Narrow Gauge Archives - Southern Pacific Railroad History Center

The First Two-Foot Gauge Railroad/The Billerica & Bedford of Massachusetts, 1877. Railway Gazette (JD)

Chip Savoye — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 20:56:15 +0000

Originally printed in 1870 in The Railroad Gazette, this article was reprinted in 1950 by the Railroadians of America as Book No. 4. It describes the proposed railroad, its locomotives and rolling stock and its permanent way. The railroad, which finally opened in 1877, was unfortunately short-lived — it was bankrupt by 1878. It had two locomotives, four passenger cars and seven freight cars, all of which were sold to the Sandy Hook and Rangely Lakes Railroad in Maine. It is of interest because it is the first known 2-foot gauge railroad in the United States. Illustrated with schematic diagrams of the locomotives and rolling stock as well as line drawings of equipment, rail, and trackside structures. With maps and gradient profiles. 27 pages. Scarce.

Stapled binding and covers are sound, covers have partial heavy soot; some soot at page edges but no text or images are sooted. JD

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Birth of California Narrow Guage – MacGregor W-14

Chip Savoye — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 23:55:44 +0000

This long-awaited study, the magnum opus of a leading railroad historian, describes the conception, construction, and early operation of the first narrow gauge railroads in northern California. It is lavishly illustrated by some 600 photographs and drawings, almost three-quarters of which have never before been published.

The topic is approached through an unusual lens: the history of the relatively small but extraordinarily inventive contracting and engineering firm of the brothers Thomas and Martin Carter. The Carters were able to reduce the cost and complexity of light railroad construction to the point where local narrow gauge lines could initially compete with the state’s notorious railroad monopolies.

Pioneering a mobile manufacturing operation that could supply locally funded short lines with rolling stock (which traditionally came from East Coast manufacturers), the Carter Brothers began with a line to serve Salinas Valley wheat farmers, desperate to achieve an independent means for conveying their crops to the wharf in Monterey. The narrow gauge railroad that resulted was an act of political and economic defiance, but ultimately a hopeless assault on the “Octopus”―the Central Pacific and Southern Pacific Railroads.

Rallying around the example set in Monterey, a narrow gauge movement in California flourished in the mid-1870s, with the rapid launching of five more companies―the North Pacific Coast, the Santa Cruz Railroad, the Santa Cruz & Felton, the Nevada County Narrow Gauge, and the South Pacific Coast―all of which drew on the Carter Brothers for manufacturing and engineering. Soon, Thomas and Martin Carter were not only selling railroad supplies and engineering to all six short lines, but had won management positions with the strongest, the South Pacific Coast. Until personal and financial disaster overtook them in 1880, the Carters were at the forefront of not just a new business, but a new technology.

Used, Very Good Condition

W-14

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Narrow Guage Portrait – South Pacific Coast MacGregor W-16

Chip Savoye — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 01:42:42 +0000

Detailed history of the South Pacific Coast Railroad. The South Pacific Coast Railroad (SPC) was a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge steam railroad running between Santa Cruz, California and Alameda, with a ferry connection in Alameda to San Francisco. The railroad was created as the Santa Clara Valley Railroad, founded by local strawberry growers as a way to get their crops to market in San Francisco and provide an alternative to the Southern Pacific Railroad. In 1876, James Graham Fair, a Comstock Lode silver baron, bought the line and extended it into the Santa Cruz Mountains to capture the significant lumber traffic coming out of the redwood forests. The line was later acquired by the Southern Pacific and converted to standard gauge.

