The Modoc line is entering a new era. After suffering decades of defered maintainance, discontinuance as a through route has and being operated by a succession of operators plagued with derailments, poor financials and low traffic levels, is entering a new chapter in it’s colorfull history. Recently UP has been sinking big money into this line that miraculously has avoided the grim reaper time and time again. No, it is not being re-built as a trrough route, but what is left of it (150 miles between Lakeview Or.; Alturas, Ca.; and Klamath Falls Or.) seems to be rising like a Pheonix.
HOW IT CAME TO BE (a brief early history)
What became known as the Modoc line never should have existed in the first place. It evolved from a narrow guage line from Reno,Nv. to the frontier wastelands of northeastern California, Barely entering Oregon. It took some 30 years to build to that point (Lakeview) and before it was even compleet, both the Southern Pacific (CP at the time) and the Western pacific were encroaching on it’s southern territory. The Nevada California & Oregon (NCO) intended to reach the Columbia river and connect with the UP’s OSL but stalled out in Lakeview. With the exception of a few years in the teens it was never profitable. With outright abandonment denied before the 20’s and no real traffic or potential for future traffic things looked bleak. That should have been the end, but it continued to limp along. Eventually it did get to abandon the southern end when SP built the Westwood branch and was able to sell many miles to the Western Pacific to use as there Reno branch.
Meanwhile the Southern Pacific had long desired a shortcut from Oregon to the overland route. What would become the Westwood branch from Fernley,Nv. to the vast timber holdings of the Red River Lumber company around Westwood was thought to be the beginning of that shortcut, but it was not to be. After EH Harriman gained controll of the SP (CP) it seemed the shortcut