McCLOUD RIVER RAILROAD 1989

Here we are in the town of McCloud, California. The afternoon arrival of the train from the East with lumber loads and loaded hopper cars full of Diatomaceous Earth tells me this is a train from the town of Burney. This is a trip that at this time the railroad was making twice a week. This was a PAYDAY train as the train is ALL loads outbound. The 2 locomotives were definitely needed to get all these loads back to McCloud for weighing and then split into two different directions. One direction West over the VERY steep 18 mile line to the Southern Pacific at Mt. Shasta city and the other back eastward to the junction with the Burlington Northern Railroad at a spot called Nubeiber. This was a decent day for light and this train just happened to return as we were all heading to the town for some lunch and some souvenir hunting. I went for the railroad but the girls needed something elso to see and do. And that is Angie the sheltie narrating in the background. AKA MA BARKER.
Notice how once the train pulls past the shops and then shoves back uphill onto a level stretch to spot the train.
A footnote about the operation of this railroad. At that time you would see hopper cars of Diatomaceous earth coming from the line to Burney, The McCloud River Railroad was basically a Y with the Burney line forming the leg of the Wye. The train would run down too Burney to get those lumber loads and those hopper cars. The train then would go back to McCloud and the next day the train for Mt. Shasta to the west to connect with the Southern Pacific and the train to Lookout to the east to connect with the Burlington Northern. Each train would get one of those hopper cars as well as splitting up those lumber loads. So all trains originated and ended in McCloud at the end of each days run.
This train has actually just reversed direction. The departing train for the East will next couple on from the uphill side and will have reversed the car order. Standard operating procedure here. Also this angle clearly shows the vertical nature of this line, even right in front of the locomotive shops.