Modoc Line Rail to TrailLassen & Modoc Counties, CA September 5th 2008 - Effective Friday September 5th 2008, Lassen Land and Trails Trust (LLTT) acquired title to the Modoc Line Rail to Trail corridor from Union Pacific Railroad of Omaha, Nebraska. The Modoc line runs 86 miles north & south from Wendel, CA to McArthur Siding, CA, and traverses a large portion of hard to access Bureau of Land Management property as well as valuable wildlife & game habitat. The historic standard gauge Modoc Line came into existence not long after the original narrow gauge line, the “N-C-O” (Nevada, California, and Oregon) was built, and the corridor itself has long been a celebrated piece of railroad history. The “N-C-O” was affectionately nicknamed the “Narrow, crooked, and Ornery” due to its meandering and oftentimes steep grades, and portions of the original N-C-O are still visible from the current Modoc line itself.
Southern Pacific purchased the N-C-O in 1925 and converted the railroad to standard gauge between 1927 and 1928. Union Pacific assumed control of the Line in 1996 and has not operated a through train over the Modoc since 1997. Rails and ties were removed between Wendel and the McArthur siding during 2003 and 2004.
The property was acquired through a process known as “Rail Banking” Rail banking is a federal law administered by the Surface Transportation Board (STB). It allows agencies to acquire railroad right-of-ways from an operating railroad and, “bank,” it until future rail use is applied for at the STB. The purchasing agency (in this case LLTT) has all the property rights held by the railroad including easements for rail use. The line is thus not officially abandoned, and irreplaceable infrastructure is preserved. In the case of the Modoc Line, Union Pacific Railroad has right of first refusal to reactivate the line if rail use again becomes feasible.
Railroads have taxes to pay, and lines to maintain. It often makes good economic sense to rail bank an unused line, salvage the ties, rail, and other equipment, and work something out with an agency wishing to utilize the corridor until such time that any railroad reactivates the line with a request to the STB. If the corridor is not saved, there cannot be any future rail. In the interim, the corridor can be used as a trail, which helps preserve it.
LLTT anticipates that a myriad of recreation will occur in the interim use of the former rail line, including hiking, bicycling, agricultural & historical tourism, horseback riding, and significant sections open for vehicle & OHV use for wildlife viewing & public land access. At this time, LLTT is not encouraging use of the corridor, as the management plan is incomplete, and access & safety issues have yet to be dealt with. LLTT anticipates completing the management plan in mid-2009, and hopes to have an official dedication ceremony shortly thereafter.
The acquisition of the corridor has taken several years and several partnerships, but ultimately LLTT took the lead to raise funds to acquire the Modoc Line, as well as prepare a Management Plan for its long term operation and maintenance. The funds to acquire the line came from the Wildlife Conservation Board of California, who viewed the line as high priority due to its proximity to sensitive Sage Grouse and pronghorn habitat as well as access for research and hunting. In addition, the Sierra Nevada Conservancy has funded LLTT to prepare a management plan for the long term use and maintenance of the line, and has been invaluable in assistance with negotiations and meeting facilitation. Other partners have included Lassen & Modoc Counties, the Rails to Trails Conservancy, and both the Eagle Lake & Alturas offices of the Bureau of Land Management. Currently the Alturas Field office has agreed to a memorandum of understanding with LLTT to assist in the maintenance of the line, but LLTT (a California not for profit land trust) is the sole owner of this corridor.
Click here for a draft version of the Joint Powers agreement for Modoc Line Management