Kings Lake Shore Railroad
| Locale | Corcoran, Kings County, California |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | 1910–1934 |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Headquarters | Hanford, California |
The Kings Lake Shore Railroad was a 19.4-mile (31.2 km) common carrier railroad that operated in Kings County, California from 1910-1934. The line primarily hauled agricultural products that grew in this region of the San Joaquin Valley. The line originated with a connection with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway at Corcoran and then ran south-southwest to its terminus at Liberty, California.
Grading for the railroad commenced in 1910 as the Kings River Railroad. The Kings River Railroad was organized to build from the Santa Fe at Corcoran to Tulare Lake. The Kings River constructed 10.05 miles (16.2 km) of track.
In May 1917, the Kings Lake Shore Railroad was incorporated and took over the Kings River Railroad. The railroad extended the line another 9.4 miles (15.1 km). In 1923, the railroad acquired Santa Fe Railway's #27, a 4-4-0 American-type Schenectady Locomotive Works (Builder No. 2373) steam locomotive. Abandonment of the line was authorized during the Great Depression on January 22, 1934, and the tracks were removed the same year.
Route
- Corcoran
- El Rico (From Durham's Place Names)
- Harvester (From Durham's Place Names)
- Liberty
References
- Fickewirth, Alvin A. (1992). California railroads: an encyclopedia of cable car, common carrier, horsecar, industrial, interurban, logging, monorail, motor road, shortlines, streetcar, switching and terminal railroads in California (1851-1992). San Marino, CA: Golden West Books. ISBN 0-87095-106-8.
- Robertson, Donald B. (1998). Encyclopedia of Western Railroad History - Volume IV - California. Caldwell, ID: The Caxton Printers. ISBN 0-87004-385-4.
- Walker, Mike (1997). Steam Powered Video's Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America - California and Nevada (Post Merger ed.). Faversham, Kent, United Kingdom: Steam Powered Publishing. ISBN 1-874745-08-0.
- Durham, David L. (2001). Durham's Place Names of Central California: Includes Madera, Fresno, Tulare, Kings & Kern Counties. Word Dancer Press. ISBN 978-1884995330.