Roaring Camp & Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (June 2008) |
 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Felton, California |
| Reporting mark | RCBT |
| Locale | Santa Cruz County, California, USA |
| Dates of operation | 1963–present |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 3 ft (914 mm) |
The Roaring Camp & Big Trees Railroad is a narrow gauge tourist railroad in California that starts from the Roaring Camp depot in Felton, California and runs up steep grades to the top of nearby Bear Mountain, a distance of about 2.5 miles. The travel is through second-growth redwood forest.
The steam engines date from the 1890s, and are the oldest and most authentic narrow gauge steam engines still providing regular passenger service in the United States.[1]
History
Roaring Camp Railroads operations began in 1963 under the guidance of F. Norman Clark (1935-1985), who was the founder and owner. His purpose was to keep a family tradition of constructing railroads and to "bring the romance and color of steam railroading back to America." [2] In 1958, Clark found the engine "Dixiana" abandoned near a coal mine in Appalachian Mountains that he described as looking like a " rusty pile of junk". The train was reconditioned and began service in 1963 on rails that had been shipped around Cape Horn in 1881. The railway route was laid out so that as few trees as possible would have to be cut. The Roaring Camp's train station is part of the "frontier town" with a saloon and general store.[3]
Clark's wife, Georgiana, assumed the ownership and management responsibilities following his death.
Originally, two large trestles formed a "corkscrew" loop at Spring Canyon, but these were destroyed by a 1976 fire. Within six months, a switchback was constructed to bypass the severed loop and the entire line was returned to service. The length of the tail tracks in the switchback restricts the trains that may be operated to six cars or fewer. Special events are held to raise funds for repair and reconstruction of the trestles and steam locomotives at Roaring Camp. In 2003, the first "Day Out With Thomas" (Thomas The Tank Engine) special event was held. The event was the single largest in the 40-year history of Roaring Camp, with an estimated 25,000 participants over a three day period. [4]
Locomotives
The railroad owns several locomotives in various states of repair. Regular service is typically handled by the railroad's two Shay locomotives, with occasional appearances by the Heisler.[5] 0-4-2T "Kahuku," the oldest locomotive on the roster, is used in shuttle service on special occasions. Due to its small size, it is not capable of hauling trains up the mountain.
| Number | Name | Builder | Type | Works Number | Built | Acquired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Dixiana | Lima Locomotive Corp. | 2-truck Shay | #2593 | 1912 | October 1962 | Ex-Coal Processing Corp. #3 at Dixiana, Virginia. Operable and in regular service |
| #2 | Tuolumne | Stearns Manufacturing Company | 2-truck Heisler | #1041 | 1899 | 1963 | ex-West Side Lumber Company #3. Operable
Restored 2001 |
| #3 | Kahuku | Baldwin | 0-4-2T | 1890 | 1966 | ex-Kahuku Plantation #1 "Keana." Operable on special occasions | |
| #4 | Waipahu | Baldwin | 0-6-2T | unknown | 1897 | 1977 | Sold to Western Village theme park, Nikkō, Japan, in 1988. Ex-Oahu Sugar #1) |
| #5 | Bloomsburg | Climax Manufacturing Company | 2-truck Climax | #1692 | 1928 | 1975 | Ex-Elk River Coal & Lumber Company #3. Acquired from Carroll Park & Western Railroad, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. Inoperable, rebuild planned as funds & shop space allow. |
| #6 | Daisy | Lima Locomotive Corp | 2-truck Shay | 1988 | ex-WM Ritter #7. Inoperable. | ||
| #7 | Sonora | Lima Locomotive Corp | 3-truck Shay | #2465 | 1911 | 1986 | ex-West Side Lumber Company #7
Operable and in regular service Restored 2007-9 |
| #40 | Plymouth | 14-ton Diesel(model DDT) | ex-Kaiser Steel, Fontana, California
Operable | ||||
| #50 | Davenport | Diesel | # | ex-D&RGW #50
Operable Sold, now at CRM, Golden CO | |||
| #50 (2nd) | General Electric | 25-ton Diesel Electric | #15816 | ex-Bethlehem Steel #14, Los Angeles, California
Operable, Sold to Kauai Plantation Railway, Kauai, HI (2010) | |||
| #60 | General Electric | 56-ton Diesel Electric | #33250 | ex-Bethlehem Steel #12, Los Angeles, California
Inoperable Sold to Georgetown Loop Railroad, Silver Plume CO (2010) | |||
| #?? (30?) | Whitcomb | ex-Kauai Plantation Railway #10, Kauai, HI
Obtained 2010, Operable | |||||
| #10 | Milwaukee | Motorcar (formerly "Critter") | ex-West Side Lumber Company.
Operable |
Three engines at Roaring Camp are designated National Mechanical Engineering Historical Landmark (#134); the Shay, Climax and Heisler, as examples of small, slow-speed 19th century geared locomotives. [6]
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Locomotive #1, Dixiana -
Locomotive #2, Tuolumne -
Locomotive # 7 Sonora
See also
References
- ^ Roaring Camp website, main page Accessed July 9, 20110
- ^ Brown, Phillip King, The New York Times "California Train Trip into the Past" May 2, 1965
- ^ Brown, Phillip King, The New York Times "California Train Trip into the Past" May 2, 1965
- ^ Prince, Charlene San Francisco Chronicle " Day with Thomas at Roaring Camp" June 20, 2003
- ^ Trainweb.org "Roaring Camp and Big Trees Railroad" Accessed July 9, 2010
- ^ American Society of Mechanical Engineers, list of landmarks, #134.
External links
- "Roaring Camp Railroads". Retrieved 2005-11-29.
- "Video Documentary about Roaring Camp Railroads' Narrow Gauge Steam Operations". Retrieved 2007-04-09.
- Roaring Camp Railroads A personal visit in 2006 with photographs