Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad

The Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad began operations in 1876.  The line wound its way twenty-two miles from Nevada City to Grass Valley and then south-east down canyons, across trestles, and through tunnels to its terminus in the Central Pacific railyard at Colfax. 

The company had hired John F. Kidder to oversee construction of the new route, and his robust attitude, confidence, and authority drove the project to completion in a record fifteen months.  He became the new road’s operating superintendent and soon was president of the company.
   
The completion of the narrow gauge provided businesses and residents with a reliable year-round transportation link to the rest of the country.  Heavy machinery needed for the gold mines was shipped into the county by rail.  Merchandise from Eastern suppliers arrived daily for local stores and shops.  First Class passenger coaches carried the immigrants who came to work in the mines and build the towns.
 
In addition to other cargo, outbound trains carried more than $200,000,000.00 in gold bars to Colfax where they were transferred to the Central Pacific for delivery to the United States Mint in San Francisco.

John Kidder ran the railroad until his death in 1901.  Soon after, the company’s directors elected his wife, Sarah, as the first woman president of an American railroad.  Sarah reorganized the company’s finances and directed the modernization of the locomotives and rolling stock.  She oversaw the 1908 rerouting of the mainline including construction of a 172’ high steel bridge over the Bear River.  Sarah’s tenure ended after twelve years when she sold the entire operation in 1913.  She moved from her Grass Valley mansion to San Francisco where she lived in grand style until her death at age 91.
 
World War II brought an end to the narrow gauge era  in 1942.  Anticipating the closure of the gold mines (a non-essential industry), the railroad’s directors ceased operations and sold the company for scrap.  The scrappers then sold the locomotives, cars, and rail to the military or other railroads.  The rest was melted down to support the war effort.
 
Today, the buildings, bridges, and most of the railroad’s rolling stock have disappeared.  Traces of the right-of-way are evident to a knowing eye, but most is overgrown or eroded beyond recognition.

Although the tracks are long-gone, the spirit and history of the railroad is still alive at the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum in Nevada City.  The museum contains artifacts of the narrow gauge railroad along with other exhibits reflecting this area’s transportation history.  Visitors are invited to tour an active restoration shop located at the end of the museum’s railyard.  On display in the main building is Engine 5, an 1875 Baldwin steam locomotive that pulled freight and passenger trains for the narrow gauge during many of its colorful sixty-six years of service.