OT: Steam Trains & Railroad Museums

[David Brady]

Thanks Pete, I knew I could count on you for a great response.

David Brady
'02 LXi, NC

-----Original Message-----

From: Pete Masterson

Sent: Mar 25, 2009 7:32 PM

To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Re: [WanderlodgeForum] OT: Steam Trains & Railroad Museums

I can recommend the California Railroad Museum in (Old) Sacramento (at the foot of "J" Street). You'll want to park your rig elsewhere and drive your car to Old Sacramento as parking for a big rig would be quite limited. I believe that they have a tourist steam train -- the web site says it operates every weekend from April through September. Trains leave on the hour (but the web site didn't say how long the trip is ... can't be too long because (1) the abandoned branch line they use doesn't go all that far and (2) a fare of $8 for adults doesn't buy a lot of rail travel.

The museum itself, built in the original Crocker and Hopkins hardware store (well, the _rebuilt_ original store), has over 225,000 square feet of exhibit space. The original Central Pacific Station was opened in 1976 -- and the main complex was opened in 1981 (I was working for Southern Pacific at the time -- 2 blocks away at 401 "I" St.) I was present at the opening ceremonies and as a representative of Southern Pacific helped distributecommemorativebelt buckles, and several other trinkets to the crowd of tourists.

See <http://www.csrmf.org/default.asp> for more details.

Although not especially attractive, Cal Expo (state fairground) has reasonable priced RV spots. (With reasonable considering the price of competing RV parks, etc.) More info:

<http://www.calexpo.com/html/RV_Park.asp>

Other railroad adventures include:

California Western "Skunk" train

<http://www.skunktrain.com/>

A beautiful trip through coastal mountains and redwoods from Willits to Ft. Bragg and return. The name derived from a school-bus like gas-engined rail car used in the early days. The primary tourist trip is behind steam.

The Skunk Train web site has links to other trains operated by the same company:

The Sacramento RiverTrain (diesel) leaves from Woodland (about 15 miles west of Sacramento) for a 32 mile trip lasting 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 hours. Advance reservations suggested.

The Sierra Dinner Train. The Sierra Railroad was formed in 1897 and has offered tourist trips for some years. In 1999 the "dinner train" was established. The Sierra Railroad has been used in countless films where Hollywood needed an antique train. Although the film may claim to be about somewhere else, I've often been able to spot the features of the Sacramento Valley in shots of the trains. The tracks run into the Sierras starting at Oakdale CA, about 1 hour south of Sacramento enroute to Yosemite.

These are but a few of the many train rides in California. The state has a rich history of mainline and shortline railroads.

See <http://www.yrekawesternrr.com/> -- Sadly, the Yreka Western RR has cancelled it's 2009 season.

The Roaring Camp and Big Trees Railroad. Narrow Gauge. See

<http://www.roaringcamp.com/>

In Colorado, I rode the Georgetown Loop RR. Nice narrow gauge, but the steam locomotive was being rebuilt, so we were behind diesel. It's a few miles west of Denver on I-70.

<http://www.georgetownlooprr.com/>

I looked over the Grand Canyon RR -- but it was a little pricy, so we didn't ride it. Leaves from Williams, AZ off I-40 to the Grand Canyon. This was originally an AT&SF line to the canyon.

<http://www.thetrain.com/>

These are all a little north of the route you mention -- but you might want to go out of your way. Enjoy!

Pete Masterson

'95 Blue Bird Wanderlodge WBDA 42

El Sobrante CA

"aeonix1@mac.com"

On Mar 25, 2009, at 4:43 PM, David Brady wrote:

Folks,

My son is nuts over steam locomotives, (okay,
maybe I am too, ). We're on our way to
California and want to spend some time taking
in some steam. Some of the well know places
like Durango and Cumbres aren't open till later
in the season. Does anyone have any recommendations
of must see stops? We'll probably head west on
hwy 20 (Ga, Al, Miss, LA, TX, NM, AZ, CA) on
our way to San Diego.

