Yreka Western Railroad's Blue Goose Excursion Train

The 'star' of movies like Stand By Me and Emperor of the North, Engine #19 sold to the highest bidder for $400,000 dollars. Those who grew up with the train say they'll miss this piece of Siskiyou County history.

UPDATE: Yreka Western Railroad 19 has been sold to Age of Steam Roundhouse in Sugar Creek, Ohio for $400,000.

Unfortunately, almost 3 years to the day Yreka Western #19 will again go up for auction. One of the admins of this page will be present at the sale tomorrow and we will keep this page updated on what ends up happening to the 19.

One more reminder! TONIGHT! A history of the Yreka Western Railroad. A short informational meeting followed by the presentation and a chance to ask questions to conclude the evening. Refreshments will be served. This event is FREE! We hope to see you there!

If you are in the area on Tuesday May 12th, stop by the Yreka Preservation Center for a presentation on the Yreka Western Railroad by 2 former YWRR employees. The presentation will be filled with many historical facts and photographs, as well as a good time to ask any questions you may have about the Yreka Western or the 19. And best of all this event is FREE! We hope to see you there!

Channel 12 KDRV in Medford picked up on Yreka Western #19 turning 100 this month and produced this story last week on their Oregon Trails segment.

Yreka Western #19 turns 100 years old this month!

Montague, CA, the location of the Yreka Western's interchange with the Southern Pacific. In this scene the 1st section of train No.16 the eastbound (north) "Oregon & California Express" is stopped at the SP's depot in Montague. Making the connection behind the depot is Yreka Railroad's Hall-Scott motorcar No.5 sometime in the late 1910's.

In an attempt to keep this page going, and show some support for "The Little Railroad that Refuses to Die" the admins will continue to try and post historical photos/information, as well as any updates that are happening regarding the current situation at the Yreka Western. To date, no new public information has surfaced since the cancellation of the sheriff's sale for Yreka Western #19, so today on this Monday morning we are going to share with you a recently scanned slide. ...This photo depicts Yreka Western #19 in 1957 leaving the Yreka yard bound for the Southern Pacific interchange in Montague, CA. Pancho is pulling a healthy cut of loads from the various mills around the Sharps and Oberlin Road areas of Yreka. Long trains of freshly cut lumber and sometimes outbound logs heading east were a common sight during this period of Yreka Western history. Date: 1957 Photographer: Unknown Matt Starman Collection

NEWS UPDATE: The sheriff's sale that was supposed to happen to day was cancelled yesterday at the last minute. Here is the Siskiyou Daily News article on the latest happenings. http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/article/20131025/NEWS/131029783

NEWS UPDATE: Next week is the Sheriff's Auction for our beloved Yreka Western #19. If you truly are interested in keeping the 19 in Yreka, please click this link and read the contact information to get ahold of the person in charge of spearheading this effort. With enough support, the possibility of keeping Pancho in Siskiyou County could be a reality.

To all fans of this page, The 2 administrators of this page no longer have any official affiliation with the Yreka Western Railroad Company, but will attempt to continue to post historical facts and photos. The Yreka Western has fallen on some very hard times from which it may or may not recover. In the meantime, we will leave this page up as a tribute to the railroad. Thanks for your understanding. If you would like to learn about the Yreka Western, purchase a copy of "Yreka Western Railroad" by Arcadia Publishing.