This kind of boggles my mind, that so many railroad historians get something so incredibly wrong. What I am referring to is the abandonment of the Southern Pacific’s Westwood Branch line between Fernley and Flanigan. First we start off with Jack Bowden whose book the Modoc Line states that the 60 mile segment of track was abandoned in 1963. David Myrick places the date of abandonment in 1962. Eric Moody, the author of a book on Flanigan has the date as 1972!
John Signor wrote: “The SP line from Flanigan to Fernley continued to support a once-a-week local until it was discontinued in 1966. Work crews began taking up the line south of Flanigan along Pyramid Lake on October 7, 1970.”
David Martin on one of his forays to Flanigan came across notice of abandonment posted on an old pole, which clearly indicates that the segment was indeed abandoned in 1970 and shortly thereafter the tracks removed.