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Poway–Midland Railroad

Coordinates: 32°58′13″N 117°2′13″W / 32.97028°N 117.03694°W / 32.97028; -117.03694
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Train shed, September 21, 2007

The Poway–Midland Railroad is a heritage railroad in Old Poway Park in Poway, California.

The group "Poway–Midland Railroad Volunteers, Inc." operates the railroad and was founded in 1991 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the restoration, operation and maintenance of antique railroad equipment.

Excursions are run each weekend (the 1st and 3rd weekends of each month using a 1907 Baldwin 0-4-0 steam locomotive, except in January or February[1]). The line has 11 total pieces of railroad equipment. This operation is unusual in that it has a track gauge of 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) narrow gauge.[2]

The Poway–Midland Railroad is owned by the City of Poway and operated and maintained by the Poway–Midland Railroad Volunteers, Inc.

Preserved equipment

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Speeder from Fairmont Railway Motors
  • 1907 Baldwin Steam Locomotive
  • 1956 Fairmont Speeder
  • 1906 San Francisco Cable Car[3]

Historic timeline

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  • May 1991 – Initial meeting
  • Nov 1991 – Incorporation of the PMRR Volunteers
  • Sep 1991 – Boxcar arrives on site
  • Apr 1993 – Trolley arrives on site
  • Jun 1993 – Track work completed
  • Jul 4 1993 – Old Poway Park dedication
  • Jul 4 1993 – First passenger carried behind speeder
  • Sep 1994 – First locomotive passenger run
  • Jul 1996 – Record passenger haul (2,500)
  • Jan 1997 – First woman fireman qualified
  • Oct 1997 – San Francisco Cable Car arrives
  • Jul 4 2002 – Turntable dedicated
  • Oct 2004 – Barn expansion dedicated
  • Oct 2009 – Depot dedicated (new ticket office, train shop, and museum)

Statistics

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  • Total passengers: 425,336 (As of 1 November 2006)
  • Total volunteer hours: 74,492 (As of August 2006)
  • 1,866 passengers July 4, 2005
  • 1,829 passengers Train Song Fest 2006
  • 1,732 passengers Christmas in the Park 2004
  • 1,422 Rendezvous 2005
  • Operation Lifesaver program presented to 20,000+ viewers
  • 40–50 Operations Lifesaver presentations annually
  • 397 active members

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "POWAY-MIDLAND RAILROAD VOLUNTEERS INC". Archived from the original on 2013-03-13. Retrieved 2005-10-03.
  2. ^ "Day tripping: The Poway Midland Railroad". 15 May 2011.
  3. ^ "The cable car is back and rolling at Old Poway Park -". KUSI News. 2021-11-28. Archived from the original on 2022-03-01. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
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32°58′13″N 117°2′13″W / 32.97028°N 117.03694°W / 32.97028; -117.03694