Historical Clippings Book (HC-04) (198 pages)

i: THERE'S A TEAR DROP STAIN ON HISTORY'S PAGE, THAT TELLS OF THE DEATH OF THE NARROW GAUGE Alvin S, Trivelpiece~ : For you unfortunate people who were not born and raised in Nevada County youlatecomersandnewcomers-~ there was once a railroad The Nevada County Narrow Gauge that operated between Colfax and Nevada City, a distance of 22 miles. It was the fabulous Never Come Never Go, There was never a railroad like it and there never will be again, I know I was its last General Freight and Passenger Agent. The last eleven years of the Narrow Gauge were cock-eyed, delirious and fantastic. The Grass Valley depot burned. Two trains ran wild. Jennings' trestle burned. Lawsuits were frequent. Each day we knew the unexpected would happen and it did. Tranqulizers had not yet been invented butwhiskey had been sol survived, Memories of the beloved NCNG RR will live again this merry month of May when on May 4 the William Morris Stewart Bull Meek Chapter of E Clampus Vitus in their annual spring ritual will dedicate a plaque. And plant a sequoia tree that will become Nevada City's Christmas tree for the next 100 years, And on June 13 14 15 the smash musical hit "Never Come Never Go" will re-open the old opera house the famed Nevada Theater. This musical drama by Bob Wyckoff and Bill MacSems played to standing room only turn away crowds in 1962 at the Old Ice House. The plaque and tree planting at the Nevada City terminal of the NCNG and Nevada Theater's selection of "Never Come Never Go" as its premier opening production are all tributes to the railroad that was born 92 years ago on May 20, 1876, Now she huffs along the rails, This churning little lass, With dome and bell and steam chests, All bound in steaming brassShe puffs with every ounce of steam Within her tiny heart, Upon a rugged roadbed With its rails three feet apart 760 The Narrow Gauge was once of the few railroads in the US that was permitted to haul mixed freight and passenger coaches, It was not a bit unusual in 1937 to have a train with carloads of gasoline, lumber, dynamite and passengers all hoping to stay on the tracks, Sometimes they didn't and tragedy was the result. Most people remember the happy days of the NCNG RR .When the Campfire Girs came to Lake Vera or the Columbia Park Boys to Lake Olympia ~ the kids from Chicago Park riding the train back and forth to the Grass Valley High School (and driving me crazy with their pranks) -or the Grass Valley Demoerats taking the train to Nevada City for torchlight political parades and the Nevada City Republicans taking the train to Grass Valley to march from the depot to Mill St. or the Sunday school picnics at Shebley's Pond or the millions of dollars in gold hauled out in the strong box to the San Francisco mint under the protective eye of expressman Jim Henwood and the shotgun of Otto Rust, When Mabel Clinch married Roy Tremoreoux the entire wedding party went by special Narrow Gauge to Colfax to put Mabel and Roy on the Southern Pacific for their San Francisco Patace Hotel honeymoon. The charge for this midnight honeymoon special was $20, Those were the days! Let's reminisce backwards. Its July 25, 1942. The order to abandon the Narrow Gauge had been received. We were already on the highway with stage connections with Greyhound at Auburn and freight service from Sacramento, os The NCNG with its tiny heart was puffing its last huff of am. : The old girl was 66 years old, the wrinkles were showing, the mascara was dripping under the stack, There was the compulsion to have one last trip. Earl Taylor, the president and general manager had ordered me not to have any passenger service of any kind because he had cancelled all insurance. There was, said Taylor, to be no last trip. The hazards were too great. Taylor went to San Francisco. . John Nolan, the master mechanic, and I, thetrain dispatcher and train crew boss decided to defy the fiery Irishman's order. Secret invitations were sent to everyone along the right of way. ‘All freight and stage service was suspended, office closed down for all employes to have one last ride. John Nolan fixed up five flat cars with open air picnic seats. A