Category: Points of Interest

The Bodie and Benton Railway (also known under successive corporate names including the Bodie Railway & Lumber Company and Mono Lake Railway) was a 3-foot narrow-gauge railroad in Mono County, California. It operated as an isolated common carrier, never connecting to the broader U.S. rail network. Its primary purpose was to supply the booming gold-mining town of Bodie with lumber for construction and firewood for heating and powering steam engines in mills, mines, and businesses.

Founding and Purpose

Bodie experienced a major gold rush in the late 1870s, reaching a peak population of around 8,000–10,000 by 1880. The high-altitude town (about 8,375–8,500 feet) had an urgent need for wood, as the surrounding area offered little local timber. Jeffrey pine forests south of Mono Lake provided a solution.

On February 18 or 19, 1881, investors (including figures associated with Bodie’s mines such as the Cool brothers, Henry M. Yerington, Robert Graves, and J.W. Haynie) organized the Bodie Railway and Lumber Company. They secured timber rights (around 12,000 acres) and built a sawmill complex at Mono Mills on the eastern shore of Mono Lake. The mill was capable of producing about 80,000 board feet of lumber in a 10-hour shift (or up to 15 million board feet and 100,000 cords of wood annually at peak capacity).

Construction of the Route

Surveying of the route began in March 1881 under J.T. Oliver. Grading started in May 1881 at the top of Bodie Bluff and progressed southward. Key construction features addressed the challenging terrain:

• Total mainline length: approximately 31.74 miles (often rounded to 32 miles).
• Elevation gain: 2,074 feet from Mono Mills to Bodie (roughly 6,400–6,500 feet at the lake end to 8,500 feet at Bodie).
• Ruling grade: 3.8% (steep for a common carrier but manageable for a logging line, so no geared locomotives were needed).
• Engineering challenges: Two switchbacks, numerous cuts, fills, and a notable 260-foot trestle (plus a shorter one near Mono Mills). The route descended from Bodie via Warm Springs and Lime Kiln stations before reaching the Mono Lake flats and Mono Mills.
• Materials: About 2,000 tons of rails, spikes, and related supplies were hauled in (some via Mono Lake barges or overland from the Carson & Colorado Railroad). Total construction cost for the roadbed was roughly $450,000–$1 million (sources vary; equipment added further expense).

Tracklaying followed grading closely. The first 20 miles of roadbed were graded by mid-July 1881. Rails arrived in August, and the final grading to Mono Mills was completed concurrently. The last spike was driven on November 14, 1881, and the first lumber train (two cars) arrived in Bodie that day, marking the official opening. Temporary logging spurs into the timberlands were added in 1882.

In 1882, encouraged by early success, the company renamed itself the Bodie and Benton Railway and Commercial Company and began grading an extension from Warm Springs station toward Benton (aiming to connect with the Carson & Colorado Railroad). About nine miles were graded, but no track was laid, and the project was abandoned (possibly due to concerns about competition from other lumber sources). The railroad retained the “Bodie and Benton” name despite never reaching Benton.

Years of Operation

• Opening: November 14, 1881.
• Peak and ongoing service: 1881 through the early 20th century, with seasonal interruptions (typically closing in winter due to snow).
• Name and ownership changes: Reverted to Bodie Railway & Lumber Company in 1893; became Mono Lake Railway and Lumber Company in 1906; Mono Lake Railway (or similar) around 1908. The lumber and rail operations were sometimes separated.
• Abandonment: The California Railroad Commission approved abandonment on September 6, 1917. Dismantling began in late July 1918 at the Bodie end and was largely complete by September 1918. Rails (about 2,300 tons of rail and scrap) were trucked to Benton Station for shipment on the Southern Pacific (ex-Carson & Colorado). Some equipment may have been sold overseas (reports mention Hawaii or the Philippines), though most locomotives were scrapped at Mono Mills.

Total operational lifespan was roughly 36–37 years (1881–1917/1918). At abandonment, the system measured about 38 miles including sidings and logging spurs.

Bodie Station (Northern Terminus)

Bodie Station served as the northern end of the line and the primary delivery point for the mining town of Bodie (elevation roughly 8,375–8,500 feet).

Located at the upper end of the route (near the end of what is now East Green Street in the mining district), it overlooked the town. Facilities included a depot building, a turntable for turning locomotives, a water tank or facilities, and sidings for unloading lumber and cordwood. The depot was more functional than ornate—closer to a house-like structure than a grand passenger station—because the railroad carried little or no regular passenger traffic. Trains typically arrived with flatcars of lumber that were unloaded for distribution to the town’s mills, mines, businesses, and residences.

The station remained in use throughout the railroad’s life. After abandonment in 1917–1918, the rails were removed, but the depot building survived. It still stands today within Bodie State Historic Park and is one of the better-preserved structures associated with the railroad. Because it sits in a restricted area with open mine shafts and unstable ground, public access is limited to special guided tours arranged through the Bodie Foundation or park staff. Historic American Buildings Survey photographs document its appearance.

