Quincy Railroad (California)

"QRR" redirects here. For the airport in Australia, see Warren Airport (New South Wales).

Quincy Railroad

QRR #2 in 2005.
Overview
Headquarters	Quincy, California
Reporting mark	QRR
Locale	Quincy and Susanville, California
Dates of operation	November 9, 1917–present
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

The Quincy Railroad (reporting mark QRR) is a 3.27-mile terminal railroad located at Quincy, California. The QRR interchanges with the Union Pacific (former Western Pacific) at Quincy Junction in Plumas County, California, United States.

History

The Quincy Railroad began as the "Quincy Western Railroad" in 1909. This company acquired the assets of the "Quincy and Eastern Railroad", which went defunct shortly after its incorporation in 1908.^[1] Construction began in 1909, with the plans calling for a connection between the Western Pacific Railroad's station at Hartwell (later renamed to Quincy Junction), and the city of Quincy, a distance of about 7 miles. The railroad operated for over a decade, mostly hauling freight, such as lumber, but also providing passenger service to Quincy Junction.^[2] This was until the Board of Directors decided to discontinue service in 1917.^[3]

On November 10, 1917 the Quincy Railroad filed for articles of incorporation, taking over the old Quincy Western Railroad.^[4] A fire would destroy the railroad's one operating steam locomotive along with its roundhouse in November 1919, forcing it to utilize a gasoline engine.^[5]

For many years, the Quincy operated a separate 23.3 mile branch running over former Southern Pacific branch from Wendel-Susanville, California which is now abandoned.

Modern Operations

The railroad currently handles over 1,000 cars per year of outbound lumber and forest products. The QRR is owned by Sierra Pacific Industries, which has a sawmill in Quincy.

The QRR has two locomotives:

• QRR 5 is an EMD SW1200 built in November 1950 (Builder No. 13459)
• QRR 12 is an EMD SW7

Three earlier Quincy locomotives are now located at the nearby Western Pacific Railroad Museum:

• QRR 3^[6] (a GE 44-ton switcher)
• QRR 4^[7] (an ALCO S-1)
• QRR 1100^[8] (an EMD TR6A)

Another earlier Quincy locomotive is displayed at the Niles Canyon Railway

• QRR 2^[9] (an ALCO 2-6-2T)

References

1. "PLUMAS.WILL HAVE RAILROAD, TOO". California Digital Newspaper Collection. Humboldt Times. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
2. "Lassen Volcanic National Park Historic Resources Study" (PDF). National Park Service History. National Park Service. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
3. "Plans to Succeed Quincy Western". California Digital Newspaper Collection. Feather River Bulletin. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
4. "TOWN OF QUINCY TO HAVS OWN RAIL LINE". The Morning Union. November 11, 1917. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
5. "Round House at Quincy Is Burned". The Morning Union. September 24, 1919. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
6. "WPRM - Qrr3".
7. "WPRM - QRR 4".
8. Quincy Railroad 1100
9. "Quincy Railroad #2".

• Fickewirth, Alvin A. (1992). California railroads: an encyclopedia of cable car, common carrier, horsecar, industrial, interurban, logging, monorail, motor road, shortlines, streetcar, switching and terminal railroads in California (1851-1992). San Marino, CA: Golden West Books. ISBN 0-87095-106-8.
• Stindt, Fred A. (1996). American Shortline Railway Guide (5th ed.). Waukesha, WI: Kalmbach Publishing. ISBN 0-89024-290-9.
• Walker, Mike (1997). Steam Powered Video's Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America - California and Nevada - Post Merger Ed. Faversham, Kent, United Kingdom: Steam Powered Publishing. ISBN 1-874745-08-0.