El Dorado Lime & Mineral Co.

By John Barnhill.

A large limestone formation runs the length of the Sierra Foothills. It stretches from just east of Auburn to just south of Angels Camp and includes several great natural wonders such as the Moaning Cavern, the Mercer Caverns and the California Caverns in the southern portion. In the northern portion lies a few limestone quarries. One such quarry near Auburn operated its own standard gauge railroad, the Mountain Quarries RR, another such quarry is located just to the south of the Cameron Park/ Shingle Springs area. This quarry, The El Dorado Lime & Mineral Co, also had its own shortline.

Started as a narrow guage feeder line for the Central Pacific's Placerville branch, this was a very short line operated by two shay locomotives and connected at a place called Bullard. Later on, Southern Pacific standard guaged the line and operated it till the mid 1980's with the rail removed shortly thereafter. Currently the right of way is now the main road to another one of the foothills gated communities and access is difficult. Only the main switch off the Placerville branch exists at the south end. Today the quarry still operates but is served by truck.

Reference Notes

From Andrew Brandon.
The area mined by the El Dorado Lime I have seen listed under two names: "Marble Valley" and "Spreckelsville".
Both names should help turn up further information on the operation.

Roster Information.

Locomotives of the El Dorado Lime & Mineral Co.
Freight Cars

Maps

The Route of the El Dorado Lime and Mineral Co in Google Earth.