Warm Springs Station

Warm Springs was an intermediate station roughly midway along the 32-mile route. It served as a practical operational stop and was the planned junction point for a never-completed extension toward Benton (intended to connect with the Carson & Colorado Railroad).

In 1882 the company graded about nine miles of the proposed Benton Branch starting from Warm Springs, but no track was laid and the project was abandoned. The station itself facilitated train operations on the main line, including meets, water or operational needs, and staging for the steeper grades ahead. Little physical infrastructure beyond basic sidings or a simple stop is documented as surviving.

Lime Kiln Station

Lime Kiln (also called Limekiln) Station lay about 12 miles south of Bodie on a steeper section of the grade (around 6,700 feet elevation). It was named for nearby lime kilns operated by Hank Blanchard (or earlier Aurora-area kilns), which produced lime for construction mortar and concrete used in Bodie.

The railroad station included a siding where incoming lumber flats from Mono Mills could be staged. Because of the steep 3.8% ruling grade into Bodie, helper (pusher) locomotives were often added here to assist trains up the final climb; trains might be broken into smaller cuts of three or four cars for the ascent. A small cabin at the station housed a telephone connected to Bodie and Mono Mills, providing communication and emergency shelter during bad weather or breakdowns. The station thus served both operational and safety roles on the isolated line. Remains of the station area and the nearby stone lime kiln can still be found.

Mono Mills (Southern Terminus)

Mono Mills was the southern terminus and the railroad’s industrial heart, located on the eastern shore of Mono Lake (roughly 5 miles south of the lake’s main body in the Jeffrey pine forests).

It centered on the large sawmill complex of the Bodie Wood and Lumber Company (later associated entities), which could produce about 80,000 board feet of lumber in a 10-hour shift. Railroad facilities included an engine house, water tank, manually operated turntable, yards, and loading tracks. Lumber and cordwood were loaded onto flatcars here for the uphill trip to Bodie. Temporary logging spurs extended into the timberlands from the mill area. The mill and railroad formed a company town with workers’ housing.

After the main line was abandoned, some tracks and operations lingered in the immediate Mono Mills area into the 1920s under related lumber companies, but the connection to Bodie was gone. Today only scattered remains (foundations, debris, and roadbed traces) mark the site.

Overall Character and Decline

The stations reflected the railroad’s utilitarian purpose. There were no elaborate passenger facilities; the line existed to move wood uphill as efficiently as possible. Turntables at both ends allowed locomotives to be reversed, and intermediate stops supported helper service and operational flexibility on the steep, switchback-equipped route.

Traffic declined after the early 1890s with the arrival of hydroelectric power from Green Creek (reducing wood-fuel demand) and the broader decline of Bodie’s mines. The California Railroad Commission approved abandonment in September 1917; dismantling crews (led by figures such as Emil Billeb and Gus Hess) began pulling rails from the Bodie end in 1918. Rails and scrap were concentrated at Mono Mills and trucked out via Benton. The Bodie depot is the most significant surviving station structure.

These stations, though modest, were essential links in the temporary infrastructure that sustained Bodie during and after its boom years.

Cargo and Traffic

The railroad was almost exclusively a freight line focused on forest products:

• Primary cargo: Lumber (construction timber) and cordwood/firewood. These supplied building needs, domestic heating, and fuel for Bodie’s numerous steam engines (stamp mills, mine hoists, etc.).
• Mono Mills output supported Bodie during its boom and continued (at reduced levels) afterward.
• Secondary freight: Limited general supplies, mining materials, and equipment as a common carrier. No regular passenger service is noted.
• Traffic volume declined after the early 1890s. The completion of the Green Creek hydroelectric plant (1892–1893) transmitted electricity to Bodie, sharply reducing demand for wood fuel. Timber depletion near the rails and the overall decline of Bodie’s mines further eroded traffic. By 1917, remaining forests would have required costly new extensions, which were uneconomical.

Legacy

The Bodie and Benton was one of the more isolated and specialized short lines of the California–Nevada mining frontier. Remnants today include the Bodie depot (visible on guided tours within Bodie State Historic Park), scattered ties and roadbed traces, and a recovered flatcar displayed at June Lake Marina. A historical marker near Mono Lake commemorates the line. Its history is documented in works such as David F. Myrick’s Railroads of Nevada and Eastern California and specialized narrow-gauge studies.

The railroad exemplified the temporary infrastructure that supported Western mining booms—built quickly to meet urgent resource needs, operated for a few decades, and dismantled once those needs faded.

Bodie and Benton Railway Map

Bodie and Benton Railway Summary

References

• Bodie.com
• Abandonedrail.com
• Pacific Coast Narrow Gague
• MonoLake.org