caboose was converted into a club car complete with bartender and all kinds of liquid goodies for the adults. Kids were invited. They had a private box car with soft drinks, Rosie Varischetti of La Rosa Inn came aboard witha hamper full of fried chicken. Earl Caddy, the voice of The Union, made the round trip to Colfax, came home with a nostalgic story for The Union and a couple of bruises when he fell between two flat cars. . Margaret Nolan, John's mother who had made the first trip on May 20, 1876, was aboard for the last trip on July 25, 1942, What history had Margaret Kelly Nolan witnessed in those intervening 66 years? WESTERN LIVING "NEVER COME, NEVER GO". Rose Geronimi fretted all the way to Colfax and back again because she knew we had no insurance and she was sure disaster was just around the next bend. Dolph Verlod was the official bartender. Melo Solaro, the engineer, Herbert Merrill, conductor, Ernie Quackenbush, brakeman, and Tom Walling fireman, There were seventy invited guests. Ida Hatton never forgave me for forgetting to pick her up at Peardale. Mike Solaro blew the whistle, and away we went, with a tear in our eye as we said goodbye. We sipped and we sang out Bennett street, past the Brunswick Mine. Cedar Kress, Peardale, Chicago Park, into Colfax and back to Chicago Park for an old fashioned picnic. . By the time we got back to Grass Valley I (and some others) were roaring drunk, The fabulous Never Come Never Go had come to the end of the line. Within a month I was off to the wars, And so was the Narrow Gauge one engine to Algeria, one to Hawaii, flat cars and oil tankers not too many miles from Russia in Alaska, Proud Engine No, 5 went to Hollywood to become a star in TV and movies, you see ner every week on "The Virginian," (To Be Continued) GRASS VALLEY, NEVADA CITY, CALIF. ON THE SITE of the Nevada City depot where the last spike was driven on May 20, 1876, the Clampers will dedicate a plaque on May 4, 1968, On June 15, 1968 the lights of the old Nevada Theater will be turned on for the premier opening attraction musical of the Narrow Gauge (Photo courtesy of Bob Paine.).

i: THERE'S A TEAR DROP STAIN ON HISTORY'S PAGE, THAT TELLS OF THE DEATH OF THE NARROW GAUGE Alvin S, Trivelpiece~ : For you unfortunate people who were not born and raised in Nevada County youlatecomersandnewcomers-~ there was once a railroad The Nevada County Narrow Gauge that operated between Colfax and Nevada City, a distance of 22 miles. It was the fabulous Never Come Never Go, There was never a railroad like it and there never will be again, I know I was its last General Freight and Passenger Agent. The last eleven years of the Narrow Gauge were cock-eyed, delirious and fantastic. The Grass Valley depot burned. Two trains ran wild. Jennings' trestle burned. Lawsuits were frequent. Each day we knew the unexpected would happen and it did. Tranqulizers had not yet been invented butwhiskey had been sol survived, Memories of the beloved NCNG RR will live again this merry month of May when on May 4 the William Morris Stewart Bull Meek Chapter of E Clampus Vitus in their annual spring ritual will dedicate a plaque. And plant a sequoia tree that will become Nevada City's Christmas tree for the next 100 years, And on June 13 14 15 the smash musical hit "Never Come Never Go" will re-open the old opera house the famed Nevada Theater. This musical drama by Bob Wyckoff and Bill MacSems played to standing room only turn away crowds in 1962 at the Old Ice House. The plaque and tree planting at the Nevada City terminal of the NCNG and Nevada Theater's selection of "Never Come Never Go" as its premier opening production are all tributes to the railroad that was born 92 years ago on May 20, 1876, Now she huffs along the rails, This churning little lass, With dome and bell and steam chests, All bound in steaming brassShe puffs with every ounce of steam Within her tiny heart, Upon a rugged roadbed With its rails three feet apart 760 The Narrow Gauge was once of the few railroads in the US that was permitted to haul mixed freight and passenger coaches, It was not a bit unusual in 1937 to have a train with carloads of gasoline, lumber, dynamite and passengers all