The Last Episode, Down to the Wire

Wayne Monger’s southeast view of Western Pacific, WP, 707 in the early 1980s begins a review of the section south of the Chico city limits in Durham to the end of overhead wire during the Sacramento Northern Railway era. The bend in the road to the right or west of the train, plus the switch track indicates the transition of Midway to Park Ave., approaching Mulberry. By the way, Amtrak stayed, but only one train a day, the Coast Starlight, in either direction in the early AM hours in 2022.

L264-05-Wayne Monger Photo, Courtesy Wayne Monger, (Image 1 of 28)

The private SN right-of-way south of the city limit was multiple tracks feeding the wye entry to the Mulberry yard as seen in this southeast view. Heading south, it would reduce to a single track, then form a parallel siding to the west as seen in the distance past the pole with the 183 mile marker. Note the catenary wire holders line up on the east or to the left of the track. MW 301 was demotorized in 1947, and SN 403 does not have a wartime headlight shield, so the date is likely within 1945-1947.

L264-10-Moreau Collection, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 163436sn, (Image 2 of 28)

The track alignment is confirmed here in this diesel-era map. Note that the crossing of Comanche Creek, orange arrow, and the major grade crossing to the north of it, green arrow, are approximately 0.67 and 0.6 miles from the 183 mile marker.

L264-15-Courtesy Wayne Monger, (Image 3 of 28)

Next, a 1952 aerial rotated 40 degrees counterclockwise such that north, and Mulberry, mile 183, turquoise arrow, are to the left, and the grade crossing, green arrow, and Comanche Creek crossing, orange arrow, are toward the south or to the right. Leaving Mulberry, until reaching the grade crossing, the right-of-way was mostly separated from Park Ave. by a row of trees as expected from L264-10. Ref: AAX-6K-32, 06-30-1952

L264-20-Courtesy Map Collection, University of California, Davis Library , (Image 4 of 28)

This east view from Nov. 23, 1937 taken adjacent to the grade crossing shows passenger cars SN 1019, SN 222, and SN 1014 as train no. 2 heading downtown. Wil Whittaker noted this location to be 0.5 miles south of Chico. Again, note the eastward position of the catenary poles, and the wooden fencing at the crossing. Based on the sign, Mac’s Chicin Shack was less than two-tenths of a mile to the south, although a conventional address was not found.

L264-25-W. C. Whittaker Photo, Courtesy Garth Groff and Arnold Menke , (Image 5 of 28)

This east view is from the aftermath of the flood of Dec. 11, 1937. The lone catenary pole is to the east of the tracks, meaning the arrow on the sign points south. Looking back at everything presented so far, this spot should be two-tenths of a mile north of the sign in the previous image, placing it to the north of the grade crossing.

L264-30-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 163426sn, (Image 6 of 28)

Three northwest images from the flood of Dec. 11, 1937 are shown. On the left, the wooden fencing from the grade crossing and the Mac’s sign. Rio Grande Oil’s facility is also seen, and in the middle panel, the scene has shifted further north toward the facility. Finally, on the right, just past Rio Grande, is a sign for half mile to Mulberry, with rolling stock seen in the distance on either side. Note the overhead wire for the siding track mentioned above closer to the left edge, and at the edge, a hint of Park Ave.

L264-35-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 163425sn, 163430sn, and 163430sn, (Image 7 of 28)

Next, turning to the southeast starting at the grade crossing, Birney cars nos. 66 and 60 take turns heading over the creek for the awaiting railfans during the Oct. 20, 1946 excursion.

L264-40-Addison Laflin Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 173984sn, (Image 8 of 28)

Another one from Addison Laflin during the Oct. 20, 1946 excursion, moments before the previous image.

L264-45-Addison Laflin Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives,a 173983sn, (Image 9 of 28)

Excursion images, such as this north view of green-and-gold Birney 60 from Nov. 9, 1947, provide a partial glimpse of the dwellings along the line in the area post-WWII.

L264-50-Walt Vielbaum Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 132900sn, (Image 10 of 28)

Back to Oct. 20, 1946, a look back northwest at the creek crossing with Birney 66.

L264-55-Arthur Lloyd Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 115160sn, (Image 11 of 28)

Side by side, these two views of Birney 60 on Oct. 20, 1946 can be matched by the fence, the left image to the northwest, the right image to the southeast. Unfortunately, no other images between this point and south to Stirling Jct. were found to address the type of structures on the west side of the railway other than what is seen in the distance here.

L264-60-Arthur Lloyd Photo, l, Moreau Coll., r, Courtesy BAERA, WRM Archives, 113755sn, l, 174831sn,, (Image 12 of 28)

Moving further south, this section of the 1952 aerial rotated 40 degrees counterclockwise features Stirling Jct., red arrow, where the Southern Pacific, SP, branch line, SBL, from Diamond Match crossed the SN. For the next several image legends, information will be included about SBL obtained from Kent Stephens’ “Match, Flumes, and Rails” Trans-Anglo Books, 1977. Ref: AAX-6K-32, 06-30-1952

L264-65-Courtesy Map Collection, University of California, Davis Library, (Image 13 of 28)

The only image of Stirling Jct. found from the Northern Electric Railway, NE, era is shown here, circa 1910. The view is to the northwest along the NE mainline to Chico. Beside this single image, no images or diagrams of this crossing were found dated before the 1945 image that follows. The SBL was a 30 plus mile standard gauge, initially steam, then diesel powered railroad that connected Chico to Stirling City, a new logging and saw mill-centric town created by Diamond Match for their logging operation in the Sierra, elevation 3525 ft.

