Yreka Western Railroad
| Yreka Western Railroad | |
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| Blue Goose | |
An ALCO MRS-1 at Yreka station.
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| Commercial operations | |
| Original gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Preserved operations | |
| Owned by | Rocky Mountain Railroad & Mining Museum |
| Operated by | Rocky Mountain Railroad & Mining Museum |
| Reporting mark | YWRR |
| Length | 8.86-mile (14.26 km) |
| Preserved gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Commercial history | |
| Opened | 1889 |
| 1888 | Yreka Railroad Incorporated |
| 1889 | Opened |
| 1933 | Re-Incorporated as Yreka Western Railroad |
| 1953 | Kyle Railways |
| Preservation history | |
| 1986 | Blue Goose Excursion Train Begins |
| Headquarters | Yreka, California |
| Website | |
| www |
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The Yreka Western Railroad (reporting mark YWRR) is a shortline railroad operating freight and tourist trainbetween the Southern Pacific Railroad interchange at Montague and the city of Yreka, California. The railroad ceased operation.Railmark Holdings acquired the Yreka Western Railroad in 2017.
The Yreka Railroad was incorporated in May 1888, with a capital stock of $100,000, and opened in January 1889, connecting Yreka to the Southern Pacific Company lessor Central Pacific Railroad (ex-California and Oregon Railroad). The decision to build the Yreka Railroad was due in part to the Southern Pacific's decision to bypass Yreka in favor of a shorter, and more level route through the Shasta Valley and the city of Montague. Not to be left without a rail connection, the citizens of Yreka formed their own railroad. The railroad hauled passengers and local freight. In August 1933, the railroad was re-incorporated as the Yreka Western Railroad. The railroad was acquired by Willis Kyle in 1953 who eventually formed the Kyle Railways empire. Eventually, the Union Pacific Railroad acquired the SP connection at Montague in 1995. in 1999 Kyle Railways sold the Yreka Western to the Rocky Mountain Railway and Mining Museum of Denver, Colorado .
In recent years, the railroad was operated by The Rocky Mountain Railway and Mining Museum of Denver, Colorado and provides freight service and offers passenger train excursions. The freight traffic is primarily wood chips and forest products, as well as occasional carloads of propane. The railroad also offers excursion train pulled by steam and diesel locomotives.
In 1986 the YW started operating a steam passenger train excursion known as the "Blue Goose" between Yreka and Montague.The railroad offered scenic views of Mount Shasta, the Shasta Valley and the Siskiyou Mountains. The trip takes about one hour in either direction, with a 60 layover in Montague for lunch. While passengers explore and eat in Montague, the crew takes the train to perform a runaround move so the locomotive will pull the train back to Yreka.
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Wikipedia