The Fernley and Lassen Railroad extended from Fernley, Nevada, to Westwood, where by 1918 two passenger trains arrived daily, along with freight and logging trains. Between 1918 and 1934, both the Lassen Lumber and Box Company and the Fruit Growers Exchange Company had established branch lines from Westwood into their holdings. Then, local business slowed with the arrival of the Western Pacific Railroad lines to Westwood in 1931 and by 1934 passenger service to Westwood ended. Seasonal logging trains continued to run to Westwood until the end of 1952 when the Fruit Growers abandoned its logging railroad and camps. Local rail freighting ended in 1956 and in 1978 the Interstate Commerce Commission approved the S.P.'s petition of abandonment of the Fernley and Lassen Railroad.

Lassen Lumber and Box Company (LLBC) was established in 1918 and built a large mill near the Susanville depot that same year. As with the Fruit Growers, LLBC had its own railroad spur from Westwood into its logging operations. The company sold its holdings to the Fruit Growers Supply Company in 1950.

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"Bizz" Johnson Trail

The "Bizz" Johnson Trail, named for California Congressman Harold "Bizz" Johnson, who served in the U.S. Congress from 1958-1980, follows 24.5 miles of the old Fernley and Lassen Railroad right-of-way between Susanville and Mason Station, four miles north of Westwood. Much of the trail traverses the Susan River Canyon and is used as a hiking and equestrian trail in the summer and by cross-country skiers and snowmobilers during the winter. This was a Rails to Trails project, part of a national effort to transform old railroad rights-of-way into public use trails. Much volunteer labor went into construction of the trail; Mr. Bryant was a participant in that project which was completed in 1986.

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The line was built as a subsidiary of the much larger Southern Pacific (SP) and named the Fernley & Lassen Railway (F&L). Running from extreme northwestern Nevada, the route forged through northeastern California to reach a massive sawmill operation. During the early 1930s, smaller competitor Western Pacific opened its famed "Inside Gateway," which pulled much of the traffic away from the F&L route. Following years of slow decline, the branch was abandoned in the 1970s, creating the trail known today.

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Disclaimer: We search for HISTORY as a hobby. Endless souces. Much can come from others neverless endless sources. Does this website sell anything ? NO Donations ? NO. This is non-commercial. I consider my websites under copyright. Again..no money here !! Educational.





=========================================================================================================== Map of the Abandoned Rails of The Modoc Line + − Leaflet | © OpenStreetMap contributors The Modoc Line Wendel to Alturas, CA Home | CA | N-C-O , SP , UP Commonly known as the "Modoc Line", this route ran through remote ranch land and high deserts in northeastern California, far from any population centers. The line was originally constructed as the narrow-gauge Nevada-California-Oregon (N-C-O), and SP converted the line to standard gauge when they acquired it. It was intended as a shortcut from SP's line in Oregon between California and the northwest to the SP Overland Route (Transcontinental RR) in Nevada; when the route was active the line continued southwest from Wendel to a connection with the SP Overland route at Flanigan, NV. RentCamp Gear Shortly after the Union Pacific merger in 1995, due to both the lack of freight volume and the line's routing through remote territory, the segment between Alturas and Wendel was abandoned in 1996. As of June, 2003, the tracks are still in place as far south as Bayley siding in California. Between Alturas and Bayley, the tracks are used for freight car storage, with reporting marks from many of the companies UP has acquired over the years. Near the grade crossing with US Route 395 at Likely (see photo), a switch broom was still attached to a relay cabinet, but the switch itself had been removed. Also in the area, a field is being used by A-K Railroad Materials to stockpile recovered ties for sale. Further south, at Sage Hen Hill, stacks of ties line the right-of-way. From Madeline south, the ties, tieplates and most of the spikes