Black Diamond Coal Mining Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Black Diamond Coal Mining Railroad was 5.9 miles long and ran from Black Diamond Landing, California (now part of the city of Pittsburg, California
) to Nortonville, California
. It was owned and operated by the Black Diamond Coal Mining Company and therefore did not have its own official name. Over the years, it has been known by at least four different names. (A report prepared by the State in the 1880's referred to it as both the "Black Diamond Coal Mining Railroad Company" and the "Black Diamond Railroad." It has also been referred to as the "Black Diamond Coal Company Railroad" and the "Black Diamond Coal and Railroad Company.")
The railroad was built by Gold Rush
-era civil engineer and artist Sherman Day
, and opened for service in 1868 primarily to serve the Black Diamond Coal Mine at Nortonville. At the town of Cornwall, California
the railroad crossed the tracks of the Southern Pacific Railroad
using an overhead tressle.
It was mostly standard gauge, however there was a small segment that was narrow gauge from the mine portals to coal bunkers.
The railroad had four locomotives, two built in San Francisco by H. J. Booth at the Union Iron Works
, one built in San Francisco by Vulcan Iron Works and one from the Baldwin Locomotive Works
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. Three locomotives had names: The "D. O. Mills" (named after Darius Ogden Mills
), the "Hayward" (named after Alvinza Hayward
), and the "Black Diamond." One locomotive was a narrow-gauge engine that was used to bring mine cars from the mine portals to the bunkers.
Trains ran by gravity from Nortonville to Black Diamond Landing because it was all downhill.
The railroad was abandoned in about 1885 when the Black Diamond Coal Mining Company closed its mine at Nortonville and moved all of its employees to another of the Company's mines at Black Diamond
, Washington Territory
.
In 1888, two of its locomotives, the "D. O. Mills" and the "Black Diamond" were transferred to the Bellingham Bay and British Columbia Railroad
("BB&BC") in the state of Washington. The BB&BC was a company that had strong ties to the Black Diamond Coal Mining Company because the two companies had the same management. The locomotive named the "Hayward" was sold for scrap.
Today, part of the old roadbed can still be seen along Nortonville Road between Pittsburg, California
and Nortonville. The terminus at Nortonville is now a historic preserve managed by the East Bay Regional Park District.
Pittsburg, California
Pittsburg is a city located in eastern Contra Costa County, California, the outer portion of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 63,264 at the 2010 census....
) to Nortonville, California
Nortonville, California
Nortonville is a former settlement in Contra Costa County, California. It was located on Kirker Creek north-northeast of Mount Diablo, at an elevation of 801 feet ....
. It was owned and operated by the Black Diamond Coal Mining Company and therefore did not have its own official name. Over the years, it has been known by at least four different names. (A report prepared by the State in the 1880's referred to it as both the "Black Diamond Coal Mining Railroad Company" and the "Black Diamond Railroad." It has also been referred to as the "Black Diamond Coal Company Railroad" and the "Black Diamond Coal and Railroad Company.")
The railroad was built by Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
-era civil engineer and artist Sherman Day
Sherman Day
Sherman Day was born in New Haven, Connecticut and died in Berkeley, California. He attended Phillips Academy, Andover and graduated from Yale College, A.B., 1826, receiving the degree from his father, Jeremiah Day , who was president of Yale from 1817–1846...
, and opened for service in 1868 primarily to serve the Black Diamond Coal Mine at Nortonville. At the town of Cornwall, California
Cornwall, California
Cornwall was an unincorporated community in Contra Costa County, California, before it was absorbed into the City of Pittsburg...
the railroad crossed the tracks of the Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
using an overhead tressle.
It was mostly standard gauge, however there was a small segment that was narrow gauge from the mine portals to coal bunkers.
The railroad had four locomotives, two built in San Francisco by H. J. Booth at the Union Iron Works
Union Iron Works
Union Iron Works, located in San Francisco, California, on the southeast waterfront, was a central business within the large industrial zone of Potrero Point, for four decades at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries.-History:...
, one built in San Francisco by Vulcan Iron Works and one from the Baldwin Locomotive Works
Baldwin Locomotive Works
The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. Three locomotives had names: The "D. O. Mills" (named after Darius Ogden Mills
Darius Ogden Mills
Darius Ogden Mills was a prominent American banker, philanthropist and, for a time, California's wealthiest citizen.-Biography:...
), the "Hayward" (named after Alvinza Hayward
Alvinza Hayward
Alvinza Hayward was a well-known gold mining millionaire who made his fortune in California. He later became a prominent financier and businessman in the San Francisco bay area.-Early life:...
), and the "Black Diamond." One locomotive was a narrow-gauge engine that was used to bring mine cars from the mine portals to the bunkers.
Trains ran by gravity from Nortonville to Black Diamond Landing because it was all downhill.
The railroad was abandoned in about 1885 when the Black Diamond Coal Mining Company closed its mine at Nortonville and moved all of its employees to another of the Company's mines at Black Diamond
Black Diamond, Washington
Black Diamond is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 4,151 at the 2010 census.Based on per capita income, one of the more reliable measures of affluence, Black Diamond ranks 64th of 522 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked.-History:Black Diamond was...
, Washington Territory
Washington Territory
The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 8, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington....
.
In 1888, two of its locomotives, the "D. O. Mills" and the "Black Diamond" were transferred to the Bellingham Bay and British Columbia Railroad
Bellingham Bay and British Columbia Railroad
Bellingham Bay and British Columbia Railroad was a railroad that was built in northwestern part of Washington State, between the town of Whatcom, now Bellingham, Washington, then to the town of Sumas, Washington to connect with the Canadian Pacific Railway for a continental connection.The company...
("BB&BC") in the state of Washington. The BB&BC was a company that had strong ties to the Black Diamond Coal Mining Company because the two companies had the same management. The locomotive named the "Hayward" was sold for scrap.
Today, part of the old roadbed can still be seen along Nortonville Road between Pittsburg, California
Pittsburg, California
Pittsburg is a city located in eastern Contra Costa County, California, the outer portion of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 63,264 at the 2010 census....
and Nortonville. The terminus at Nortonville is now a historic preserve managed by the East Bay Regional Park District.
External links
- Locomotives of the Union Iron Works
- Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve, part of the East Bay Regional Park District
- "History; The Company" (history of the Black Diamond Coal Mining Company).
- Circa 1897-99 Map of Mt. Diablo Coal Mine Railroads in a private collection.
- Images of America: Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve (Google Books "preview" version)