Ventura County Railroad

Infobox SG rail
railroad_name=Ventura County Railroad
logo_filename=
logo_size=
old_gauge=
marks=VCRR
locale=Oxnard, California
start_year=September 1 1998
end_year=Present
hq_city=Port Hueneme, California

Ventura County Railroad (VCRR)

The Ventura County Railroad Reporting mark|VCRR is a subsidiary shortline railroad in Southwest Ventura County, California. It is part of RailAmerica's Sunset Division. RailAmerica began operating the railroad on September 1 1998. RailAmerica acquired the line from the Ventura County Railway Reporting mark|VCY. The name was changed from Railway to Railroad upon acquisition by RailAmerica. The VCRR currently extends for 12.09 miles. The railroad serves the industrial areas of south Oxnard, the Port of Hueneme and the U.S. Naval Facilities Expeditionary Logistics Center (NFELC, formerly the Naval Construction Battalion Center or NCBC, and now a component of Naval Base Ventura County or NBVC).

The railroad is "not" owned by the County of Ventura.

The VCRR interchanges with the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) at Oxnard.

Traffic

The railroad handles 4,000 - 5,000 cars annually and has six employees. Commodities hauled include:
*Produce
*Imported automobiles
*General merchandise

Present Route of VCRR

*5.7 miles from Oxnard - (interchange with UP) VCRR MP 0.0 to the docks of Port Hueneme MP 5.7
*1.05 miles on Diamond Branch
*1.71 miles on Edison Branch
*3.63 miles on Patterson Branch from Oxnard to Port Hueneme

Ventura County Railway (VCY)

The Ventura County Railway Reporting mark|VCY was an independent shortline railroad that operated from 1911 until it was acquired by RailAmerica's Ventura County Railroad in 1998. The railway was owned by sugar companies for most of its first 50 years.

From 1911-1930 it was owned by American Beet Sugar Company. The railway's president was Robert Oxnard. Robert Oxnard's family was heavily involved in sugar beet-growing in Ventura County. The city of Oxnard was named after Robert's family.

From 1930-1959 the railway was owned by American Crystal Sugar Company.

Passenger Service

Passenger train service was offered on the railway but was discontinued on December 31 1926.

Bakersfield & Ventura Railway

The VCY traces its history and construction back to January 1902 when the Bakersfield and Ventura Railway was formed at Fillmore, California. The railway proposed to build from the Southern Pacific Railroad's "Brownstone Spur" at Fillmore, along Grand Avenue and to Sespe Canyon's entrance at Devil's Gate. Building a route from Oxnard (Ventura County) for the 84 miles to Bakersfield would be a significant feat across very mountainous terrain.

Proposed routes

In April 1902 surveys were made for a route north from Oxnard to the town of Maricopa in Kern County. The route would go through the Sespe Mountains to Mutah and Lockwood Valleys, then along the Cuyanne River to Cuyama and then to Sunset (known today as Maricopa, see Sunset Railway).

In 1903 the railway made even grander plans, building a railroad north from the San Fernando Valley through Calabassas Pass to a location called Triunfo.

The railroad also called for building a route from the San Fernando Valley to Fillmore by way of Grimes Canyon.

From Sunset (Maricopa) the railway wanted to construct a railway line up the west side of the San Joaquin Valley to Pacheco Pass. At Pacheco Pass the route would enter northwesterly into the Santa Clara Valley and across the hills to Santa Cruz. Even today, Pacheco Pass remains one of the proposed routes of the California High Speed Rail Commission between San Francisco-Los Angeles.

Abandoned expansion plans

Plans were put into play but little progress was actually made. When the railway finally opened for traffic on July 4 1905 at Port Hueneme, the railroad only reached Oxnard. In 1911 it was clear the railway would never reach Bakersfield. The Bakersfield & Ventura Railway dropped "Bakersfield" from its name and was renamed the Ventura County Railway.

Timeline

*1902 Bakersfield and Ventura Railway was organized.
*May 11 1911 Ventura County Railway was organized.
*September 1 1998 Ventura County Railroad begins operations.

References

*cite book | author=Fickewirth, Alvin A.| title=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)| location=San Marino, CA | publisher=Golden West Books| year=1992| editor=| id=ISBN 0-87095-106-8
*cite book | author=Stindt, Fred A. | title=American Shortline Railway Guide - 5th Ed.| location=Waukesha, WI | publisher=Kalmbach Publishing Company| year=1996| editor=| id=ISBN 0-89024-290-9
*cite book | author=Walker, Mike| title=Steam Powered Video's Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America - California and Nevada - Post Merger Edition| location=Kent, United Kingdom | publisher=Steam Powered Publishing| year=1997| editor=| id=ISBN 1-874745-08-0
*cite web | title=Rail Map of Ventura County Railroad| work=RailAmerica| url=http://www.railamerica.com/railmaps/VCRR.htm| accessdate=December 17| accessyear=2005
*cite web | title=Employer Status Determination Ventura County Railroad Company (VCRR)| work=Railroad Retirement Board| url=http://www.rrb.gov/bcd/bcd98-53.pdf| accessdate=December 17| accessyear=2005

Further reading

*List of California railroads