remain, while the rails appear to have been removed just days earlier. The northern segment from Alturas to the line's northern terminus at Klamath Falls, OR, remains in service by a shortline operator. Thanks to Craig Bass, Mike Palmer for contributing information. This is what is left of the US 395 grade crossing at Likely, CA.... User Comments Section The final remnants have been completely removed from Wendel Road to Alturas Farms, approximately 6 miles south of Alturas, CA. While the bridges and roadbed remain, the grade crossings with US 395 have been paved over. The Sierra Pacific Lumber Company tracks that connected the SPI Mill in Susanville to the Southern Pacific in Wendel were removed also, in the summer of 2007. All of the grade crossings have been paved over as well. Ken Woolington Susanville, CA 2/5/2008 Russell Dye, we need some help advice,at Del Norte Fairgrounds, regarding moving some track and ties short distance 10 feet, and a caboose. Can you help? 465-1575 Joe Lacey Fort Dick, CA 4/10/2009 Who do I talk to about the steel rails, and can I buy them? Beau Kenan Susanville, CA 7/18/2011 What if you had too much monie and you wanted to run a train from susanville to fernily again? could you buy it up... dick van hoosear Lassen co., CA 10/18/2011 The present northern terminus of the southern segment (June) is approximately MP 360.1, just north of Wendell. There is a spike puller sitting halfway down, although the rails stand. At Wendell, a leaky water tower and overgrown wye remain. Additionally the yard, exposed buildings, and radio towers/dishes remain. An affiliate of A&K Railroad Materials (no surprise) has been warehousing the track hardware in place until sold. It is worth noting that there was proposal to build a packing plant(?), however this business decided to go elsewhere. No potential shippers exist. Nicholas Todd Las Vegas, NV 7/30/2012 This is one line (the NWP being another) that should've been abandoned long before it was. The only real on-line traffic that was generated on this thing was livestock (prior to 1960) and very little agricultural shipments. The entire N-C-O was a failure account of lack of on-line business from the start, and it never did reach its intended northern terminus of The Dalles, only reaching Klamath Falls. SP, who was then already planning the Cascade, thought they might have a cutoff route through Alturas that would stop UP from expansion into eastern Oregon and California as well as providing them with a cutoff to get Oregon lumber eastward without further clogging Donner. All in all, the Modoc was standard guaged really as a deterent to both UP and GN, and nothing more. Turns out UP knew there wasn't much to be gained in that area and never mounted a challenge. It was also thought to be a competitor for the WP-GN "Inside Gateway", which never amounted to much, either. The WP-GN-ATSF project was intended to compete with SP for north-south traffice, but it never really paid off. Once the lumber traffic from Oregon was gone, there was simply no further reason to keep this one around. DeserTBoB Lancaster, CA 12/4/2012 Desert Bob - Great explanation. Made me think of a quote from Trains Magazine about the possibility of modernizing steam power: "There is nothing as romantic as a lost cause." Preservation is great, but some things just need to pass on. - Don Don Lenz Cleveland, OH 1/21/2013 No Bob, POOR explanation, the NWP is running again from Schellville to Healdsburg, and will be reopened to Willtis by 2015. SMART is starting up passenger service in 2015 between San Rafael and Santa Rosa, with service to be expanded south to Larkspur and north to Cloverdale soon after. There happens to be PLENTY of traffic up here in NW CA, and more is coming online all the time. I don't know where you got your info, but it's horribly mistaken and out of date. You really need to check out this site, learn young jedi, learn :) http://nwprr.net/ http://nwprailroad.com/ http://www.sonomamarintrain.org Michael Cook Redwood Valley, CA 2/25/2013 Oops, I mean Willits. I live in Redwood Valley, halfway between Ukiah and Willits. The new NWP is an awesome company, ran by railroaders with decades of experience, and it shows in the line. SMART owns the line from Healdsburg south, and the North Coast Railroad Authority owns it from there north. NWP contracts with SMART and the NCRRA to provide freight service. Michael Cook Redwood Valley, CA 2/25/2013 