Arcata and Mad River Railroad
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| Reporting mark | AMR |
|---|---|
| Locale | Northern California's Redwood Empire from Arcata - Korbel |
| Dates of operation | December 15, 1854–1983 |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Previous gauge |
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| Headquarters | |
| Reference no. | 842 |
The Arcata and Mad River Railroad (reporting mark AMR), founded in 1854, was the oldest working railroad in California. It operated on a unique gauge until the 1940s when standard gauge rails were laid. The line closed in 1985 due to landslides. It is California Historical Landmark #842.
On December 15, 1854 the Union Wharf and Plank Walk Company built a pier into Humboldt Bay near Arcata to load lumber schooners. The wooden rails overlain with strap iron laid on that walkway were built to an unusual narrow gauge of 3 ft 9 1⁄2 in (1,156 mm) apart. A year later, 2 miles (3.2 km) of track had been laid leading up to the wharf. A horse drew the cars across the narrow gauge rail tracks.
This line was the oldest working railroad in California because while the Sacramento Valley Railroad filed papers of incorporation in 1853, they did not begin construction until 1855, after this line was operational. In 1875, the railroad was renamed the Union Plank Walk and Railroad Company. The wooden rails were faced with iron and a small steam locomotive, named the Black Diamond towed lumber out onto the pier from the 1872 Dolly Varden mill owned by Isaac Minor.
Twenty-three years later, on June 15, 1878, the railroad was reorganized as the Arcata Transportation Company. The old side-wheel steamer, the Gussie McAlpine was replaced by a sternwheeler, named the Alta and the company kept adding track to local mills. In 1881 the Arcata and Mad River Railroad assumed control of the old line. Over the next two years, they replaced strap iron rail with 35-pound-per-yard (17.4 kg/m) T-rail and extended the rails further upstream on the Mad River until they reached the town of North Fork now Korbel and the Humboldt Lumber Mill owned by the Korbel brothers. Due to the initials of the line, it was nicknamed the "Annie and Mary."
In 1883, the Korbel family bought the line which had about 27 miles (43 km) of track split between common carrier lines and private logging track. The Korbels organized the company on December 29, 1891 as the Arcata and Mad River Railroad Company. In the late 1880s, the A&MR line carried lumber for the (Isaac) Minor Mill and Lumber Company of Glendale. In 1890, the A&MR engines included Arcata, North Fork, Eureka and Blue Lake as well as a small engine named Gypsy; by the early 1900s, a new Baldwin 1901 engine named the Hoopa was added.
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