Chico to Stirling City

Stirling City Branch

Point of Interest

ICC Abandonment Filings

SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD
Docket Number: AB-12 Sub 23 Date: 3/4/1976 Section: 1a
Application filed for authority to abandon a line of railroad from MP 189.00 near Butte Creek in a southerly direction to end of the branch at MP 215.462 near Stirling City, a distance of 26.523 miles in Butte County, California. This line includes the stations of Paradise, Optimo, Magalia, Doon and Stirling City, California.
Length: 26.523 miles Citation:  
SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD
Docket Number: AB 12 Sub 76 Date: 6/26/1984 Section: 10903
Application filed for the abandonment of a line of railroad between milepost 185.692 at or near Chico to milepost 189.000 at or near Butte Creek, a distance of 3.308 miles, in Butte County, California.
Length: 3.308 miles Citation:  

I grew up in a house located on this rail line; it was at the back end of our property. This was a stub end of the old SP branch to Stirling City but I didn't know that until recently. When I was very small trains would come through once or twice a week, probably to serve the gravel pit on Butte Creek. One of my earliest memories was sitting on the grass in the backyard with my dad, when a short train crawled by at a snail's pace, and the engineer leaned out the cab window and waved at us. This would have been around 1980 or so. When I left that house in the mid-90's there was still an old wooden mile marker, painted but just barely legible, nailed to a telephone pole along the ROW almost behind my house. I'm sure it's gone now because the area has been built up tremendously in the last 10 years. Nice to see someone else remembers these tracks. I'll see if I can get some pictures next time I'm in the area.

J
Seattle, WA
12/30/2011

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