We just pulled up the line from Wendel south. BigGreen Vine Creek, KS 4/24/2013 Michael Cook waxes romantic about the NWP, but he fails to recognize that the only reason that NWP is currently operating at all is because of tons of taxpayer money via SMART and NCRA from the state. As a private enterprise that makes money, the NWP was a loser all the way back to the Great Depression, having somewhat of a reprive during the 1950s housing boom. ATSF saw the writing on the wall back then and bailed out, leaving SP to lose billions on the most expensive-to-maintain railroad in the country. I believe that reopening to Willits is a pipe dream, as there is no traffic to be gained from there. Most certainly, the Eel River segment to Eureka will never be repaired. Everything north of Healdsburg would be gone already if it weren't for the "North Coast Railroad" scam and the fact that NCRA would have to rebuild the line just to scrap it. NWP will continue to also face "nimbys" who don't want trains running up there...it'll interfere with their only reason to live, huffing pot and being high. Telling is the fact that even Gov. Brown is considering chopping NCRA as a waste of taxpayer money. All NCRA is really doing right now is making envirnmental impact report firms rich...nothing else. There's certainly no revenue being produced, as the freight tonnage currently being carried doesn't even cover operating costs. DeserTBoB Lancaster 6/10/2013 The NCO ran from West Reno to Wendel to Alturas and on to Lakeview (not Klamath Falls. SP bought the NCO, put in standard gauge and built the Alturas to Klamath Falls connection Bruce Klamath Falls 3/12/2014 Now the once mighty N.C.O.[joke]is now a hiking trail operated by the Rails to Trails org. I don't mind people using the area because it is a very nice place to explore. I just keep hoping they would respect the land owners and close the gates behind them. To me cows in the pasture in more than outing, it's my livelihood. rICHARD s. fIRMAN Likely, CA 12/16/2014 Michael Cook must be the famous Mike C who used to wax poetic on Altamont Board about the return of the mighty NWP? While the North Bay does need rail service, and SMART in particular, we will be lucky to see a reload in Ukiah someday. Lets all hope for a rebirth of the SF&NPC! Alfred Doten Humboldt County, CA 6/21/2015 I was recently living in UKIAH, and talked to people in the know there and at Willis. There is no way the roadbed can be made to support a railroad and the washed out track will never be repaired north of Willis. Just last year most all of the remaining rails were taken up within the city of UKIAH to make way for a waking pathway. The rains in that climate will never allow a stable roadbed for track north of Willis, the last washout twenty-some years ago convinced them and that is only worse now. Vern Davidson California, now but retired SP, CO 12/18/2016 no need for the beleagered modoc line to ever be restored as there is no business in this region and with east,west lines such as the feather river canyon and famed donner pass route,i can see why up railroad refered to this line as redundant! jason walnut creek,ca, CA 4/5/2019 Jason. The death of the Modoc Line was with the UPRR purchase of SPTCo in 1996. SP used the Modoc line for Eastward lumber traffic out of Oregon. It was 200 miles shorter and two crew changes less than going down the valley to Roseville and over Donner. UP's Columbia River to Green River route negated the need for the Modoc Line. Bruce Holder Roseville, CA 4/6/2019 May nerd to restore use of coal and electric power. Nuclear is hazardous to health and solar gets dirty and Looses its efficiency. World will eventually use up easy energy. Freeway congestion may become a problem but automation will become a problem. Solar flair may wipe us out. The Good Lord knows. He is coming and will rapture us out to a city in heavenly places. A New Jerusalem. L.G. N. California., CA 2/21/2022 Modoc County is a scary place. The Alturas to Wendel run use to be fun, but tough getting up the hill to Sage Hen and sometimes you would have to make two helper trips up to Crest, before they leveled it out. The old Southern Pacific always did their best to take care of their employees. Last of the steam engines in mid 50's. Sad to see it go. L. Swift N.Ca. 5/20/2022 Great story about a hobo and his last ride on the Modoc Line by North Bank Fred: "Farewell to the