SAN JOAQUIN AND EASTERN RAILROAD
* SJ&E Caboose #50 donated to CSHS in 2000
The railroad originated at the end of the Southern Pacific line that had been abandoned years before. Marcus Pollasky, posing as a wealthy landowner and developer, insinuated himself into Fresno society, then convinced the people of Fresno that there was iron ore to be had in the Sierra Nevada. He had promised that he would build a railroad that would free the valley of the Southern Pacific Railroad if he could get right of way to the San Joaquin River. Over $100,000 was pledged for the right of way, and the first twenty-five miles of railroad was built. But Pollasky had been using Southern Pacific equipment all along, saying that the initials S.P. belonged to his brother, Sam. Shortly after the opening of the initial phase, Polasky quietly left town, leaving an angry community behind. But fortunately for the SJ&E, Pollasky had provided them a head start to Big Creek.
Although the SJ&E was built on steep and rugged terrain, the railroad was built in only 157 days—without power equipment. The SJ&E was built with human and animal labor, using scrapers, picks, and shovels. Construction continued seven days a week, ten hours a day. In order to expedite construction, work crews were set up every five miles; the surveyors could hardly stay ahead of them. The pay was 27 cents an hour and the work was hard, so there was high turnover. However, the number of men working was sometimes as high as 1,200.
Equipment on the SJ&E included five rod engines that were used on the lower grade from El Prado to Auberry, and seven Shay and six Climax engines, which were geared engines, that laboriously thundered up the steep grades between Auberry and Big Creek. The SJ&E was the only railroad that used geared engines for passenger cars because the grade was so steep. During winter months, a snowplow car, an engine equipped with a boiler and a huge fan, blew the snow off of the tracks. SJ&E also owned 10 passenger cars.
The SJ&E transported people as well as equipment. Passengers included workers and their families, and those traveling to Big Creek for vacations to enjoy the beauty of the mountains. Travelers called the SJ&E the “slow, jerky and expensive” in reference to the five hour trip, and expensive because of the 10 cent per mile fare was about 8 cents higher than normal fares. It was called the “millionaires’ limited when workers traveled down the mountain after payday, and the hobo express when they returned up the mountain, pockets empty. During the summer, passengers could further enjoy the scenery by riding in canopy covered bleacher cars.
As construction on the Big Creek Project began to wind down, SJ&E service dropped from daily runs to only three runs a week. Automobiles had become more common, and bus service to Big Creek carried both passengers and mail. The railroad was abandoned in 1933, and cars, buildings, and railroad ties were either sold or scraped. The SJ&E was dissolved on September 25, 1936.
Bibliography
Hull, C., Carson, C., Van Zant, L., Ogle, P., and Central Sierra Historical Society. 1995. The Story of the San Joaquin and Eastern Railroad. McGinnis Video Productions.
Johnston, H. 1965. The Railroad That Lighted Southern California. Trans-Angelo Books. Los Angeles, CA.
Redinger, D.H. 1986. The Story of Big Creek. Trans-Angelo Books. Glendale, CA.