Circa 2000 USG began an expansion program at Plaster City. A new mainline bypass was built to the south of the former SDAE yard, and the plant expansion was built engulfing the former yard and across the west end of it. With a little new track and some rearrangement, the west end of the yard ends in the loading shed.

The "Southern California Railroad" (non-common carrier) division of American Railroads got the contract to do the switching, SCRR 2000 is a former DGRW GP40 bought from NRE. There is also a former xCNW GP7/9 rebuild transferred from a sister railroad in Texas that has been out of service for years now. American Railroads also got the contract to switch USG in Sweetwater, Texas. In addition, SCRR has always had the contract to supply the engineer to unload the corn shuttle trains at All-American Grain in Calipatria.

USG has always operated the narrow gauge railroad to their quarry. When SP sold the SDAE to MTDB, they kept the former SDAE tracks from El Centro to the west edge of Plaster City plant. Carrizo Gorge Railway interchanged in Plaster City the limited time they operated clear through, the only PIR operations I have been aware of is their former INPR GP40/35 units running away and hitting a cut of centerbeams on the bypass. I heard some/all of them may be/have been scrapped due to the damage. To my knowledge, they were never really used.

In 2004 and early 2005, there was a UP local that ran weekdays (somewhat less than consistent) from El Centro to Plaster City and back. Power could be anything - GP40-2/GP40M-2 pairs were common, or sometimes even the power off the MWCEC which the remaining 75# yard tracks did not like. At the time, USG had a lease fleet of centerbeams and covered hoppers. Some of the centerbeams had been modified to secure large USG tarps (including at least one with USG printed upside down) to protect the load, the other loads had units individually wrapped in plastic. The tarp cars were sent to USG transload centers in the Phoenix area and the Bay Area, so the tarps would come back. The hoppers had prepared board mix that supplied a USG plant in Santa Fe Springs, CA.

In good days the plant was switched three times a day at shift change and they could spot/load 8 cars per shift of Sheetrock(tm) or wallboard. In addition, several cars of board mix a day and some inbound paper or odd wallboard for distribution. It wasn't uncommon to have 30 loaded cars on the bypass for UP to pick up, and if they missed a day a 50-60 car train was not impossible. Everything went to West Colton on the MECWC.

The recession hit Plaster City hard. SCRR had obtained an expanded contract in 2005 to load the cars. As the recession went on, USG cut production back and has never recovered to 2005 levels. The hoppers are gone as Santa Fe Springs plant was closed. Rail loadings dropped to around 15-20 cars a month. The last I heard, the UP local only comes out one or two days per week. The SCRR engines are stored deep within the plant now, so would not be visible unless you caught them switching or could access the loading sheds.

I was the working manager for SCRR circa 2004/2005. Had an incident one night were a conductor was distracted by someone and put a load over a derail that should have been removed by the loading crew. USG had a strange aversion to cranes and insisted I call UP. The local carman was cooperative and suggested I call Hulcher, which USG wouldn't even consider when I suggested it. The carmen had Hulcher on speed dial, and it turned out I knew their manager that answered the phone. A few days later the weekend, fighting USG over proof of insurance, USG's incompetent safety meeting - the USG officials wandered out to watch Hulcher packing up to go home as they were already done. It is amazing how someone with no idea on railroading wants to to tell you how to do it. BTW - the Hulcher manager I knew from another shortline ended up taking a new job a little while after - you might know him as CCTGM. Small world railroading has become.