Modoc" https://www.northbankfred.com/abdul25.html Joe Reno, NV 10/29/2022 Great link to Northbank Fred. Met him once in Roseville. He didn't include a date on his article about the Modoc but must have been around 1996. Thanks Bruce Holder Roseville, CA 10/29/2022 Why didn't the STB order Union Pacific to railbank the Modoc Line, like they made them railbank the Tennessee Pass line??? Mark Cosson Thompson, UT 12/9/2022 I was looking on Google earth to find when the crossing over 395 at Likely was. I did work on phone spans in that area in the late 70's. There was a special spot when the cable wen high over the tracks right there at the rail roade crosing. There was also a repeater housing high in the air on the pole next to the tracks. I used to climb that to work on the repeaters...No more...such is. david YERINGTON, NV 10/2/2023 I had the pleasure of working summers and any vacation time growing up for Rich Hamel on his ranch in Likely. Wrote this song about those years. I remember the train running south one night and hearing the noise from a car that had come uncoupled somewhere on one of Flournoy ranches. Went out with Ken McGarva to investigate. In my song I always went back and forth with either northern bound or southern bound. I'm thinking mostly southern bound at night. The Modoc Line by Ken Martin From Modoc plateau looking down on South Fork Valley and a Likely town a checker board of brown and green a hundred years of cowboy dreams we were kids spent summer days chasing cows and bailing hay late at night we’d hear the sound of the Modoc Line southern bound was no place I’d rather be 'til growing up took hold on me don’t you want for something more than a high desert town with a general store for a while it felt like time stood still but it never has and never will railroad’s gone long time now they pulled the tracks right from the ground late at night we’d hear the sound the Modoc Line southern bound late at night we’d hear the sound the Modoc Line southern bound from the engine heading up the grade to the clicking as the last cars fade from the engine heading up the grade to the clicking as the last cars fade frames of life still look the same stock ramps to nowhere still remain barbed wire sagebrush tumbleweeds and the rusted tools of a dying breed that dying breed is holding still won’t give up they never will one more cutting the season’s done one more cutting and summer’s gone late at night we’d hear the sound the Modoc Line southern bound from the engine heading up the grade to the clicking as the last cars fade from the engine heading up the grade to the clicking as the last cars fade sometimes I still hear the sound of the Modoc Line southern bound Ken Martin San Luis Obispo, CA 10/11/2023 Wow, incredible weblog structure! How long have you been blogging for? you make running a blog glance easy. The overall glance of your website is wonderful, let alone the content material! You can see similar: https://corado.shop and here https://corado.shop Leia Reims, MI 2/9/2024 You may be overpaying on your credit card fees. Card Connect can help you save big compared to your current rates and buy out any existing contract you have. You’ll face no upfront costs, only long-term savings. We’ve been in business for over two decades and are a well-established, publicly traded organization with countless satisfied clients. What’s more, if you switch we will buy you processing systems at no additional cost and install them for free. There is absolutely no cost to make the switch—just pure savings. If you’re interested in a no-cost review, please respond to this email with your contact number and one of our representatives will get in touch with you. M.Garcia Agent at www.CardConnect.com Maeve Garcia Liberty, NM 12/11/2024 Add your own comment Have information about any abandoned rails? Please email me; you will get credit for anything you contribute. Buy Maps============================================================================================================ Contents hide (Top) Route History Stations References External links Fernley and Lassen Railway Article Talk Read Edit View history Appearance hide Text Small Standard Large Width Standard Wide Color Automatic Light Dark From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Fernley & Lassen Bizz Johnson Rail Trail, October 2012 Overview Locale Fernley, Nevada - Westwood, California Dates of operation 1914–1978 