Short Line To Paradise

This book tells the story of a short-line railroad that allowed many visitors to explore Yosemite. From 1907 to 1945, it ran from Merced, California to the edge of the Yosemite Valley, ending at El Portal. Passengers could then stagecoach or later motor coach through the beautiful park, then rejoin the train and proceed home. It also hauled lumber, cement, miner’s gear, and the U.S. mail. Eventually progress in the shape of Lake McClure forming a dam over some of the tracks, the sale of the Portland cement factory to Kaiser and establishing State Route 140 that allowed automobile access stopped revenue for the line. It stopped running in 1945, but many remember the adventure with warm memories.