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.Decisions (1914), p. 554 The Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Company incorporated on April 4, 1874, 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 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.
As was typical when railroads were built, freight rates dropped to a fraction of what they had been before with wagon transportation.Floyd, Donald R. California Narrow Gauge: The Role of Narrow-Gauge Railroads in California's Transportation Network, pp. 20, 22, 60-3, The Gibson Press, Mountain View, California, 1970. This stimulated all forms of economic activity in the region.
History
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).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).
On March 20, the California legislature and Governor Newton Booth approved the right to build and operate a narrow gauge from Colfax, through Grass Valley, to Nevada City. On June 20, an Act of Congress granted the railroad right of way through public lands.
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. 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.
Construction included two bridges, two tunnels, 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. The road proceeded into Chicago Park, a fruit and grape growers colony, and then continued into Grass Valley. All cars and locomotives had Westinghouse railway brakes, and cars used for passenger service had Miller platform couplers. As the first contractor, Beatty, was unable to complete the project, a second, J. K. Bynre,Kneiss (1946), p. 146 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.Decisions (1914), p. 553Turner, George. Narrow Gauge Nostalgia: A Compendium of California Short Lines, pp. 113-5, Trans-Anglo Books, Costa Mesa, California, 1971. .Moody, Linwood W. “Sunset on the Narrow Gauge,” Railroad Magazine, p. 29-31, August 1941, Vol. 30, No. 3, New York, New York.
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,Kneiss (1946), p. 152 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.
In September 1907, a "cut-off", at a cost of $132,285 (~$ in ) was built,Decisions (1914), p. 553, 556 bettering the grade. 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.Hilton, George W. American Narrow Gauge Railroads, p. 328, Stanford University Press, Stanford, California, 1990.
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 $251,000 (~$ in ) to Dulian Steel Products Company and the last train to run over the line was on May 29.Pennoyer, A. Sheldon. Locomotives in Our Lives: Railroad Experiences of Three Brothers for More Than Sixty Years, 1890-1951, pp. 165-170, Hastings House, New York, New York, 1954.
Each combination coach had a small iron safe in the baggage compartment. Though $200,000,000 in gold was hauled out of Nevada County by the NCNGRR during its operation, there was never an attempted robbery.
Statistics Length: Placer County: The main line was long, and had in spurs and sidings Nevada County: The main line was long, and had in spurs and sidings. Maximum grade: 116 ft per mile (22 m pro km), 1:45.7 or 2.2% Minimum radius of curvature: . Weight: Degrees of curvature: 7944 Length of tangents: Ascents from Colfax: Descents from Colfax: Initial rates:Decisions (1914), p. 552 Passenger services: $0.10/mile Freight services: $0.20/ton/mile Running time: Absolute: 1 hour, 40 minutes Mixed trains: Two hours Average stops: Four
Locomotives +Steam LocomotivesNumberNameTypeBuilderSNBuiltAcquiredDispositionNotes1Grass ValleyBaldwin Locomotive Works37627/18751875Scrapped 1936.1GlenbrookBaldwin Locomotive Works37124/18751936Sold to Hope & Will Bliss in 1942.Purchased from the Southern Pacific (operated on the Lake Tahoe Railway & Transportation Company). Originally built for the Carson & Tahoe Lumber & Fluming Company #2. Never operated on the NCNG and used for parts. In operational condition at the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City, Nevada.2NevadaBaldwin Locomotive Works37587/18751875Scrapped 1936.Renamed Nevada City after the town of Nevada was renamed to Nevada City3Baldwin Locomotive Works41729/18771877Dismantled 1926.Used as a parts source for 1 1915-1926. Boiler sold to a mine in Virginia City. Decommissioned 1975 and stored at the Virginia & Truckee. 1997 moved to NCNGRR Museum.4Santa CruzPorter-Bell2185/18751899Dismantled 1915.Purchased from the Lake Valley #1. Originally Santa Cruz & Felton, then Nevada-California-Oregon #1. used for parts, boiler sold to sawmill near Colfax5TahoeBaldwin Locomotive Works37093/18751899Sold in 1940 to Frank Lloyd Movie Productions.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.6New York Locomotive Works2218831915Retired 1921.Purchased from the La Dicha & Pacific #1. Originally Toledo, Cincinnati & St Louis #49, then Portland & Willamette Valley #3, then South Pacific Coast #25. Scrapped 1936.7Baldwin Locomotive Works57828/18811929Scrapped 1934.Purchased from Carson & Colorado #4.8Baldwin Locomotive Works4938/ 60571/1880 2/18821933Sold in 1942 to Pacific Portland Cement #8Made 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 1947.9Baldwin Locomotive Works413004/19141933Sold in 1942 to Dulien Steel Products.Purchased from the Southern Pacific (narrow gauge) #1. Originally Nevada-California-Oregon #14. Sold in 1946 as U.S. Navy #17 to Hawaii Pineapple Company reportedly lost.
Other motive power and cars Engine 10 was built by Fate-Root-Heath Company of Plymouth, Ohio, and was in service only during the first six months of 1936.
Engine 11 was built by Whitcomb Manufacturing Company of Rochelle, Illinois, and was in service 1936–1942.
Many of the railroad's cars were built by Carter Brothers, which was the major car-builder on the West Coast in the 1800s.MacGregor Bruce. The Birth of California Narrow Gauge: A Regional Study of the Technology of Thomas and Martin Carter, p. 595, Stanford University Press, Stanford, California, 2003. .
Historic recognition In the centennial year after the railroad began operations, E Clampus Vitus erected a historical marker in Colfax at near the old NCNGRR depot, the southern end of the line. The Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad & Transportation Museum was created in recent years near the northern end of the line in Nevada City.
Chinese workers Construction of the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad in 1875–1876 relied on more than 300 Chinese immigrant laborers. They graded the 22‑mile route between Nevada City and Colfax using hand tools, horse‑drawn scrapers and carts, completing the work in early 1876. Although considered dependable, these crews were paid less than white workers. Most moved on after completion, but some remained as track crews; several Chinese businessmen in Nevada City also invested in the railroad and held stock into the 20th century. In June 2022 the county dedicated a historical marker (NEV 22‑01) at the Nevada City terminus to honor their contributions.
References