime between now and March, but if events continue to unfold as they are they may be around longer than that. In the meantime they also run Thursday-Saturday excursion trains out of McCloud...these trains kick off with an excursion train that runs partway up the hill out of McCloud in the late afternoon, followed by the Shasta Sunset Dinner Train each night. TAKE THIS TRAIN IF YOU CAN! They do a first class job with their on-board food service. You can visit the Shasta Sunset's homepage at:

I run a website about the McCloud railroads at:

As an added bonus, if you go to my Links page you will find links to several local government sites that might help you plan your trip to the area, plus links to a couple of other webpages of railroad photographers who specialize in this area. I recommend the Ryan Wilkerson's Shasta Rails and Bob Morris Photography sites as good starting points to wet your appetite.

Dunsmuir is indeed still a crew change point. The crew districts run to Roseville to the south and Klamath Falls to the north. Freight traffic can be highly variable, with luck playing a big part. However, they do tend to be a little slower in the middle of the week and busier on the weekends. There are a lot of good places to watch trains in the area...one of the best is a trail that follows the tracks through the canyon for a mile or two up the canyon to a popular spot known as Mossbray Falls. It is a pretty hike. Union Pacific has tried to shut the trail down in the past, as it litterally runs right next to the tracks, but the backlash of local resistence forced them to change their mind on this one.

Have fun on your trip. You will enjoy it. The Dunsmuir area is one of the prettier places in California. Be sure to stop in and see the Dunsmuir Hardware store- in addition to being a good hardware store they have a large selection of model railroad equipment for sale, much of it painted and lettered for local railroads like the McCloud, Yreka, and CORP. If you can find room in your budget you would also benefit yourself by having a copy of Southern Pacific's Shasta Division by John R. Signor before you go- it is one of the better books about any specific part of a major railroad that I know of.

Jeff Moore
Elko, NV