The Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad (NCNGRR) (nickname: Never Come, Never Go) was located in Northern California's Nevada County and Placer County, where it connected with the Central Pacific Railroad.[1] The Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Company incorporated on April 4, 1874,[2] and was headquartered in Grass Valley, California. After two years of construction, passenger and commercial rail services began in 1876 and continued until 1943. The 22.53 mi (36.26 km) line ran from Colfax, north through Grass Valley to Nevada City. At one time, the railroad was notable for having the highest railroad bridge in California, the Bear River Bridge, built in 1908.[3]
History
Nevada County Narrow Gauge RR #5, at Colfax, California. This engine still exists and is at the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum in Nevada City, California (Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley Collection).Restored Nevada County Narrow Gauge #5 on display during a visit to the Nevada State Railroad Museum in 2022.Route in 1895 from Nevada City to Grass ValleyRoute from Grass Valley to Colfax in 1902Route from Grass Valley to Colfax in 1938
The need for rail service in the semi-mountainous and wooded area of Grass Valley and Nevada City was precipitated by mining operations subsequent to the California Gold Rush. In addition, timber operators wanted to make their land accessible to the Southern Pacific Company in Colfax. On January 24, 1874, Charles Marsh, who was a prominent citizen of Nevada City (he was a civil engineer and a founder of the Central Pacific Railroad) and 19 others organized a "Committee of Twenty" to build a narrow-gauge railroad from Nevada City and Grass Valley to connect with the transcontinental railroad at Colfax. Marsh also served as chairman of the executive committee of the Nevada & Grass Valley Railroad Association, and with his surveying/engineering background undoubtedly had a significant role in the planning of the railroad. He was also one of the initial investors, purchasing $10,000 worth of stock (a 5% stake).[4][5][6]
J. H. Bates estimated that construction and equipment would total $411,132. Only one bid came in and it was for $500,000, signed by M. F. Beatty; he received a lump sum of $500,000. Construction began January 1875.[9] Turton & Knox were subcontracted for earthwork. John Flint Kidder was the chief engineer. Within two months, 600 men were employed in the railroad's construction.[10]
Construction included two bridges, two tunnels,[11] and five trestles. After leaving the Colfax depot, the road headed north, parallel with the Central Pacific Railroad, then crossed Bear River, and into Nevada County. One of the first stations was at the town of You Bet, which serviced the Goodwin Drift Gravel Mine.[12] The road proceeded into Chicago Park, a fruit and grape growers colony,[13] and then continued into Grass Valley. All cars and locomotives had Westinghouserailway brakes, and cars used for passenger service had Miller platformcouplers. As the first contractor, Beatty, was unable to complete the project, a second, J. K. Bynre,[14] was brought in; construction was completed in the spring of 1876. The inaugural train, from Colfax to Grass Valley, ran on April 11 and by May 20, the first train reached Nevada City.[15]
N.C.N.G.R.R. №
The company's first President was John C. Coleman, president of the North Star Mine. Kidder, the builder, decided to settle down in Grass Valley, becoming the General Superintendent,[16] and in 1884, became the second president. Upon his death in 1901, Kidder's widow, Sarah, took over, becoming the first female railroad president in the world.[17]
In September 1907, a 3.56 mi (5.73 km) "cut-off", at a cost of $132,285 (~$3.16 million in 2023) was built,[18] bettering the grade.[19] The following year, construction was completed on the Bear River Bridge. By 1912, the NCNGRR was running three mixed trains daily, each way, between Nevada City and Colfax, while a fourth mixed train ran daily, each way, between Grass Valley and Colfax. Sarah Kidder sold her interests in 1913 and retired to San Francisco.
In 1926, Earl Taylor and his associates purchased the railroad for $1. With the outbreak of World War II, they sold it in 1942 for $251,000 (~$3.7 million in 2023) to Dulian Steel Products Company and the last train to run over the line was on May 29.[10]
Each combination coach had a small iron safe in the baggage compartment.[20] Though $200,000,000 in gold was hauled out of Nevada County by the NCNGRR during its operation, there was never an attempted robbery.[11]
Bridge over Bear River during construction, 1908
Engine No. 2 crossing the new steel bridge in December 1908
Circus train derailed in 1893, but lions and bears remained in cars
Statistics
Length:
Placer County: The main line was 5.62 mi (9.04 km) long, and had 1.73 mi (2.78 km) in spurs and sidings
Nevada County: The main line was 16.79 mi (27.02 km) long, and had 2.39 mi (3.85 km) in spurs and sidings.[15]
Maximum grade: 116 ft per mile (22 m pro km), 1:45.7 or 2.2%
Minimum radius of curvature: 302.9 ft (92.3 m).[21]
Purchased from the Carson & Tahoe Lumber & Fluming Company #1. Later donated by Universal Studios to the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Museum where it now operates.
Made from Denver & Rio Grande Western locomotives. The boiler of #42 and the Running Gear of #283. Sold in 1943 to Imperial Portland Cement #8. Scrapped in 1947.
^"NCNGRR". ncngrrmuseum.org. Archived from the original on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
^Comstock, David Allan. "Charles Marsh: Our Neglected Pioneer-Genius," Nevada County Historical Society Bulletin, Volume 50, No. 2, April 1996, pp. 15-16, Nevada City, California.
^"The Other Ox," The Sacramento Bee, 24 February 1874, p. 2, Sacramento, California.
^Lindars, Dom. The Ditches of Nevada City, pp. 789-90, Nevada City History, 2023. ISBN 979-8-218-13147-0 (hardcover) 979-8-218-13148-7 (ebook).
^Decisions. California Public Utilities Commission (4 ed.). Railroad Commission of the State of California. 1914. pp. 552. Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
