Tag Archives: NCO Railroad

History

Amedee’s First NCO Depot

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NCO Depot, Amedee, 1899.

In August 1890, the Nevada-California-Oregon Railroad (NCO) extended its line northward from Onieda, near the Nevada state line for some fifty miles to Lower Hot Springs, later to be renamed Amedee. The region was stunned as the railroad abandoned its original survey on the west side of Honey Lake, to the east side nearly barren of inhabitants. That is a long story, for another time.

What was also stunning was the size of the depot built there. The two-story structure was 168 feet in length, making it one of the largest buildings in Lassen County. The second story provided lodging for railroad employees. The south side was offices and the remainder of the building was for freight storage.

Amedee Depot
N-C-O Depot at Amedee, circa 1906. Courtesy of Marie Herring Gould

In its early years, it was a busy place. A quarter mile away the NCO constructed stock years. To understand the activity, during a two week period in April 1891 nearly 30,000 head to sheep were at the corrals. After shearing the sheep, 160,000 pounds of wool was shipped, along with forty carloads of cattle.

In 1900, when the railroad extended its line north to the Madeline Plains, Amedee lost its status as a major shipping point.  On July 1, 1909 the depot was destroyed by fire, origin unknown.

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History

Hot Springs Station, Lassen County

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Hot Springs Station would later become Wendel. This scene is dated 1899–Tom Armstrong

No one would have ever thought that Amedee would be the terminus of the Nevada-California-Oregon Railroad (NCO) for nearly a decade.  It certainly was not the railroad’s plan. However, the nation’s financial crisis of 1893 coupled with a national railroad strike brought a lot of activities to a screeching halt.

In January 1899, without any fanfare the NCO finally jump started its northern extension. Five miles to the north the railroad established its Hot Springs Station, known today as Wendel. Some had aspirations that it might become a new “Amedee.” However, that would not be the case. What Hot Springs did receive was a bunch of camp followers. This rag-tag group peddled alcohol, gambling and prostitution. By the time, the Lassen County District Attorney could crack down these activities, not only had the railroad continued to build north and the followers fled to more profitable locations. Hot Springs Station heyday did not arrive until after it became Wendel and the demise of the NCO. In 1927 the Southern Pacific Railroad began the conversion of the NCO from narrow to standard guage.

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History

Where Are We — Termo

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Termo Store, October 8, 2020

The town of Termo certainly has seen better days. The town came to life when the NCO Railroad extended its line north from Amedee to the Madeline Plains. In June 1900 the railroad named its new terminus Termo, meaning the end and it certainly looks like that now.

The landmark Termo Store.

One of the fatal blows to Termo came in January 1989 when postal officials from Reno inspected the premises of the Termo Post Office, which they felt was a hazard to the postmaster and the patrons. On February 2, 1989 the Termo Post Office ceased to exist.

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