Eagle Salt Works Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Eagle Salt Works Railroad was a 13.5 mile shortline railroad
that ran northeast from a connection with the Southern Pacific Company at Luva (near Fernley) to Leete, Nevada. The line then branched from the old Central Pacific grade and went southeast for about 2 miles to the Eagle Salt Works.
The railroad was incorporated
on February 16, 1903. The track was built over the original Central Pacific
transcontintinental railway
grade that had been abandoned as the CP relocated its mainline in 1903.
Salt demand from the works was already in decline when the railroad opened in 1903. The first train to carry salt did not operate until March 1906. From 1906-1910 railroad had very little activitiy on the line. In 1910, the Southern Pacific Company (SP), which loaned $23,535 to Leete for the railroad, acquired Leete's railroad and salt works due to Leete's default on the loan. Under the Southern Pacific the railroad continued to see little traffic on the line, consisting of salt, coal and hay. The SP abandoned the railroad in March 1916 and the track was removed in April.
to the Nevada silver mills[ftp://comstock.nbmg.unr.edu/pub/dox/nl/nl7a.htm]. B.F. Leete, a surveyor
on the Central Pacific Railroad, discovered the hot springs
15 miles east of Wadsworth up the Hot Springs grade in 1869. He recognized that salt was a needed mineral in the reduction of Comstock Lode
silver ore, which was in high demand at that time.
The hot springs contained 30% salt and when evaporated provided salt crystals ready for harvest and ready for shipment.
In 1871, Leete's Eagle Salt Works began furnishing salt to the Nevada silver mills. In his first year he furnished about 3,000 tons of salt. The salt production peaked between 1879-1884.
Leete shipped the salt via the Central Pacific Railroad as the CP operated near his Salt Works. However, in 1903 the Central Pacific relocated its mainline between Wadsworth - Toy (near milepost 325; east of Lovelock, NV) in favor of a route to the south that goes through Fernley and Hazen to avoid the grade over White Plains Hill. . This relocation would leave Leete without a railroad to ship his salt. In August 1902, Leete negotiated with the Central Pacific that when they relocated and removed the tracks, that they leave every other tie in place from Leete (Milepost 294.5) to just east of Wadsworth. Leete proposed to build a light railroad using the old CP grade to a connection with the CP at Wadsworth.
T locomotive
that was built by Rhode Island Locomotive Works
. The locomotive was formerly engine #1 on the Los Angeles Ostrich Farm Railway and its successor in 1887, the Los Angeles County Railroad. The locomotive was then sold to the Santa Ana and Newport Railway until 1903. In 1903 it was sold to Eagle Salt Works after being overhauled at the Central Pacific locomotive shops in Sacramento. In March 1903 it went to work on the Eagle Salt Works to assist in constructing the line.
place and had a post office in 1871 and then again from 1877 - 1899. In 1899 the post office was transferred to Leetehttp://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM26KY. In 1895 it had a population of 18 people.
Shortline railroad
A shortline railroad is a small or mid-sized railroad company that operates over a relatively short distance relative to larger, national railroad networks. The term is used primarily in the USA and Canada...
that ran northeast from a connection with the Southern Pacific Company at Luva (near Fernley) to Leete, Nevada. The line then branched from the old Central Pacific grade and went southeast for about 2 miles to the Eagle Salt Works.
The railroad was incorporated
Incorporation (business)
Incorporation is the forming of a new corporation . The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organisation, sports club, or a government of a new city or town...
on February 16, 1903. The track was built over the original Central Pacific
Central Pacific Railroad
The Central Pacific Railroad is the former name of the railroad network built between California and Utah, USA that formed part of the "First Transcontinental Railroad" in North America. It is now part of the Union Pacific Railroad. Many 19th century national proposals to build a transcontinental...
transcontintinental railway
First Transcontinental Railroad
The First Transcontinental Railroad was a railroad line built in the United States of America between 1863 and 1869 by the Central Pacific Railroad of California and the Union Pacific Railroad that connected its statutory Eastern terminus at Council Bluffs, Iowa/Omaha, Nebraska The First...
grade that had been abandoned as the CP relocated its mainline in 1903.
