THE SIERRA WESTERN
& SANTA FE RR

OLD CHICO YARD

• This yard was built in 1912 when the Santa Fe first reached Chico. This yard now serves as the Chico engine facilities, car shops and MOW storage. Several of the original tracks were removed when the New Chico yard was put into operation in 1961
  
• The station at 1st Street, across the mainline tracks from the old yard, was built in 1926 and closely follows plans for the spanish style station built at Riverside, CA. the year before. It replaces an earlier wood structure that burnt down in 1925. A single setout track is located on the south side of the station
  
• The freighthouse, located a few hundred yards north of the station, was built in 1918 after the original was severely damaged by a derailment on the adjacent main. It is served by a single track off the north main
  
• The engine service lead from New Chico Yard crosses 8th & 9th Avenues/Little Chico Creek on its own bridge and provides access to the fuel/ready tracks opposite the Chico station, to the roundhouse, to the diesel shops and the car shop tracks, and to the balloon track that wraps around the roundhouse
  
• Access to the service tracks is also provided by a trailing point crossover from the south main under the 1st Street bridge and a facing point turnout to the south main alongside the diesel shops
  
• Service facilities include:
  
  • an 110' turntable is located inside the balloon track. It replaced the original 72' turntable in 1932
    
  • an eight stall roundhouse. In 1960, the original roundhouse was shortened from 22 stalls to make room for the diesel shops when Chico yard was downgraded to an engine service yard. This was at the same time the new yard was placed into service
    
  • several uncovered tracks (called 'garden' tracks) radiating from the turntable
    
  • a three track car shop is located inside the balloon track to the left of the turntable approach and accessed from the balloon track. It can handle most routine repairs such as brake shoe and wheel bearing replacements, and some sheetmetal work
    
  • a four track diesel shop is located inside the balloon track to the right of the turntable approach. Routine light running repairs are done here - heavy repairs and complete overhauls are done in San Bernardino
    
  • two fueling tracks with access to fuel oil, water and sand are located across the mainline from the freight house. These tracks are extensions of the ready tracks two ready track are located across the mainline from the station. These tracks are extensions of the two fueling tracks
    
• A short industry spur is located at the south end of the yard on the station side parallel to the bypass track from New Chico Yard. This spur track once was a part of the double-track lead to the old icing dock where the New Chico Yard intermodal tracks are now located. The bridge for this track over 8th & 9th Avenues/Little Chico Creek was removed when the industrial branch into central Chico was realigned to pass underneath the main. The old bridge abutments are still there. The other lead track is still being used as the bypass track to New Chico Yard and that bridge is still in place
  
• The yard boundaries are 8th Avenue Tower (at the bridge crossing over 8th & 9th avenues/Little Chico Creek) to the mainline crossover south of Sambone The double track mainline parallels the east side of the yard from the 8th Avenue tower to the crossover south of Sambone
  
• A freight bypass track parallels the two mainline tracks opposite the station. It is most often used to route trains around passenger trains stopped at the station. A northbound train using the bypass will usually cross over to the southbound main at the crossover over 8th and 9th avenue to reach the bypass, continue 'wrong way' running on the southbound main to the crossover at the south end of Sambone, where it will switch back over to the northbound main
  
• The mainline begins a steady 1/2 to 1% climb northwards to Redding after passing the turnout to the freighthouse
  
• The long curve on the mainline behind the roundhouse is known as "Roundhouse Cradle" by local crews