NORTHEAST from Merced, Calif, up the Merced River Canyon and into the Sierra foothills, runs a short-line railroad which serves some of the most grandly magnificent scenery to be found anywhere in the Americas Yosemite National Park. The railroad, 78 miles of single track, is the Yosemite Valley.

At Merced it connects with the San Joaquin Valley lines of both the Southern Pacific and the Santa Fe. The other terminus is El Portal, at the western edge of the park. From there auto stages carry passengers on into the steep-walled valley itself, to the camps and hotels.

The Yosemite Valley normally runs one passenger train round trip daily, up the valley in early morning, back in late afternoon. During Summer peacetime months this train carries a through Pullman from San Francisco via Southern Pacific and a dining car, borrowed from SP. Now the Pullman, of course, is elsewhere carrying troops, and the train is down to its Winter consist, a combination baggage and mail car and a grand old parlor-observation car.

When the Yosemite Valley was projected in 1902 the chief expectations were for profitable passenger traffic, and indeed the years following the opening in 1907 bore out this hope. Passenger revenues were as much and sometimes more than freight revenues. The railroad replaced a stage route by which Merced was two days' distance from the park. The road was originally projected as 86 miles, indicating a plan to run it right into the park, but apparently it was decided that a steam railroad would not be consistent with the majestic beauty of the mile-deep granite-rimmed and green-floored cul de sac that is the center of attraction of Yosemite

In spite of the original dependence upon passengers, the Yosemite Valley gradually built up a respectable freight business until today it relies largely upon logs and lumber, crushed stone, barytes(sic), and refined petroleum, which make up about 82 per cent of its total freight revenues. Freight revenue is particularly dependent on the Yosemite Sugar Pine Lumber Company, and, in tact the closing down of this company in 1930 caused the road to go into receivership.

The 78 miles of line is well laid on a roadbed which most of the way is solid rock. This not only is no through route but, unlike many other small roads, could have no hopes of being a through route, so curves as sharp as 15 degrees were used generously and there is one 18-degree curve at Hogback The maximum grade in the first 70 miles is one per cent. Then comes two miles of two per cent, followed by varying one to two per cent into El Portal. In the distance the rise in elevation is 1900 feet.

The Merced River Canyon is much like others on the west slope of the Sierras, a deep V-shaped valley with walls of broken granite. In this narrow defile there is room for not much other than the railroad. Snelling with its 350 population, is a comparative metropolis, while Bagby, population 36 and whose only business is George Welsh's general store, ranks as an important stop. In- cline Station marks one of the inclined railways which carry loads down to the railroad from the valley rim. El Portal is more than just a transfer point to the Yosemite stages for it has a population of 424 and a branch of the National Lead Company. Its station is a huge timber shed, shown in one of the photos, and the small rail- road yards are surrounded by the ample foliage of the upper valley.

Only once has the railroad been much changed since 1907. That was in 1926, when 17 miles of track was relocated to make way for a reservoir behind a Merced Irrigation District dam. The new line was put well above the new water level and yet the grade was kept within the one per cent limitation, since the original line through these 17 miles had included some downgrade and level stretches. Biggest structure was a bridge rising nearly 250 feet above the valley floor, but now only a few feet above the impounded lake.

The eight locomotives, all small but modern and well maintained, will be hauling the freight and passengers up the Merced Canyon when the war is won and you take your trip to Yosemite. Don't forget that Merced is a free stopover on all railroad tickets between San Francisco and Los Angeles in either direction.