Baby Gauge

Hi again train and Disney buddies! Attached are text and photo files for the second of two newsletter article submissions to the Garden Railway newsletter that I thought you may (or may not) find of interest.......Bill

RAILROAD POSTCARDS FROM THE PAST

DEATH VALLEY “BABY GAUGE” RAILROAD

Unfortunately for us fans of tourist railroads, it’s been nearly 70 years since the final run of the Death Valley Baby Gauge Tourist Special. The 24” gauge extension of the 36” gauge Death Valley Railroad was itself an extension of the standard gauge Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad. The 14 mile round-trip tourist railroad began operations in 1926 replacing the gritty pint sized industrial railroad that ran to the Ryan Borax Mining District. Daily trips were made from the Death Valley View Hotel to the Rich Widow mine where tours were given at the site of the abandoned mining operations of the Pacific Coast Borax Company. Five homemade open cars, each seating eight people, were pulled by a primitive gasoline driven Plymouth mining locomotive over a spectacular desert route including a 1800’ limestone tunnel, sharp curves, trestles, steep cliffs and views of Death Valley. Two daily trips were made during the peak years following a four year hiatus during World War ll. The route was originally built in 1904 to haul supplies and water to the remote mining district and to return with ore for the borax processing plant. Portions of the unique diminutive tourist railroad are still in existence but are no longer usable, the aging locomotive is still operated occasionally for demonstration purposes and artifacts and information about the Death Valley Baby Gauge Railroad are on display at the Pacific Coast Borax Museum at Furnace Creek.

Photos of the Death Valley Baby Gauge Railroad are from the March, 1946 edition of Ghost Town News (Volume 5, No.29) Published by Walter Knott, Knott’s Berry Place, Buena Park, California - From the collection of Bill Ralph