Riverdale Branch Railroad Ruins

Some time ago I noticed an interesting bridge ruin in the Kings River while traversing rural Kings County on Excelsior Avenue. I finally was able to look into what the bridge was on the 25th. Turns out the bridge that I was looking at was part of the Riverdale Branch Railroad. Said line used to run from Hardwick in Kings County northwest to Burrel in Fresno County.

The Riverdale Branch Railroad was built by the Summit Lake Railroad. It was later absorbed by the Southern Pacific circa 1910. There was another line running north out of Hardwick that was eventually consolidated via use the Riverdale Branch. The line was short lived with abandonment paperwork being filed in 1951. The tracks of the Riverdale Branch were removed from 1952 to 1960 with the old crossing over the Kings River being the only obvious structure that I've found to date.

As for Hardwick, essentially it is a ghost town these days out in rural northern Kings County. There is a really good piece online hosted by latoncalifornia.com which details the history of Hardwick:

Hardwick California History

Comments

Anonymous said…

The full name for this railroad was the Hanford & Summit Lake railroad owned by a man by the name of L.A. Nares Whom by which the small town of Lanare got it,s name and he lost the rail road in a poker game or so the legend goes this is speculation on the least degree. J.A. Green

6:07 AM

Crescent City Connection (New Orleans, LA)

The Crescent City Connection is a massive dual-span steel truss bridge that spans the lower Mississippi River at downtown New Orleans, about 95 river miles upstream from the mouth of the great river at the Head of Passes Light. If counted as a single bi-directional highway bridge, the parallel spans combine to form the single busiest bridge on the Mississippi River and its importance as a linchpin in the region’s transportation network cannot be overstated. While there have been various schemes over the years to construct bridges downriver from Algiers Point, this bridge has been the southernmost bridge on the Mississippi River since its initial construction in the 1950s. The years immediately following the end of World War II were a transformational period in the history of New Orleans. Already one of the great economic and cultural centers of the American Deep South, it was recognized at this time that major changes and improvements to the city’s transportation infrastructure would b...

Old US Route 99 through Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch

This summer I had a look into the alignment history of US Route 99 through the Tulare County communities of Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch. While this slab below might seem like much it is one of the few remaining reminders of how US Route 99 was during the 1920s in Tulare County. This blog is part of the larger Gribblenation US Route 99 Page. For more information pertaining to the other various segments of US Route 99 and it's three-digit child routes check out the link the below. Gribblenation US Route 99 Page Part 1; the history of US Route 99 in Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch Tipton and Tulare were both founded in 1872 as sidings of the Southern Pacific Railroad. The Southern Pacific Railroad laid the groundwork for development of southern San Joaquin Valley. Previous to the Southern Pacific Railroad travel via wagon or foot in Central California tended to avoid San Joaquin Valley in favor of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road. The Stockton Los Ange...

Former US Route 101 and California State Route 41 through Paso Robles

Paso Robles is a city located on the Salinas River of San Luis Obispo County, California. As originally configured the surface alignments of US Route 101 and California State Route 41 converged in downtown Paso Robles. US Route 101 originally was aligned through Paso Robles via Spring Street. California State Route 41 entered the City of Paso Robles via Union Road and 13th Street where it intersected US Route 101 at Spring Street. US Route 101 and California State Route 41 departed Paso Robles southbound via a multiplex which split near Templeton. Pictured above is the cover of the September/October 1957 California Highways & Public Works which features construction of the Paso Robles Bypass. Pictured below is the 1935 Division of Highways Map of San Luis Obispo County which depicts US Route 101 and California State Route 41 intersecting in downtown Paso Robles. Part 1; the history of US Route 101 and California State Route 41 i...