Salt demand from the works was already in decline when the railroad opened in 1903. The first train to carry salt did not operate until March 1906. From 1906-1910 railroad had very little activitiy on the line. In 1910, the Southern Pacific Company (SP), which loaned $23,535 to Leete for the railroad, acquired Leete's railroad and salt works due to Leete's default on the loan. Under the Southern Pacific the railroad continued to see little traffic on the line, consisting of salt, coal and hay. The SP abandoned the railroad in March 1916 and the track was removed in April.
Eagle Salt Works
The Eagle Salt Works Railroad was built to haul saltSalt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
to the Nevada silver mills[ftp://comstock.nbmg.unr.edu/pub/dox/nl/nl7a.htm]. B.F. Leete, a surveyor
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
on the Central Pacific Railroad, discovered the hot springs
Hot Springs
Hot Springs may refer to:* Hot Springs, Arkansas** Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas*Hot Springs, California**Hot Springs, Lassen County, California**Hot Springs, Modoc County, California**Hot Springs, Placer County, California...
15 miles east of Wadsworth up the Hot Springs grade in 1869. He recognized that salt was a needed mineral in the reduction of Comstock Lode
Comstock Lode
The Comstock Lode was the first major U.S. discovery of silver ore, located under what is now Virginia City, Nevada, on the eastern slope of Mount Davidson, a peak in the Virginia Range. After the discovery was made public in 1859, prospectors rushed to the area and scrambled to stake their claims...
silver ore, which was in high demand at that time.
The hot springs contained 30% salt and when evaporated provided salt crystals ready for harvest and ready for shipment.
In 1871, Leete's Eagle Salt Works began furnishing salt to the Nevada silver mills. In his first year he furnished about 3,000 tons of salt. The salt production peaked between 1879-1884.
Leete shipped the salt via the Central Pacific Railroad as the CP operated near his Salt Works. However, in 1903 the Central Pacific relocated its mainline between Wadsworth - Toy (near milepost 325; east of Lovelock, NV) in favor of a route to the south that goes through Fernley and Hazen to avoid the grade over White Plains Hill. . This relocation would leave Leete without a railroad to ship his salt. In August 1902, Leete negotiated with the Central Pacific that when they relocated and removed the tracks, that they leave every other tie in place from Leete (Milepost 294.5) to just east of Wadsworth. Leete proposed to build a light railroad using the old CP grade to a connection with the CP at Wadsworth.
Construction of the line
On February 16 1903 the Eagle Salt Works was created. Leete built about a mile of track from Luva north to Thisbe (old) at Central Pacific's Milepost 282.37. From Thisbe his railroad ran northeast to Leete along the original/abandoned route of the Central Pacific mainline. At Leete he built a branch off the old CP grade that went two miles to his salt works. In June 1903 the 14.5 mile line was completed.Locomotive
The Eagle Salt Works Railroad's engine #3 was a "Three Spot" coal-fired 0-4-00-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-0 represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven...
T locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
that was built by Rhode Island Locomotive Works
Rhode Island Locomotive Works
Rhode Island Locomotive Works was a steam locomotive manufacturing company of the 19th century located in Providence, Rhode Island. The factory produced more than 3,400 locomotives between 1867 and 1906, when the plants locomotive production was shut down...
. The locomotive was formerly engine #1 on the Los Angeles Ostrich Farm Railway and its successor in 1887, the Los Angeles County Railroad. The locomotive was then sold to the Santa Ana and Newport Railway until 1903. In 1903 it was sold to Eagle Salt Works after being overhauled at the Central Pacific locomotive shops in Sacramento. In March 1903 it went to work on the Eagle Salt Works to assist in constructing the line.
Eagle Salt Works (locale)
Eagle Salt Works appears as a Churchill County, NevadaChurchill County, Nevada
Churchill County is a county located in the western U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2000 census, the population was 23,982. As of July 1, 2007, the population of Churchill County was estimated at 27,190. The county, named after Mexican-American War hero brevet Brigadier General Sylvester Churchill,...
place and had a post office in 1871 and then again from 1877 - 1899. In 1899 the post office was transferred to Leetehttp://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM26KY. In 1895 it had a population of 18 people.
- GPS Coordinates Latitude: 39.73167 : Longitude: -119.03694 : Elevation: 4039 ft