In the spring of 1913, the mighty iron horse finally arrived in Susanville and the community rejoiced. It was a long time coming, ever since the early 1880s they had done all they  could to attract a railroad, citing its untapped timber resources as an incentive. For awhile there was a glimmer of hope that the NCO Railroad would extends its line to Susanville on its journey north to Oregon. That was shattered when the railroad in 1887 decided to bypass Susanville and build its line along the east side of the Honey Lake Valley.

With the arrival of the Fernley & Lassen Railroad, in 1913, the residents wondered what kind of depot they would have. As far as the Southern Pacific, owners of the line,  were concerned it would be a modest structure, since in their opinion, Susanville was a small community that had no industry.  A wooden 26 foot by 62 foot depot was built, being part passenger depot and part frieght shed. It opened to the public on September 14, 1913 with C.B. Morton’s the first depot agent.

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P.S. For those who want to know, yesterday the cast came off and pins removed, too. It will take time to fully function again, but its a start in the right direction. Thank you Dr. Mark for everything and for most pleasant and memorable office visit yesterday.

In 1912, when the Southern Pacific Railroad began construction of its Fernley & Lassen branch line from Fernley to Westwood Junction, if graced the north side of Amedee. The Southern Pacific built a very small depot at Amedee, it measured 64 by 80 feet, which included the loading platform. Southern Pacific would build a much larger facility at Wendel, only five miles away, so there was no need for a large depot at Amedee. How long the depot operated, is not clear, though it does show on a 1919 timetable.  What became of it, I am not sure. There are some unsubstantiated claims that it was moved to Wendel and was incorporated with the depot there.

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More progress has been made about the history of the Litchfield Depot. Bill Shippen, Jim Sweetser and Mike Yoakum were able to provide me with more information to make the search easier.

In October 1915, the Southern Pacific Railroad announced that a depot would be constructed at Litchfield. The company hired J.F. Steinman of Colfax as the contractor. The two-story  structure would have living quarters on the second floor. The building’s dimensions 40 feet by 105 feet, with a platform 70 feet long. By Christmas it was in operation. In mid-January 1916, the water tower was completed.

It appears the depot closed sometime between the fall of 1953 and the spring of 1954 and probably torn down in 1956.

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While I periodically write about the Nevada-California-Oregon Railroad (NCO) that went from Reno, Nevada to Lakeview, Oregon, there are times  a bit of refresher is needed for those just tuned it. First it should be noted, it was a narrow gauge railroad, so its rolling stock is much small than the traditional standard gauge railroad that most people are familiar with. From the NCO’s inception in 1879, it went through a lot of changes in its early years. First and foremost, it was known as the Nevada & Oregon Railroad.  During its early evolution there were changes in ownership and direction. Whatever the case may be, it was not official until 1893 when it became the Nevada-California-Oregon Railroad.

Now, to the other topic at hand. In 1884, the Nevada & Oregon purchased its No 2 Baldwin locomotive new for $4,750. According to David Myrick’s NCO railroad locomotive roster the No. 2 was retired on December 31, 1918—presumably scrapped.

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First of all, I want to thank Dan Dieter and John Gibson for the information they provided. The first from Gibson, was about Litchfield Depot’s first agent, James “Jimmie” Barnes. In one sense, Barnes was better known as an operator of a dance hall across the tracks near the location of 7-Acres. The hall was on the second floor. According to many an attendee, such as John Theodore, the place would be so packed that it felt as though the building was swaying.  In 1931, Cindercone Dance Hall at Standish was the go to place.

Dieter provided me with a reference to a public hearing in 1953, about the closure of the depot. On January 20, 1953 the newly organized Standish Farm Center met with main topic being the proposed closure of the Litchfield Depot scheduled for February 13. Only days prior to the scheduled closing the California Public Utilities Commission, who regulated railroads in the state, informed the Southern Pacific Railway that due to the actions of the Standish Farm Center and the Lassen County Farm Bureau, that the Litchfield Depot would remain open.  When it finally closed and was dismantled is still something to research.

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