Fernley and Lassen Railway Depot - Train Stations/Depots on Waymarking.com

As one of the many subsidiaries of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company, the Fernley and Lassen Railway served several purposes. It directly serviced the Red River Lumber Company in Westwood, Lassen County, California. It also provided a means for the SPRR to further unify its system in Oregon, Nevada, and California, and it limited competition from rival railroads such as the Western Pacific Railway. It also provided rail transportation to farming and ranching communities in northeastern California and northwestern Nevada. Fernley, one of the communities located in northwest Nevada and strategically located along the SP's Overland Route, became a vital connection point between Westwood and the SP's mainline. As a result, the Fernley and Lassen Depot, constructed in 1914, is historically significant for its association with railroad transportation in Fernley, northwestern Nevada and northeastern California. The Fernley and Lassen Depot not only reflects the presence of the railroad in Fernley, but is the only remaining example of any type of railroad architecture in the community as well.

In 1900, the SP purchased the Carson and Colorado Railroad located in western Nevada and eastern California, and incorporated it into the Nevada & California Railway as part of their expansion. The purchase turned out well because of the discovery of gold in Goldfield, Nevada in 1902, silver in Tonopah, Nevada in 1905, and quartz exploration in Aurora, California in 1906.
The N & C route was located in the Newlands Irrigation Project area. Due in part to the pending project, Fernley was established circa 1904, in the fertile Fernley Valley. With the irrigation project, the SP began to re-organize its redundant holdings and moved or eliminated yards and stations. In 1904, the former Central Pacific Wadsworth Yard and Division was moved into Sparks, Nevada, and a siding was established in Fernley. A 24' x 32' one-story board-and-batten train order office with a hip roof was erected. The siding included a windmill, water tank, and stockyard pen. By 1905, Fernley was listed in the "Official Guide of the Railways and Steam Navigation Lines of the United States".

By 1910 a number of construction rail cars were side-tracked at Fernley, and construction on the Fernley-Lassen Railway was begun. Tracks reached Susanville, California in April of 1913, and by July, the first carload of Red River lumber was shipped east over the F & L. Then in December, the grading began for the construction of the new Fernley Depot, with Red River Lumber Company supplying the lumber. It was a two-story combination passenger freight depot with a telegraph office. The station was built at a cost of $5,000.00 and was completed by the end of 1914.

The railroad provided cost effective shipping for companies in the area and continued to compete with the growth of gas driven vehicles over the years. In 1956, the Red River Lumber Company closed and service between Susanville and Westwood Junction was terminated. In 1961, the Fernley stockyard was retired. The Fernley Depot, although it had a steady decline over time, remained open until 1985. At that time the station master's job was eliminated and the depot was closed.
The SP planned to tear down the depot, but in 1986, the Fernley Preservation Society purchased the building for $1.00 and moved it two miles from its original location (N 39 deg. 36.571', W 119 deg. 15.088') to a parcel on Main Street owned by the Town of Fernley (on that day, I traveled along with the depot, videotaping the move for the Fernley Chamber of Commerce). Restoration of the Depot continued after the move, and it reopened on August 11, 2001. More restoration work continues today, with the aid of a Nevada Department of Transportation TEA-21 grant.

The Fernley & Lassen Depot is listed in both the Nevada State Register of Historic Places (9-18-00), and the National Register of Historic Places (Building #05000513, 6-1-05)

Is the station/depot currently used for railroad purposes?: No Is the station/depot open to the public?: Yes If the station/depot is not being used for railroad purposes, what is it currently used for?: Railroad & cultural museum What rail lines does/did the station/depot serve?: Fernley & Lassen Railway, Southern Pacific Railway Station/Depot Web Site: [Web Link]

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