Amador Central Railroad

Infobox SG rail
railroad_name=Amador Central Railroad
logo_filename=|logo_size=
marks=AMC|predecessor line = Ione and Eastern Railroad
successor_line = Amador Foothills Railroad
locale=Ione - Martell, California
start_year=1908|end_year=1997
gauge=|hq_city=Martell, California|

The Amador Central Railroad reporting mark|AMC was a standard gauge railroad that operated convert|11.8|mi between a connection with the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP) at Ione and Martell near the town of Jackson, California. The carrier served the Sierra Nevada Foothills gold mining communities and hauled lumber products from the El Dorado National Forest. Amador is the name of the county in which the railroad operated.

History

The Amador Central traces its history back to the Ione & Eastern Railroad. In 1904, the Ione & Eastern proposed to build a convert|14|mi|adj=on line from Ione to Sutter Creek and then an additional convert|13|mi to Volcano, California. The Ione & Eastern only completed a line to Martell. The railroad survived only four years and was sold at foreclosure in 1908 and renamed the Amador Central Railroad.

Timeline

*April 12 1904 Ione & Eastern Railroad incorporated
*August 1 1904 Grading commences
*September 19 1904 Laying rails commences
*December 25 1904 First trains operates
*June 15 1905 Construction completed.
*August 22 1908 Ione & Eastern sold at foreclosure and to terminate operations at year end
*January 1 1909 AMC begins operation of line.
*January 1 1946 AMC leased by Winton Lumber Company
*June 22 1964 AMC purchased by American Forest Products
*June 1988 AMC acquired by Georgia-Pacific
*March 28 1997 AMC's owner, Georgia-Pacific, acquired by Sierra Pacific Industries and last freight train runs.
*1999 Sierra Pacific Industries reopens line and renames AMC the Amador Foothills Railroad
*May 10 2004 Last train on the Amador Foothills Railroad operates. [cite web| url=http://cencalrails.railfan.net/ac.html| title=Ione Branch/Amador Central| work=Central California Rails| accessdate=2008-07-23| ]

The AMC ran from the terminus of SP's Ione Branch at Ione to Martell.

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|edition=5th Edition| publisher=Kalmbach Publishing| year=1996|location=Waukesha, Wisconsin| 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|edition=Post Merger Edition| publisher=Steam Powered Publishing| location=Kent, United Kingdom|year=1997| editor=| id=ISBN 1-874745-08-0
*cite web| url = http://www.trainweb.org/rosters/AMC.html| title = Amador Central Railroad| accessdate = | accessmonthday = November 4| accessyear = 2006| last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors =| date =| year =| month =| format = html| work =Western Shortline Rosters| publisher = Trainweb.org| pages = | language = English| archiveurl = | archivedate =
*cite web| url = http://cencalrails.railfan.net/ac.html| title = Amador Central/Amador Foothills Railroad| accessdate = | accessmonthday = November 4| accessyear = 2006| last = Epling| first = David| authorlink = | coauthors =| date =| year =| month =| format = html| work =Centrak California Rails| publisher = Railfan.net| pages = | language = English| archiveurl = | archivedate =