Western Railroad Discussion > Long Gone Railroad?

Just wondering if anyone knew what happened to the Eccles and Eastern Railroad. I was gong through some of my stuff and came across an old stock certificate that was given to me by my grandfather. Google search only turned up an RRB Employer Status Notification. It was listed as Sierra Pacific Coast Railway, Inc. d/b/a the Eccles and Eastern Railroad Company, Inc. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

At one time time this rr was to take start running trains on SP's Branch from Felton to Santa Cruz then to Davenport, Ca. hauling sand. There was talk of usinf F-units too.

Eccles & Eastern came about in the mid-1990's with a plan to re-build the old South Pacific Coast through the Santa Cruz Mountains. They leased the Santa Cruz, Big Trees & Pacific trackage (while allowing that company to continue their passenger and limited freight service). E&E hired a section crew, purchased track materials, and took over maintenance of the SCBT&P trackage. They also either leased or purchased a set of ex-Bessemer & Lake Erie F-units. The parent organization was the Sierra Pacific Coast, and they made quite a splash when they purchased the Sierra Railroad. Sierra Pacific Coast ran quite a few full page adds in major railfan magazines announcing the company's plans and offering stock for sale. However, the company collapsed not too long after purchasing the Sierra. The Sierra went to Mike Hart, who was one of the investors behind Sierra Pacific Coast, and the Eccles & Eastern simply vanished.

I've heard and read that the Eccles & Eastern thought they had a real good chance of doing what they set out to do but that politics never gave them the chance.

Jeff Moore
Elko, NV

Thanks for all of your responses. I had a feeling that they were not around anymore. I was gifted about 1,000 shares of this stock, but the certificates will look nice framed anyway.


Thanks

They had an interim plan of hauling sand from the big (and I think currently idle) plant near Olympia. I took a hike up there around 1992 and saw a station sign at Olympia with Eccles and Eastern lettering on the post. They had a small office up that way, also.

I spoke with some Big Trees guys that day and got the impression they did not think too highly of the E&E project.

Z

Eccles & Eastern RR Co was organized by Rick Hamman in 1988. Prior to Mike Hart taking over the comapnay, E&E obtained ex-SP 2-8-0 locomotive 2706 from somewhere in Monterey County. I seem to recall that they had removed it from some type of pedestal just prior to the Loma Prieta Earthqauke of 1989.
The group had great plans and it appears that they were stymied by politics. It all fell apart about August, 1992.
Ed Ryan
Peoria, AZ

Eccles & Eastern was still very much a functioning entity at least through the spring of 1995. Their collapse happened sometime shortly after that.

Jeff Moore
Elko, NV