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Southern Pacific Narrow Gauge
The Southern Pacific Narrow Gauge railroad began as the Carson and Colorado Railroad
in 1880. Construction commenced at Mound House, Nevada, and by 1883 it's terminus
at Hawley (later renamed Keeler), was reached. The C & C operated over this 300 mile
railroad, serving the mining communities of Nevada and California, until 1900, when the
Southern Pacific made an offer that was accepted, and bought the railroad. In 1905 the
northern half of the railroad, from Mound House to Mina was standard gauged. The northern
terminus of the narrow gauge was now located at Mina, Nevada. The line from Mina, Nevada to
Laws California was abandoned in 1938, and the railroad spent the last years of operation as a
70 mile branch running from Laws, in the north, to Keeler, with a connection to the Southern
Pacific's standard gauge "Jawbone Branch", at Owenyo, just east of Lone Pine California. In 1954
a narrow gauge 50 ton GE diesel took over for the old steam engines. Finally, in 1960,
the branch was abandoned and the rails and ties were removed. Today, little evidence of the
railroad remains except for the eroding roadbed. Three steam locomotives have been preserved,
Number 18, at Independence, California, where a group is working to restore her to service,
Number 9, with several cars, at the museum at Laws (just outside of Bishop) California, and
Number 8, in a park in Sparks, Nevada.
On this page, you will find links to renderings of equipment and structures of this lonely
little railroad, which is known to it's fans, as the "Slim Princess". From time to time, I will
also post photographs of the old railroad as it exists today.
LOCOMOTIVES
BUILDINGS
Here's a picture of what I'm working on now
Work In Progress
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