Trains of the Nevada County Narrow Gauge

The Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad ran from the Central Pacific depot at Colfax through Chicago Park and Grass Valley to Nevada City. Before the railroad, moving passengers and heavy mining equipment over county roads could take most of the day and became much harder in winter.

Construction began on February 11, 1875, and the last spike was driven on May 20, 1876. Over the next 66 years, the line carried freight, mail, and supplies between Nevada County and the mainline connection at Colfax. It carried passengers too, until that service was discontinued in December 1938; freight kept running until the last train in 1942.

The railroad earned the nickname "Never Come, Never Go," but its engine roster steadily grew. The first three locomotives were Baldwin wood burners, later additions came from other roads, and by 1916 all N.C.N.G. engines had been converted to oil.

The N.C.N.G. also rostered two gas mechanical switchers: #10, a 0-4-0 Plymouth acquired in 1936 and later wrecked, and #11, a 0-4-0 Whitcomb.

Standard gauge power appeared around 1913 on dual gauge track from Colfax to the Bear River gravel spur, where a two-truck Heisler and a two-truck Climax handled the work.

• #10 Plymouth - 0-4-0 gas mechanical, acquired in 1936
• #11 Whitcomb - 0-4-0 gas mechanical switcher
• Heisler and Climax - standard gauge power used on the Bear River gravel spur