Thanks,
David Brady
'02 LXi, NC

[David Brady]

Thanks everyone for your great replies. You've been very helpful.
I don't think we'll have any shortage of steam on this trip.

Best regards,
David Brady
'02 LXi, NC

-----Original Message-----

From: Larry Kehler

Sent: Mar 26, 2009 10:25 AM

To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com

Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Re: OT: Steam Trains & Railroad Museums

David



If you can drive a little north on your trip to the St Louis area, you will find the National transport museum. They have lots of trains of all kinds including some steam engines that are one of a kind. Here is the web site:



http://transportmuseumassociation.org/



The location is outside the interstate 270 loop so you can stay outside the heavy traffic and continue on interstate 44.



Give me a call if I can help.



Larry Kehler

St Louis

94 PT40 WBDA "BAM"



> >

> > Folks,

> >

> > My son is nuts over steam locomotives, (okay,

> > maybe I am too, ). We're on our way to

> > California and want to spend some time taking

> > in some steam. Some of the well know places

> > like Durango and Cumbres aren't open till later

> > in the season. Does anyone have any recommendations

> > of must see stops? We'll probably head west on

> > hwy 20 (Ga, Al, Miss, LA, TX, NM, AZ, CA) on

> > our way to San Diego.

> >

> > Thanks,

> > David Brady

> > '02 LXi, NC

> >

>

[mariopatti1]

Not to many train buffs on this forum....I guess owning a bird is easier then
owning private varnish..
Mario 1985fc35 happy to be blowing my own whistle (horn)

[Pete Masterson]

If you think a 'bird is an expensive hobby, a private rail car would make a 'bird seem like a bargain.

The basic charge just to _move_ a private rail passenger car is 22 first class one way fares.... plus local switcher charges to get from your siding to the train you'll move on...

I'd rather pay for the diesel.

Pete Masterson

'95 Blue Bird Wanderlodge WBDA 42

El Sobrante CA

"aeonix1@mac.com"

On Mar 26, 2009, at 10:47 AM, mariopatti1 wrote:

Not to many train buffs on this forum....I guess owning a bird is easier then owning private varnish..
Mario 1985fc35 happy to be blowing my own whistle (horn)

[Rollin Thunder]

Hi David,
I saw your e-mail post below and decided to pass on some info about steam and
railway museums in the San Diego County area. Please check out the links below.
My favorite is the Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum. A couple of times a year
they put on a live show. I attended one of their events a few years ago and took
some pictures. You can check out the pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Thundergod4u...ctorShow#. The picture will
give you and idea of what to expect during their show.

Pacific Southwest Railway Museum, Campo, CA
http://www.sdrm.org/
http://www.totalescape.com/destin/califo...hp?tid=578
http://www.weekenddriver.com/roadtrip/hwy94F/hwy94.html

Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum, Vista, CA
http://www.agsem.com/show20070624.html
http://www.sandiegoreader.com/places/Ant...ne-Museum/

Incidentally, both museums are open year around and both also have nearby
campgrounds that are reasonable. The closest county parks are Guajome, Lake
Morena, and Potrero. Guajome is close to the Steam museum. The other two are
near the railway museum. Please Check out the county parks map at
http://tinyurl.com/cv4ked or
http://www.co.san-diego.ca.us/parks/pmap_google.html.

So, enjoy your drive West. Bring your Kodak. There are lots of things to
photograph. Just make sure you fuel up before arriving in California. Truckstops
are not that frequent in this state.

Rollin
--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, David Brady wrote:
>
> Folks,
>
> My son is nuts over steam locomotives, (okay,
> maybe I am too, ). We're on our way to
> California and want to spend some time taking
> in some steam. Some of the well know places
> like Durango and Cumbres aren't open till later
> in the season. Does anyone have any recommendations
> of must see stops? We'll probably head west on
> hwy 20 (Ga, Al, Miss, LA, TX, NM, AZ, CA) on
> our way to San Diego.
>
> Thanks,
> David Brady
> '02 LXi, NC
>