Do any even exist? By autonomous I mean NO connection to another railroad.
There’s the Asbestos & Danville Railroad in Quebec It’s a short line, Don’t know the mileage. It operates from the asbestos mine at Asbestos, Que. to Danville, Que. Will try to dig up further info on it.
Well, Hawaii comes to mind…
I guess the Alaska Railroad doesn’t count, since it has carfloat connections to elsewhere. How about the White Pass & Yukon? If there are no connections, gauge shouldn’t matter, right?
There were a couple of electric-powered coal routes built (Muskingum Electric in Ohio, Deseret Western in Arizona or New Mexico) that weren’t connected to any other railroad, but had electric locomotives powering coal trains from mine to power plant and return. I’m sure that Muskingum Electric is gone now, but the other one may survive.
Two more to add to Deseret Western – which is very much alive but actually running from a coal mine in northwestern Colorado to a power plant just across the border in Utah – the Black Mesa & Lake Powell, in northeastern Arizona, and the Four Corners Power Plant Railroad, in northwestern New Mexico. All three are electrified and all three are dedicated to haul coal from a mine to a power plant.
As you mentioned, a tourist railroad in Hawaii – a former sugar-cane line. There used to be an isolated 12-mile long (or so) railroad as I recall in West Virginia that hauled coal from a Bethlehem Steel mine to a barge loader. I don’t know if that one is still running.
Alaska once had over a dozen disconnected railroads, all the way from Juneau to Yakutat to Nome, but only the ARR and WP&Y still are in operation.
RWM
the east broad top is isolated… granted its a tourst line and at one time wasnt…but it is now…
csx engineer
Ditto on the Black Mesa line. Totally landlocked with one line, and fully electrified!
Quebec Iron & Titanium Rwy.
Quebec Cartier Mining Rwy.
Quebec, North Shore & Labrador Rwy.
all in Canada
Cumberland Mining Rwy in West Virginia
The Milwaukee’s Olympic Peninsula line was connected only by carfloat during the later years (there were sevreal connecting roads during the early years, but none had direct connections to the outside world.
The Disneyland RR has no connections, thought it isn’t exactly what many would call a real railroad.
John, are you thinking of US Steel’s Cumberland Mine Railroad? It is/was south of Pittsburgh, in Pennsylvania, near the WV border.
The Durango & Silverton, Cumbers & Toltec and the two railroads that are what is left of the Virginia & Truckee come to mind. The V&T equipment never did have rails connecting to the outside world. Equipment had to be brought in first by oxen now trucks. If I am reading into the OP’s question correctly, A freight RR who’s commodity/s orgin and destination starts and ends on that RR and who’s tracks do not connect to any other RR. The 3’ US Gypsum could be one also. I’m sure there are some inch and a half live steam RRs out there that the operator uses to haul fire wood or some such commodity, but that night be stretching it.
Back to my posting on the Asbestos & Danville Ry.
It is approx 8 miles from the asbestos mine in the town of Asbestos (Largest asbestos mine in the world) to the town of Danville. From Danville the asbestos is shipped by truck I believe to ports and then majority of the asbestos is shipped to third world countries, where the toxic asbestos in inhaled by its residents. The ry at last count had four Alco/MLW S-4 locos.
The Mount Washington Cog Railway!
Likewise, the Wanamaker, Kempton & Southern (in northern Berks County, Pennsylvania - a little north of Kutztown, midway between Allentown and Reading) - another tourist line that originally connected to the former Reading Railroad that its track used to be a part of - but is now isolated.
- Paul North.