Technical Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) Route map Legend Gateway Subdivision Westwood Goumaz Susanville Leavitt Nevada–California–Oregon Railway Wendel Amedee California Nevada Western Pacific Railroad Flanigan Sutcliffe Wadsworth First transcontinental railroad Fernley Nevada Subdivision This diagram: viewtalkedit The Fernley and Lassen was a rail line of the Southern Pacific Railroad constructed in 1912–14 between Fernley, Nevada and Westwood, California, near Susanville, a distance of approximately 112 miles (180 km). The railroad was constructed to connect the Red River Lumber Company's facilities in Westwood with the Southern Pacific's main line running through Fernley.[1] After the railroad's construction, it was heavily used by other nearby lumber companies; the Fruit Growers Supply Company maintained the longest-lived railroad connection with the Fernley & Lassen, with an active connection present between 1920 and 1953. Route Coming from Fernley, the line roughly follows modern-day Nevada State Route 427 to Wadsworth, then parallels Nevada State Route 447 until the railroad veers westward just south of Nixon. From there, it briefly parallels Nevada State Route 446 until it merges with Pyramid Highway. From there, it parallels Pyramid Highway through Sutcliffe and Zenobia, until it veers sharply to the west and starts paralleling High Rock Road. In Flanigan, the Fernley & Lassen intersects the original Western Pacific Railroad, then continues on to Wendel, California. From Wendel, it heads due west, passing by the northern coast of Honey Lake, then through Litchfield and Leavitt, until finally reaching Susanville. From Susanville, the right-of-way continues into the Sierra Nevada range and on to Westwood. A short section (approximately one mile) of track is still in use, connecting the Nevada Cement plant in Fernley to the Union Pacific line. History Due to the Great Depression, which significantly lowered freight volume, and the completion of Western Pacific's competing branch to Westwood, the Fernley & Lassen's days were numbered. By 1934, passenger traffic service had been discontinued, with local rail freighting following it in 1956. In 1978, the Interstate Commerce Commission approved the Southern Pacific's petition for removal.[2] In 1980, the Bureau of Land Management performed a rail to trail conversion and created the Bizz Johnson Rail Trail, a 25.4-mile (40.9 km) National Recreation Trail.[3] The trail was named after Bizz Johnson, a US congressman who was critical in the conversion process.[3] The trail was built from Susanville to Westwood, using the right-of-way, the grading, and the original bridges of the railway.[4] In Fernley, the Fernley and Lassen Railway Depot has been restored[5] as has the depot in Susanville.[6] Stations The Fernley and Lassen Railway had the following stations:[7] This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (December 2025) Fernley and Lassen Railway Depot (Fernley, Nevada) Wadsworth Sutcliffe Pyramid Zenobia Flanigan Stacy, California Wendel Litchfield Leavitt Susanville Railroad Depot (Susanville) Goumaz Lasco Westwood References (14 September 1913). First Regular Passenger Train Reaches Susanville Archived 2020-07-27 at the Wayback Machine, Sacramento Union, p. 33, col. 3. "A Guide to the Records of Jim Bryant, Collection No. 91-16". Archived from the original on June 6, 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2010. "Bizz Johnson National Recreation Trail". Sierra Nevada Geotourism. National Geographic. Retrieved December 26, 2025. "TrailLink :: Bizz Johnson National Recreation Trail". Retrieved March 29, 2010. "The Fernley Depot". Archived from the original on March 5, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2016. "Lassen Land & Trails Trust - Visitors Center". Retrieved March 29, 2010.[permanent dead link] "Nevada Railroads Passenger Stations and Stops" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 22, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2015. External links Bizz Johnson Rail Trail at BLM Portal: Railways Categories: Defunct California railroadsDefunct Nevada railroadsRailway lines closed in 1978Rail trails in CaliforniaSouthern Pacific Railroad subsidiaries This page was last edited on 6 January 2026, at 23:26 (UTC). Page was rendered with Parsoid. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License; additional terms may apply. By ================