L264-70-NE Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 121354sn, (Image 14 of 28)

This north view of SN 420 and freight from Feb. 1945, and one of the same scene by Vernon Sappers, not shown, are the only images found from the SN electric era of the crossing. Note the freight motor does not have a WWII light shield, yet the war continued well past this date on both fronts. Originally, Diamond Match obtained a franchise to build the railroad by establishing the Butte County Railroad Company, BCR, on Feb. 23, 1903.

L264-75-Arthur Lloyd Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 114610sn , (Image 15 of 28)

A few examples of the area from the 1950s have been found, here shown a southwest view up the SP right-of-way, left, and a northwest view up the SN right-of-way, right. Although the BCR worked out a traffic agreement with the SP, it was sold to the SP’s lessor, the Central Pacific, before it was ever completed on Oct. 27, 1903. When completed, it would transport both passengers and freight to the new town.

L264-80-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 146457sn, l, 146458sn, r, (Image 16 of 28)

WP 707 and freight cross the Junction in two images taken by Wayne Monger circa 1983 viewed to the southeast. Note the sign indicating mile 182. Diamond Match leased the BCR until Dec. 1915, at which time it was turned over to the SP for operation and its starting point moved to the Chico SP station.

L264-85-Wayne Monger Photo, Courtesy Wayne Monger, (Image 17 of 28)

A few years earlier, Tom Messer captured SN 712 and caboose 462 at the same place. With Diamond Match’s decline and no plans to log in the area by the 1970s, regular service ceased in 1974, and the ICC authorized abandonment of most of the line on Dec. 3, 1977. The SP would not file for abandonment of the western 3.3 mile portion that included Stirling Jct. until mid-1984.

L264-90-Tom Messer Photos, Courtesy Tom Messer, (Image 18 of 28)

WP 705 gets its turn at the Junction in 1980 as Dan Engstrom looked on. The survival of last 3.3 mile portion of the SBL after the mid-1970s was due to the servicing of two companies just outside Chico, Jessup Door Co. and Butte County Rock Co., the latter supplying railroad ballast.

L264-95-Dan Engstrom, Courtesy Dan Engstrom, (Image 19 of 28)

The next two northeast views from Wayne Monger circa 1983 of WP 707 and freight form the beginning of a flip book; view this image and quickly change to the next image …

L264-100-Wayne Monger Photo, Courtesy Wayne Monger, (Image 20 of 28)

… and there goes the train …

L264-105-Wayne Monger Photo, Courtesy Wayne Monger, (Image 21 of 28)

A four-corner view at Hegan Ln. and Midway in 2018 shows the former right-of-ways. The SN’s right-of-way continues as a bike path, while the SP route remains an undeveloped corridor, save for one parking lot. Continuing to the south on the bike path leads to the intersection with Speedway Ave. in 2022. Based on the map in L264-15, the place designated by the SN as Speedway was located another 0.17 miles to the south.

L264-110-Stuart Swiedler Photos, (Image 22 of 28)

This image of the Speedway Course circa 1910 is the only record found of such a place from the railway’s perspective, but the CSU Digital Library contains an image from the 19th century when the course had a large grandstand. By word of mouth, the track operated until about 1915, and the grandstand was destroyed by the wind. The 1913 and 1914 Polk’s Directories mention a “splendid racetrack, the Speedway, where some of the finest horses in Northern California are reared and raced.” Link: http://archives.csuchico.edu/digital/collection/coll11/id/17542/rec/4

L264-115-NE Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 109508sn, (Image 23 of 28)

Written documentation or a map of the location of the transition between the overhead wire and the electrified third rail south of the city were not found. This south image of Birney 60 from the Nov. 9, 1947 excursion shows the streetcar with no wire above it, but no third rail as well. Clearly electric freight trains no longer served the area from the south by this time.

L264-120-Alvon Thoman Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 35960sn, (Image 24 of 28)

Birney 60 got to this spot by being pushed by railfans setting up the image. This north view from the Nov. 9, 1947 excursion shows them pushing it back. But this wasn’t the wire-third rail transition point during the electric era. Read on …

L264-125-Addison Laflin Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 173994sn, (Image 25 of 28)

When Al Haij came to Chico in Dec. 1946 he took three unique photos. Two related to freights have been shown, and here is the third one, the transition zone. He estimated it was two miles south of the city line. This would place it just south of Speedway, which makes sense if the railway actually carried any passengers to this spot and wanted them away from the electrified rail.

L264-130-Al Haij Photo, Moreau Coll., Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives 163432sn, (Image 26 of 28)

Finally, only one example was found of an electric passenger train along the orchards bordering Midway. This southeast view shows that the third rail continued for a while after transition to overhead wire. The image was attached to a piece of paper, and written below it was "Last Trip 1940".

L264-135-Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 177715sn, (Image 27 of 28)

And so this is the last image of this nine-part presentation of going places in Chico, when travel was provided by electric-powered interurbans and streetcars. Appreciation to all those providing images and comments. As Wayne Monger noted in his article “SN’s Chico Local” in the Sept. 1981 issue no. 75 of CTC Board, when the Local’s job was done at the airport, it was time to head into town and “beans”, which meant a stop for the crew at Big Al’s at E. 9th Ave. and the Esplanade. But the Local still had more work to do, and so too for this project with many unanswered questions to investigate.

L264-140-Stuart Swiedler Photo, (Image 28 of 28)