Barnwell & Searchlight Railway
Barnwell/Manvel
The Barnwell and Searchlight Railway was a Santa Fe-affiliated short line built in 1906 and 1907 from Barnwell, California, formerly known as Manvel, to Searchlight, Nevada. Its construction preserved the usefulness of the older desert mining line south of Barnwell after the northern extensions had become less practical.
The new railway extended about 23 miles from Barnwell into the Searchlight mining district. Local promoters in Searchlight had wanted a direct rail outlet for ore, supplies, and passenger traffic, and some had hoped for a connection to the Salt Lake Route at Nipton. Instead, the line that was actually built linked the camp to the Santa Fe system through Barnwell.
Although it was separately incorporated, the railway was operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. In practice, it functioned as part of the larger desert mining transportation network serving the eastern Mojave and southern Nevada.
Its fortunes were closely tied to the Searchlight gold district. Like many mining railroads of the period, it depended on the continued productivity of the camps it served. As boom conditions faded, the line's long-term value declined.
The company was later absorbed into the California, Arizona and Santa Fe Railway. The branch eventually disappeared after washouts and falling traffic made continued operation impractical.
Historically, the Barnwell and Searchlight Railway is best understood as a late mining-boom extension. It briefly gave Searchlight a practical rail connection while also prolonging the usefulness of the older Barnwell route.
"The southern portion of the line between Goffs and Barnwell had won a reprieve, however, for in 1906 and 1907 the Santa Fe built a subsidiary 23.22-mile Barnwell and Searchlight Railway, separately incorporated, spurred by efforts of promoters in the mining camp of Searchlight to built their own railway connection to the Salt Lake Route at Nipton. "
Three Santa Fe subsidiaries
Granted approval on February 18, 1924, and the history of the three little lines north of Goffs, the Nevada Southern, California Eastern, and Barnwell & Searchlight ...Railroad History in the Mojave Preserve
Four years later, the Barnwell and Searchlight Railway was built from Barnwell to the mines at Searchlight, Nevada. After 1918, the Santa Fe abandoned part of ...Manvel
It was named after Allen Manvel, the late president of the Santa Fé Railway. ... the Barnwell & Searchlight Railway, just as Searchlight's production plunged.Railroads of the Mojave Desert
Railroads Cadiz is served by the BNSF Railway mainline that runs from Los . ... March, and in April a siding was built on the Barnwell and Searchlight Railroad.Hart - Mojave Preserve Mining
... much anticipated water line from Barnwell was completed by the beginning of March, and in April a siding was built on the Barnwell and Searchlight Railroad.
Larger map
Searchlight depot