Yosemite Lumber Co.

YOSEMITE LUMBER COMPANY
Operations at El Portal YLCo. Yard, the Incline at El Portal, and Chinquapin
Commonly Refered to as "South Side" Operations

Note: Most of the pictures on this page are of the Yosemite Lumber Company's inclined, standard guage, railway at El Portal. A few details: "The incline was 8000 feet long measured on the slope of the track and 3100 feet in height, starting at an altitude of 1900 feet and ending at 5000 feet above the sea level." The grades run all the way from 10 per cent to 78 per cent.
For complete information read the "South Side Incline" by 'clicking' on the entry to the right.

Yosemite Lumber Company - Incline at El Portal No. 1

G. Williams CollectionThe "Y" formed by rails at foot are visable.

Yosemite Lumber Company - Incline at El Portal No. 2

Merced County Courthouse Museum.Part of a log car seen at left.

Yosemite Lumber Company - Incline at El Portal No. 3

Postcard


Postcard Incline and Bridge, the bridge appears to traverse a gully on the mountain side.		Postcard Close examination shows YVRR log car 899 at right and Sign across river states KEEP OFF THE BRIDGE

Yosemite Lumber Company - Incline at El Portal No. 6

PostcardTank car being hauled up the incline. This car was built with the filler near the end of the tank so that it would be the highest point when being taken up the incline. Hence, fuel could not overflow.
See "Y.L. Co. Cars" for more information about this car.

Yosemite Lumber Company - El Portal river xing

Photo: unknown Load of logs crossing the river at El Portal

Photo: Merced County Courthouse Museum. Logs ready for the trip to the Merced Falls Sawmill

Photo: Courtesy of Bernard Schyns

Load of Logs Leaving El Portal and Heading to the Sawmill at Merced Falls

Photo: Yosemite National Park Research Library Winter of 1921-1922 three Y.L.Co. Shays, in reverse plowing snow near Chinquapin.