The Placerville Branch has played a key role in the history of El Dorado
County railroads. It enabled hundreds of miles of feeder railroads to be
constructed, which in turn allowed commerce to thrive in otherwise remote
regions of the County. One lasting legacy is Apple Hill, which became
world-famous due to the widespread distribution of its products.
Note: The Placerville Branch, originally part of the Sacramento Valley
Railroad, is the oldest railroad west of the Mississippi River. Color
photos taken in 2004. All photos are in linear order from Placerville to
Folsom.
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Placerville Depot. Was located on Mosquito Road near the current trailhead. |
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Founation remains of the Placerville station. |
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This is the new depot, for buses, almost on top of the site of the old one. |
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2.jpg "Drawing of the first train to Placerville at Slate Creek.")
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Drawing of the first train to Placerville at Slate Creek. |
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One of the last sections of track left intact in Placerville. Near the intersection of Boadway and Mosquito Road. |
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Weber Creek trestle. Soon to be a bike/ped trail. |
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Missouri Flat Road in the mid-1980's. Art Hannah photo. |
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End of the line just outside of Diamond. The steel trestle is about 3/4 of a mile from the end. |
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A present day view of Diamond. The depot was to the right in the exact spot of the metal shed. |
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El Dorado Depot. Locomotive is Southern Pacific 2260. |
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Another view of the El Dorado Depot. |
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Main Steet of El Dorado. The station would be to the right, out of the picture. |
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The last crossing of Mother Lode Drive. Looks as though the gates may come down at any moment. |
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This was once tunnel #1 on the Placerville Branch. It was "daylighted" sometime in the past. |
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Waiting for the return of the trains. Shingle Springs Drive in 2004. |
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Shingle Springs Depot in the early years. |
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Excursion train at Shingle Springs. |
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Another view of early Shingle Springs Depot. |
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Shingle Springs Depot in later years. |
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2.jpg "The Stone House in Shingle Springs. It was torn down in 2004.")
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The Stone House in Shingle Springs. It was torn down in 2004. |
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Shingle Springs Depot today, looking west. |
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Shingle Springs Depot looking east. |
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The freight platform would have been where the tree is |
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Shingle Springs Depot after re-roofing in December, 2004. |
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A new roof has been built and the vegetation cleared away by the owner of the depot. |
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Shingle Springs Depot after restoration in early 2005. Compare with photo directly above. |
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Looking east towards Placerviile. |
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Planters House in Shingle Springs. Note the early wig-wag signal. |
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2.jpg "Looking east dwon Mother Lode Drive. Planters House to the right, depot to the left. 1921.")
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Looking east dwon Mother Lode Drive. Planters House to the right, depot to the left. 1921. |
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Latrobe today. The tracks are at the middle left. |
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At the Sacramento County line. El Dorado County maintains the tracks very well. Sac County begins where the tracks are overgrown. |
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Folsom passenger station. |
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2.jpg "Drawing of the first train to Placerville at Slate Creek.")
2.jpg "The Stone House in Shingle Springs. It was torn down in 2004.")
2.jpg "Looking east dwon Mother Lode Drive. Planters House to the right, depot to the left. 1921.")
