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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Most people have never heard of this place, when the NCO Railroad designated it as a station in 1899. Some names stick, and others do not and that is the story of Smithon, known today by many as Wendel.

In the mid-1880s, Isaac W. “Doc” Smith located at what was when then known as Upper Hot Springs. In early 1899 there were rumblings that the NCO Railroad would finally extend its line north, after a decade of being stalled for numerous reasons. On April 25, 1899, Amedee merchant Sam Johnstone wrote to his brother with some inside information: “Well railroad business is somewhat at a stand still. Now think Amedee will be moved to Doc Smith’s place. That is where those warm springs are. They have built a side track there and have leveled it up. Will also build water tank that holds 42,000 gallons of water. Mr. Gest calls the place Smithon. They expect to move the shipping corral up there for fall shipping of stock and think the Depot for Honey Lake merchants will be there. The railroad is not doing much work now as they are out of steel [rails].”

Amedee was not moved to Smithon, but Doc Smith, in 1901, had a building moved from Amedee and then enlarged as a hotel. In 1910, the hotel was destroyed by fire, and the NCO designated the location as Boyd.

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Liegan was a  Nevada-California-Oregon Railway (NCO) station that was located a bit north and east of present day Herlong.  On September 10, 1888 it became the new terminus for the railroad. It was a desolate outpost to say the least, surrounded by miles and miles of sagebrush, but not a single living soul in the immediate region. Of course, the decision of the NCO to bypass the west side of Honey Lake for the east drew lots of criticism, a topic for another time. Its location was too remote for the railroad to generate any freight traffic. One of its biggest claim to fame occurred on January 1, 1890 when numerous sight seers from Reno ventured there to view the eclipse of the sun. By that summer, the railroad extended its line farther north to Amedee, which quickly overshadowed Liegan. In the fall of 1890, Elmer Koken who traveled to Amedee on the NCO remarked that the Liegan station consisted of a box car. On April 9, 1891, the Liegan Post Office closed after an existence of eight months.

There was a glimmer of hope and Liegan would be  revived in 1909-10 by the railroad. The Standish Water Company had just built a pumping plant on Honey Lake, near there with the intention to reclaim the sagebrush plain into a major sugar beet production region. That failed, and Liegan’s hopes too. It is interesting that a 1915 soil survey designates the site as Italy.

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There were actually two stations on the Nevada-California-Oregon Railroad (NCO) named Wendel. The first Wendel station came about in 1911 and was located between New Pine Creek and Lakeview, Oregon. It was a very short-lived operation.

Wendel in Lassen County was not designated until 1915. For years the NCO referred to that place as Hot Springs. Yet, the post office there established in 1902, was named Purser, after Edward T. Purser a nearby rancher who developed Ward Lake to irrigate this property.

In 1912-13 with the construction of the Southern Pacific’s Fernley & Lassen Railroad, they named their station there as Caloreta. This created a great deal of confusion. The NCO designation of Hot Springs, the postal authorities as Purser and the Southern Pacific as Caloreta. In 1915, all three entities agreed to name it Wendel.  It was so named after Charles deWendel, who was not only an investor in the NCO, but friends with the Moran family who owned the NCO.

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