Good Condition

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South Pacific Coast – MacGregor W-16

Chip Savoye — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 01:35:16 +0000

Fascinating history of the South Pacific Coast Railroad, a narrow gauge steam railroad running between Santa Cruz and Alameda, California with a ferry connection in Alameda to San Francisco. Built by James G. Fair who made his fortune on the Comstock Lode, the railroad was a gamble that paid off well. This book describes the origins, construction and operation of the railroad, its clashes with the Central Pacific and the Southern Pacific, its positive economic impact on the previously isolated areas around San Jose and Santa Cruz that it served, and the railroad’s demise in 1908. Illustrated throughout with black and white photos. With schematic diagrams and several maps. End papers show vintage ads for the railroad. 280 pages with index

Very good Conditi0n

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American Narrow Gauge Railroads George Hilton W26

Chip Savoye — Sat, 14 Feb 2026 00:03:36 +0000

This is the first comprehensive, extensively illustrated account of the growth and decline of American narrow gauge railroading, a singular and still not fully understood episode in the history of American transportation.

“Every so often, a book is published that deserves to be called a landmark. . . . American Narrow Gauge Railroads is probably the first of such caliber for the ‘90s.”—Railfan and Railroad

Hardcover Stanford University Press 1990

W26

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Narrow Guage Portrait South Pacific Coast by Bruce MacGregor W3

Chip Savoye — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 02:07:20 +0000

“Detailed history of the South Pacific Coast Railroad. The South Pacific Coast Railroad (SPC) was a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge steam railroad running between Santa Cruz, California and Alameda, with a ferry connection in Alameda to San Francisco. The railroad was created as the Santa Clara Valley Railroad, founded by local strawberry growers as a way to get their crops to market in San Francisco and provide an alternative to the Southern Pacific Railroad. In 1876, James Graham Fair, a Comstock Lode silver baron, bought the line and extended it into the Santa Cruz Mountains to capture the significant lumber traffic coming out of the redwood forests. The line was later acquired by the Southern Pacific and converted to standard gauge.” Amazon

187 Pages in a dust jacket Good Condition

W-3

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Rio Grande Southern Vol 1 Over the Bridges Ridgeway to Telluride by Russ Coleman W37

Chip Savoye — Sat, 05 Oct 2024 23:27:39 +0000

The Rio Grande Southern Story Vol 1 Over the Bridges Ridgeway to Telluride by Coleman, Russ

“This is the story of a little narrow-gauge railroad called the Rio Grande Southern. The book also gives you an enlightening knowledge of the history of the San Juan region of southwestern Colorado. The Rio Grande Southern had the distinction of being the last major narrow-gauge railroad to be built in Colorado, starting in 1890. The mainline of tracks twists and turns for 162 miles through scenic moutain formations before reaching Durango, CO.” Amazon Books

Excellent condition

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00434FVPS
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sundance Publications (January 1, 1990)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.25 pounds

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Colorado Rail Annual #13 1976 (JD)

Gene Harmon — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 21:23:54 +0000

Colorado Rail Annual No. 13, Florence & Cripple Creek RR, 1976. Clear plastic cover over paper jacket. Sound binding; jacket has some shelf wear but no fading.

Locator Box JD

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Ships and Narrow Gauge Rails by Gerald Best (JD)

Gene Harmon — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 21:20:34 +0000

Best, Gerald M., Ships and Narrow Gauge Rails, The Story of The Pacific Coast Company, 1964. Jacket intact, some shelf wear, some fading along spine.

Locator Box JD

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Narrow Gauge Railways in America; signed by the compilers and editor, limited edition (JD)

Gene Harmon — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 21:16:44 +0000

Fleming, Howard, Narrow Gauge Railways in America, first edition, 1949. 5-1/2 by 9 inches. Sound binding, light wear on dust jacket. A 1963 house fire covered the jacket’s spine and page edges with soot; front and back covers and page surfaces are unsooted. This is a facsimile reproduction of the 1875 book by Fleming. It was published in 1949 by Grahame Hardy. Editors were Hardy and Paul Darrell. The facsimile has 101 pages and numerous illustrations. Brian Thompson compiled a comprehensive 21-page directory of American NG railroads 1875-1949. A page before the title page reads as follows: “This is number 516 of a limited edition of nine hundred and fifty copies, signed by the compilers and printed by El Camino Press on El Camino Real in September 1949.” Below this are Hardy, Darrell, and Thompson’s original ink signatures. Cover, endpaper, and spot illustrations are by rail artist E.S. Hammack.

Locator box JD

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