The Yosemite Valley Railroad is a standard gauge, steam railroad, extending from Merced to El Portal, Cal., the boundary of Yosemite National Park, a distance of approximately eighty miles. The first twenty five miles traverse the fertile San Joaquin Valley, entering the Merced River Canyon at Merced Falls, and follows this beautiful canyon to its eastern terminal at El Portal. By virtue of its operation, Merced is in reality the Gateway to the Yosemite National Park.

The road was built by a group of San Francisco capitalists headed by Frank G. Drum, with a view of affording rail access to the wonderful Yosemite National Park. Construction work was begun in 1905, and the road was open for operation in 1907. The road is exceptionally well built for mountain construction, being located on a maximum grade of two per cent and maximum curvature of eighteen degrees, the main line being laid with new seventy pound Bessemer rails. At the present time, the road owns eight oil burning locomotives, 245 freight train cars of various kinds and eight passenger train cars.

The company has its general offices and its shops and roundhouse in Merced, employing approximately 200 men and having a monthly payroll averaging about $25,000, the official personnel being as follows President, F. T. Elsey; General Manager, W. L. White; Superintendent of Motive Power, F. L. Higgins; Chief Engineer, G. H. Nickerson; Auditor, J. W. Swords; General Agent, P. F. Harding; Trainmaster, S. B. Castle.

While the primary object of the construction of the road was for the transportation of tourists to the Yosemite National Park, a considerable freight tonnage has been developed in the past ten or fifteen years, consisting principally of lumber and other forest products. The Yosemite Lumber Company deliver logs to the Yosemite Valley Railroad Company at El Portal. They are transported to Merced Falls, at which point are located sawmill and box factories. The logs are there manufactured into lumber and box shocks and the products are then shipped from Merced Falls to all points both State and interstate. During the year 1924, a total of 9204 carloads of logs, representing approximately 60,000,000 feet of lumber, were transported, and a total of 2253 carloads of lumber and box shocks was shipped from the mills at Merced Falls. In addition to the lumber traffic, the company handled a total of 2000 carloads of other commodities and 17,500 tons of less than carload freight during the year 1924.

The passenger travel by rail to Yosemite National Park shows a gradual increase each year. During the calendar year of 1924 a total of 23,000 passengers were handled from Merced to Yosemite National Park as compared with a total of 13,000 in 1916.

The Yosemite National Park is open and easily accessible from Merced every day in the year by way of the Yosemite Valley Rail road. The trip from Merced by rail is one of great scenic beauty, the railroad traversing the Merced River Canyon, crossing and re crossing the Merced River with fine engineering skill, and the river is rarely out of sight and hearing.

One is reminded of the past historic days when the pioneers of 1849 were panning and sluicing the river in search of gold. Ruins of the first bank and mint in the State of California are to be seen on this trip, and it is an interesting monument of an epic period

Upon arrival at El Portal, a short and enjoyable stage ride of fifteen miles brings one to the heart of Yosemite, the glories of which have passed into literature. Yet all the pens that have essayed to describe it can have conveyed but little of its charm unless you have visited the wonderful spot. Giant cliffs, wonderful waterfalls, and the magnificent big trees, the oldest living things in the world, are included among its wonders. It is idle to enumerate. No single feature wins admiration. It is the harmonious whole, blending majesty with color, form and action, that woos all the sense with siren touch. It is this sense of the supremely beautiful incarnated which makes Yosemite the desire of all travelers.