The McCloud Railway, one of California’s most famous short lines that has been closed for 16 years, is reopening. On August 4, the short line announced that it would soon resume operations, and sources close to the effort tell Railfan & Railroad that they hope to begin offering rail bike rides later this year and diesel-powered excursions in 2027.

The railroad was founded by the McCloud River Lumber Company in 1897 as the McCloud River Railroad Company. The railroad’s primary purpose was to move logs and connect the company’s sawmill near Mt. Shasta with the Southern Pacific. Eventually, the railroad operated a 130-mile route through the woods of Northern California. The railroad was owned by a number of companies before being sold to Jeff Forbis’ 4-Rails, Inc., which renamed it the McCloud Railway. In the 1990s, the railroad began offering excursions, including behind steam. Freight traffic continued to decline, and by the 2000s, it had become a struggling excursion railroad. In early 2010, McCloud ceased operations, and the following year it was purchased by Mike Williams Group. Little has happened on the railroad since. 

Recently, Williams was joined by a new business partner who wanted to revive the line, which today includes about 15 miles of main line between McCloud and Mt. Shasta. This year, workers have been slowly clearing the right-of-way of trees and brush. They have also been working on two McCloud SD38 locomotives and some ex-VIA Rail equipment that will be used on future excursions. The rail bike tours, operating under the name Shasta Railbike Experience, are expected to start even sooner out of McCloud. 

The railroad plans to host a volunteer weekend on September 25-27. Among the projects to be tackled are clearing the right-of-way, replacing ties, repairing buildings, prepping locomotives and cars, and getting three recently reacquired speeders up and running. For more information, visit McCloud Railway Company on Facebook. 

—Justin Franz