Re: "Old Betsy" in 1965

While this locomotive is general reported as used by West End Chemical, instead it appears that it was used instead by Burnham Chemical Company.

There were at least three 2' gauge industrial railroads on Searles Lake... (plus the Epsom Salts Monorail)

1) Pacific Coast Borax Company, at Trona
2) Burnham Chemical Company, near (just north of) West End, south of Trona
3) West End Chemical Company, southern most at West End

F. M. Smith founded Pacific Coast Borax, which was tied to the Borate & Dagget Railroad (3' gauge, used 2 Heisler locomotives), the Tonopah & Tidewater (standard gauge) and the Death Valley Railroad, as well as a number of 2' guage ore hauling railroads... Smith lost control of Pacific Coast Borax about 1915... He retained control of the West End Mining Company of Tonopah, and used that to built a new smaller empire, including West End Chemical on Searles dry lake...

The Pacific Coast Borax operation had a 2' gauge railroad onto the lake bed, likely initially using equipment from one of the Death Valley operations... Maybe later with an unknown Plymouth. This is sometimes known as the Mexican Central Railroad (but photos IDed as the Mexican Central are all West End Chemical)

West End Chemical had a pair of Plymouths, purchased new.

Burnham Chemical had the single 0-4-0t

Additonally there is a photo of a newer so far unidentifed Plymouth, likely at Pacific Coast Borax...

I believe that a more correct history of the Knotts locomotive is
0-4-0t – Vulcan c/n 1002, 12/1906 7x12, 24” drivers
Built for P. Welch & Co. as No 3
To Burnham Chemical Company, Trona CA
Collected by Walter Knott from West End area
Preserved, Knotts Berry Farm, Buena Park

Randy

Randy Hees

Director, Nevada State Railroad Museum, Boulder City, retired
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