Here is an article of interest.
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Charlie

I can think of quicker and cheaper ways to get oil workers to a site than to build a railroad.

I think the point of the railroad is not to get workers to the oil fields, although if it is remote enough that may be the only way to do it. A bunch of the ranches along the "Skunk" railroad (can't remember the correct name, California Northern maybe) in Northern Calif. between Ft Bragg and Willets be in great difficulty without the railroad. There are no roads in the area, so the only way in or out is either the railroad, horse back, or mule.

In this case the railroad was built to get the oil out.

Russ Bellinis Wrote:I think the point of the railroad is not to get workers to the oil fields, although if it is remote enough that may be the only way to do it. A bunch of the ranches along the "Skunk" railroad (can't remember the correct name, California Northern maybe) in Northern Calif. between Ft Bragg and Willets be in great difficulty without the railroad. There are no roads in the area, so the only way in or out is either the railroad, horse back, or mule.

In this case the railroad was built to get the oil out.

How did the ranches get there in the first place, and how have they survived so far? They would have to generate enormous profits to justify the construction of a railroad.

MountainMan Wrote:

Russ Bellinis Wrote:I think the point of the railroad is not to get workers to the oil fields, although if it is remote enough that may be the only way to do it. A bunch of the ranches along the "Skunk" railroad (can't remember the correct name, California Northern maybe) in Northern Calif. between Ft Bragg and Willets be in great difficulty without the railroad. There are no roads in the area, so the only way in or out is either the railroad, horse back, or mule.

In this case the railroad was built to get the oil out.

How did the ranches get there in the first place, and how have they survived so far? They would have to generate enormous profits to justify the construction of a railroad.

A brief google search establishes that the railroad known as the Skunk railroad was built to haul redwood logs out of the area, not to haul produce from local farms out.

As for roads, a brief look on the map and overhead images e.g. on bing maps show that there of course are roads both in Fort Bragg (on the coast) and Willets (inland), plus a fair standard road between the two. And a patchwork of smaller (probably dust) road through the forests in the area between the two towns (almost impossible to spot using e.g Bing maps without the labels - pretty dense forest canopy).

Smile,
Stein

I can't read the entire article because I am not a subscriber, but is this a company railroad that is hauling it's own workers?

That makes a difference. The railroads I model, the Morenci Southern and the Coronado in Arizona, used to haul the mine and smelter workers in specially built flat cars with benches using the same tracks they used to haul ore or other supplies. That was in the 1900-1920 time frame, before the average worker had a car. Perhaps that is the case here. The oil field is remote, and they would have to upgrade the highway anyway just to bring in and out materials. For a long term investment, a railroad may be cheaper, and hauling their workers by rail using the same tracks they use to haul materials would add little to the overall cost.

nachoman Wrote:I can't read the entire article because I am not a subscriber, but is this a company railroad that is hauling it's own workers?

No, it is the BNSF and the CP hauling unit trains of oil out of the area, since the road infrastructure is not good enough to support the huge expansion in production over the last few years.

More (without a subscription) e.g. here : http://www.investoruprising.com/author.a...id=235245&

Smile,
Stein

I guess I wasn't being clear, Stein. I didn't mean that the Skunk was built to haul people. I knew it was originally built to haul logs, butr the area between Ft Bragg and Willets is so close to wilderness, that the train is the only really practical way to get to the farms and ranches. There may be dirt roads in to the ranches, but I didn't realize that. Even with dirt roads, it probably takes hours to get in or out If the dirt roads are passable. Since that area is one of the wettest parts of the state, I would expect some of those dirt roads are impassable much of the year.