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"Pine Across the Mountain: California's McCloud River Railroad" by Robert M. Hanft is a hardcover book with detailed history of a famous logging railroad located at the southern base of Mt. Shasta in Siskiyou County, California. Published 1976
Synopsis
The book chronicles the complete life cycle and operations of the McCloud River Railroad from its inception in 1896. It integrates the historical evolution of the local lumber industry, detailing the McCloud River Lumber Company, remote logging camps, active mills, and the company town of McCloud. The narrative traces how a line built primarily to haul timber evolved into a highly modernized common carrier railroad. It covers its geographical expansions—such as the Burney line construction in 1955—and its corporate transitions up through its acquisition by U.S. Plywood-Champion Papers Inc.
Book Features & Contents
Locomotive Rosters: Detailed overviews of the line's diverse steam power, including 2-8-2s, Prairies, Moguls, Shay locomotives, a unique 0-6-6-0 double-ender, and the transition into modern diesel engines.
Operational Details: In-depth coverage of daily passenger trains, specialty lines, unique rolling stock, and the heavy engineering hurdles of mountain snow removal.
Historical Media: Richly illustrated throughout with comprehensive black-and-white photography, system route maps, gradient profiles, and historical timetables.
First-Hand Accounts: Anecdotes and personal recollections compiled by the author over more than a half-century of observing the line.
