Thursday, April 14, 2005

Wrought Iron rail

From: "chris graves" caliron@cwnet.com

In 1889 the Riverside Brick Co., operating in what is now called the Pocket Area of Sacramento County, bought a wood burner 0-4-0 manufactured by the H K Porter Co. The sale was conducted by the Huntington Hopkins Co. This 0-4-0 ran on a 3/4 track from the clay pit to the mill, that rail was 45 lb wrought iron, branded C B D Co. with no date. Insofar as the locomotive was purchased thru the Huntington Hopkins Co., it may be reasonable to assume that the rail C B D Co. was also purchased there.

The Riverside Brick Co. eventually became the Sacramento Brick Co.

Does anyone ... have any idea as the to full company name of the C B D Co.? ...

Thanks, G J Chris Graves, NewCastle, Cal.

13 Comments:

Blogger CPRR Discussion Group said...

From: "Bill Anderson" bill@fedshra.org

Question: when did the Riverside Brick Co. begin operation? Could it have supplied the brick for construction of the Sacramento valley Rail Road shops? Those bricks are now in the Folsom Powerhouse.

Bill Anderson

4/15/2005 6:11 PM  
Blogger CPRR Discussion Group said...

From: "chris graves" caliron@cwnet.com

Operations of the Riverside Brick Co. began in 1889, the clay pit was 3/4 of a mile from the mill, hence the 3/4 mile long railroad, using the H K Porter 0-4-0, sold to the brick company by Huntington and Hopkins.
The rail that turned up MAY read G B D Co., tomorrow I will sand blast it. The initial reading was C B D Co., but the rust was such the C may be a G. There is not date on the rail.
In a pure guess, enlightened only by too many years collecting this stuff, the rail APPEARS to be English. Heavy foot, moderate web, flattened ball.
Thanks for asking! G J Chris Graves

4/15/2005 6:36 PM  
Blogger CPRR Discussion Group said...

From: KyleWyatt@aol.com

Said Porter 0-4-0T survives, owned by the Wilmunders in Carmichael. It was the basis for the Grandt Line O scale model.

Sacramento Brick subsequently purchased a Porter 0-6-0T. I believe both came lettered or initialled from Porter for Sacramento Brick, not Riverside Brick.

Kyle K. Wyatt
Curator of History & Technology
California State Railroad Museum

Note my work address has changed to: kwyatt@parks.ca.gov
My personal address remains: kylewyatt@aol.com

4/15/2005 8:00 PM  
Blogger CPRR Discussion Group said...

From: "Wendell Huffman" wendellhuffman@hotmail.com

I have no hard answer for you Bill, but my feeling is that the clay pits/brick works were much closer to Sacramento City in the 1850s – like between R street and Broadway.

W.

4/15/2005 8:01 PM  
Blogger CPRR Discussion Group said...

From: "chris graves" caliron@cwnet.com

Wilmunders died a few months ago, the locomotive is now in Nevada City, on the NCNG. Wilmunders is the fellow that fell off a boat in the Sacramento River, there is some mystery as to his death. chris

4/15/2005 8:49 PM  
Blogger CPRR Discussion Group said...

Hal Wilmunder fell off his boat. I thought the loco was still owned by his family. Didn't know it was in Nevada City.

Kyle K. Wyatt
Curator of History & Technology
California State Railroad Museum

Note my work address has changed to: kwyatt@parks.ca.gov
My personal address remains: kylewyatt@aol.com

4/15/2005 8:50 PM  
Blogger CPRR Discussion Group said...

From: "Bill Anderson" bill@fedshra.org

Les Wilmunder, son of Hal is alive and well. I believe that the loco is on loan to the NCNG.
Bill

4/16/2005 6:27 AM  
Blogger CPRR Discussion Group said...

From: "Kevin" mikadobear45@yahoo.com

Wendell may be correct, but as far as I've ever been able to learn, the Sacramento Brick Works clay quarry was always in "The Pocket" southwest of Sacramento in what is now referred to as Woodlake) – such a nice euphamism for an old clay pit filled with water. I recall the clay works there growing up as a child, and from what Hal Wilmunder once told me (whcih may or may not be exactly the truth, considering the reputation of the source) the litle Porter he owned from the SBCo was always located there. Nevertheless, the area around what is today called Broadway and what was orignally Y Street near Riverside, below the old City Cemetery, was a lagoon and may well have been harvested for clay.
 
–Kevin Bunker, Portland, OR

4/16/2005 6:29 AM  
Blogger CPRR Discussion Group said...

Looking at the Porter order book entry for the Sacramento Brick 0-4-0T, it was built for:
Huntington Hopkins & Co.
Sacramento transportation Co.
Sacramento, Cal.

Lettering on the tank was: S. T. Co.

On the sheet space for number, it has "?", with a "1" in a different (modern?) hand in front of the question mark.

The order was received Dec. 28, 1888 & Jan 2, 1889 (not sure why two dates). It was shipped on Mar. 8, 1889.

Unfortunately, I don't have the order sheet for the 0-6-0T, and we haven't identified the heritage of the gas mechanical (Plymouth, Whitcomb, etc.)

I've never exactly known just where the brick operation was on today's maps.

Kyle K. Wyatt
Curator of History & Technology
California State Railroad Museum

Note my work address has changed to: kwyatt@parks.ca.gov
My personal address remains: kylewyatt@aol.com

4/17/2005 2:27 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

There is a website about bricks in California that has some information on SB.Co. There are a few of these bricks laying around the neighborhood next to the railyard. I dug up a few in the garden this winter.

calbricks.netfirms.com/brick.sbco.html

Bill, Sacramento, Ca

5/01/2005 3:44 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sacramento Brick had tracks that ran up what is now Pebble Court in Greenhaven (AKA the "Pocket area").
I remember walking the Pebble Court area as a kid in the 60's and seeing brick all over as wells as an old building next to the levee. I'm always coming up with brick pieces in the backwayd of my Pebble Court home.

11/26/2008 11:33 AM  
Blogger CPRR Discussion Group said...

From: "Chris Graves" caliron@cwnet.com
Subject: 1871 iron rail at Tunnel 6

A 20 foot section of 50 lb. iron rail, branded "A. I. Co. 71" (Albany Iron Co.) was recently found a short distance from the West portal of Tunnel 6. Does anyone have an idea as to its use?

—G J Chris Graves

4/23/2012 5:57 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

From: Bruce C. Cooper

Something for the CPRR Discussion Group ... Using iron rail as confederate ship armor:

"Inside the CSS Georgia's armor: Without preferred rolled plate, railroad iron had to do."

12/18/2015 11:16 PM  

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