Nostalgia & History > A Yreka Western memory

Back when the 244 was still running as well as storing cars the Yreka Western was a fun shoreline to photograph. Of course now the 244 is just melted down scrap metal, the tracks are gone in this location at Yreka, California and as for the refrigerator cars who knows. I really miss going up to Yreka and catching a little short line action.

Robert Morris Photography
http://www.snowcrest.net/photobob/index1.html

---

Nice pic Bob.

They got that engine, an MRS-1, for nothing from the government when a lot of them were declared surplus in the Utah storage unit. If you see a COTS or an air date, on a car or engine, it would have said, "Ted Red, Ogden.

The sold it for a lot of money as scrap, also some old subs and other cars. They never had permission to take out the rails & ties, south of the engine house, so said the NTSB but YW took the money to the bank. They would love to sell the steamer but I was told there is a lien on it.

And so it goes........


Nudge

spnudge Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Nice pic Bob.
>
> They got that engine, an MRS-1, for nothing from
> the government when a lot of them were declared
> surplus in the Utah storage unit. If you see a
> COTS or an air date, on a car or engine, it would
> have said, "Ted Red, Ogden.
>
> The sold it for a lot of money as scrap, also some
> old subs and other cars. They never had permission
> to take out the rails & ties, south of the engine
> house, so said the NTSB but YW took the money to
> the bank. They would love to sell the steamer but
> I was told there is a lien on it.
>
> And so it goes........
>
>
> Nudge

The MRS-1 didn't come from the government, it came from the Feather River Rail Society and they are the ones that did the work to get it running. And from my understanding, wasn't supposed to have been scrapped either due to having had a lien on it, like everything else on the YW.

Tim Stricker
Gillette, WY

spnudge Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The sold it for a lot of money as scrap, also some
> old subs and other cars. They never had permission
> to take out the rails & ties, south of the engine
> house, so said the NTSB but YW took the money to
> the bank. They would love to sell the steamer but
> I was told there is a lien on it.

OK, I will bite. Why would the NTSB, an accident investigation agency say anything about a shortline removing a few side tracks. Did you mean the Surface Transportation Board? Does a railroad have to have permission to remove non-main tracks that don't serve any customers?

Ok, I'm seeing the buildings line up now:

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?10,3477442,3478584#msg-3478584

Found this earlier today, the Court Dates are next month:

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/granule/USCOURTS-caed-2_12-cv-02692/USCOURTS-caed-2_12-cv-02692-2/content-detail.html

NTSB...probably meaning the STB
Roger B

BNSF6400 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> spnudge Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The sold it for a lot of money as scrap, also
> some
> > old subs and other cars. They never had
> permission
> > to take out the rails & ties, south of the
> engine
> > house, so said the NTSB but YW took the money
> to
> > the bank. They would love to sell the steamer
> but
> > I was told there is a lien on it.
>
> OK, I will bite. Why would the NTSB, an accident
> investigation agency say anything about a
> shortline removing a few side tracks. Did you
> mean the Surface Transportation Board? Does a
> railroad have to have permission to remove
> non-main tracks that don't serve any customers?

The STB did reportedly get involved because the track from the depot to the Oberlin/Sharps road area was classified as main track and you can't just remove main track without filing for abandonment. Of course the response was that "We will relay heavier rail". You have a better chance at seeing a pig fly than that ever happening under current ownership.

Matt Starman
Greenleaf, ID



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/29/14 04:23 by YWRR19.

Was this short line action when they were pulling the reefers out of storage? Or putting them into storage?

-------------------------------------------------------
> Back when the 244 was still running as well as
> storing cars the Yreka Western was a fun shoreline
> to photograph. Of course now the 244 is just
> melted down scrap metal, the tracks are gone in
> this location at Yreka, California and as for the
> refrigerator cars who knows. I really miss going
> up to Yreka and catching a little short line
> action.
>
> Robert Morris Photography
> http://www.snowcrest.net/photobob/index1.html

I wanted to type the correct one but my finger typed the wrong one. Sorry.

Nudge