hoping to stay on the tracks, Sometimes they didn't and tragedy was the result. Most people remember the happy days of the NCNG RR .When the Campfire Girs came to Lake Vera or the Columbia Park Boys to Lake Olympia ~ the kids from Chicago Park riding the train back and forth to the Grass Valley High School (and driving me crazy with their pranks) -or the Grass Valley Demoerats taking the train to Nevada City for torchlight political parades and the Nevada City Republicans taking the train to Grass Valley to march from the depot to Mill St. or the Sunday school picnics at Shebley's Pond or the millions of dollars in gold hauled out in the strong box to the San Francisco mint under the protective eye of expressman Jim Henwood and the shotgun of Otto Rust, When Mabel Clinch married Roy Tremoreoux the entire wedding party went by special Narrow Gauge to Colfax to put Mabel and Roy on the Southern Pacific for their San Francisco Patace Hotel honeymoon. The charge for this midnight honeymoon special was $20, Those were the days! Let's reminisce backwards. Its July 25, 1942. The order

to abandon the Narrow Gauge had been received. We were already on the highway with stage connections with Greyhound at Auburn and freight service from Sacramento, os The NCNG with its tiny heart was puffing its last huff of am. : The old girl was 66 years old, the wrinkles were showing, the mascara was dripping under the stack, There was the compulsion to have one last trip. Earl Taylor, the president and general manager had ordered me not to have any passenger service of any kind because he had cancelled all insurance. There was, said Taylor, to be no last trip. The hazards were too great. Taylor went to San Francisco. . John Nolan, the master mechanic, and I, thetrain dispatcher and train crew boss decided to defy the fiery Irishman's order. Secret invitations were sent to everyone along the right of way. ‘All freight and stage service was suspended, office closed down for all employes to have one last ride. John Nolan fixed up five flat cars with open air picnic seats. A caboose was converted into a club car complete with bartender and all kinds of liquid goodies for the adults. Kids were invited. They had a private box car with soft drinks, Rosie Varischetti of La Rosa Inn came aboard witha hamper full of fried chicken. Earl Caddy, the voice of The Union, made the round trip to Colfax, came home with a nostalgic story for The Union and a couple of bruises when he fell between two flat cars. . Margaret Nolan, John's mother who had made the first trip on May 20, 1876, was aboard for the last trip on July 25, 1942, What history had Margaret Kelly Nolan witnessed in those intervening 66 years? WESTERN LIVING "NEVER COME, NEVER GO". Rose Geronimi fretted all the way to Colfax and back again because she knew we had no insurance and she was sure disaster was just around the next bend. Dolph Verlod was the official bartender. Melo Solaro, the engineer, Herbert Merrill, conductor, Ernie Quackenbush, brakeman, and Tom Walling fireman, There were seventy invited guests. Ida Hatton never forgave me for forgetting to pick her up at Peardale. Mike Solaro blew the whistle, and away we went, with a tear in our eye as we said goodbye. We sipped and we sang out Bennett street, past the Brunswick Mine. Cedar Kress, Peardale, Chicago Park, into Colfax and back to Chicago Park for an old fashioned picnic. . By the time we got back to Grass Valley I (and some others) were roaring drunk, The fabulous Never Come Never Go had come to the end of the line. Within a month I was off to the wars, And so was the Narrow Gauge one engine to Algeria, one to Hawaii, flat cars and oil tankers not too many miles from Russia in Alaska, Proud Engine No, 5 went to Hollywood to become a star in TV and movies, you see ner every week on "The Virginian," (To Be Continued) GRASS VALLEY, NEVADA CITY, CALIF. ON THE SITE of the Nevada City depot where the last spike was driven on May 20, 1876, the Clampers will dedicate a plaque on May 4, 1968, On June 15, 1968 the lights of the old Nevada Theater will be turned on for the premier opening attraction musical of the Narrow Gauge (Photo courtesy of Bob Paine.).