trackwalker Wrote:
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> Lake County only owns the rail from Lakeview MP
> 512.3 to Alturas MP 457.3

Not correct mileposts. It appears based on old timetables and FRA grade crossing inventory that 512.3 was probably the old brick NCO/SP station, still standing but long a private residence. The track extends a ways from there, so actual end of track is MP 513+. When SP sold the line circa 1985 to Lake County as part of the ICC abandonment process, SP kept some of the branch track in Alturas to serve a couple customers in town in the approximate area of where the old NCO shops were. As I recall, Lake County's ownership actually ends somewhere around the electric co-op yard coming into town, maybe a mile or two from the yard and actual end of the branch.

> From there to the UP at
> Texum I have no idea who actually owns it.

Still Union Pacific, Modoc Northern never owned any track that I am aware of, just a lease/operator.

> As I
> said earlier, Lake County had a very nice
> railroad, almost as good as POVA in it's prime.

A friend was the conductor for Great Western circa 1988. There were only two, sometimes three, employees except in the summer when they hired a seasonal track gang. Enough (most?) of the branch was Class 2 for 25 mph allowing them to make a turn from Lakeview to Alturas and return within under hours of service. At that time, there were three lumber mills in that era shipping lumber and chips.

Remember its been 30 years since the county bought the line. The rail is mostly 75 and 90 pound that was relay/used when SP standard gauged the line circa 1929. I think most of the rail is now around a century old, and don't forget that the common lumber cars in the 1980s were only 110 tons loaded though heaveir cars were appearing, and the common car now weighs 131-143 tons.

> The Modoc Northern had a track speed of 40 mph in
> 2008. Lake County before Frontier took over had a
> track speed of 30 mph.

The Modoc was generally a 40 mph, Class 3 track line when it was closed as a through route by UP. Modoc Northern may have initially been able to run at 40 mph. I believe LRY is running the Modoc at mostly 20-25 moh, and the branch is excepted track so is 10 mph.

The 30 mph max speed makes no sense since the FRA track standards become effective as Class 2 is good for 25 mph and Class 3 is good for 40 mph (freight speeds). I am reasonably sure no part of the Lakeview branch was ever more than Class 2 since the county owned it, but SP did run some of it at 30 before FRA track standards applied. When LRY took over, I doubt much if any of the branch was much more than excepted track (10 mph).
>
> Lake County ran trains once or twice a week and
> the other days they were out maintaining the
> track.

A book says Lake County Railroad only ran once a week to meet UP at Alturas. They might have run twice a week if they had more cars than one engine could move, as I don't think they had two operable engines too often. At some point Lakeview was down to only one lumber mill (only rail customer) and there may have been some serious consideration to closing the railroad. The perlite plant opening created enough demand for the county to reconsider and they now seem to be committed to keeping the line open. The while reason the line still exists is the county was willing to save the line to maintain rail transportation in support of the county's economic base. Without the railroad, the county might face the loss of its two largest private employers.

> Frontier tends to run a crew in, run the
> train and leave. having Frontier employees in
> Lakeview was news to me. I know the people at
> White Swan go down to Lakeview often, although
> they may be splitting more of their time between
> Port of Royal City and the old WATCO line to
> Dayton doing car storage.

Lake Railway has always been based out of Lakeview. Some of their early employees were former Modoc Northern employees who most lived in Klamath Falls area, so I'm not sure they always had to drive to Lakeview. Alturas may be use as a second crew base, but they primarily operate out of Lakeview. Frontier has several operations in the Walla Walla/Boardman/Pasco/Wallula/White Swan/Pasco region. They are typically qualified on most of the operations and can work any of them as needed. Depending on the situation, employees may temporarily go to or from LRY.

A previous post seemed to confuse the names being used.

Lake County, Oregon bought the railroad with the state's assistance. Their original intended operator contractor (Kyle?) backed out at the last minute, so Great Western Railroad (original RR of Omnitrax) ran it the first 10 years or so. They were known as either the Great Western of Oregon, or Great Western N-C-O division.

After Great Western left, Lake County Railroad ran it themselves as Lake County Railroad. They made some kind of deal with Modoc Northern, who assumed operations of the railroad to Lakeview (and painted engine 700 as theirs though it was still Lake County's engine). After Modoc Northern failed, Lake County Railroad resumed operational responsibility though a deal was made for LRY, LLC (dba Lake Railway) to act as their agent and actually run the trains. The initial engine was a GE from NRE that the perlite plant had previously leased, which was returned once a Frontier GP49 arrive. A few months later, Lake Railway had a formal contract to operate both the Lake County Railroad as well as the UP from Alturas (the track actually ends at McArthur station) and Perez station, where they interchange with UP. Regardless of their reported dispute with the county, LRY still has a separate contract with UP to run their line from Alturas to Perez.