From the State Park permanent & seasonal staff, and foundation store staff.  Top: Lisa Smithson, Alexa Melville, George Sapp, Dave Rainwater, Kevin Zimmerman, Rob Buchanan, Phil Hard (& ‘Ace’).  Bottom: Danny Taylor, Wendell Cushman, Ryan Richelson, Ray Harm, Kim Baker, Chris Whitney & Ken Roy.  We wish you the a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

“Santa’s Starlight Express” and “Santa By Daylight”

Santa is taking some time out of his busy schedule to make special daytime and nighttime appearances at Railtown 1897 State Historic Park this holiday season.  Special train rides with Santa will operate over the three-day Thanksgiving weekend (November 25, 26 & 27)  and again the weekend before Christmas (December 17 & 18).  Advance tickets to ride with Santa are still available but seating is limited so don’t delay!

Santa's Starlight Express

For two nights only — Friday, November 25 & Saturday, November 26 — visitors are encouraged to join Santa and his musical friends for lighted Christmas train rides departing at 5:30 and 7 p.m.   

Music, Santa, Hot Chocolate & Good Cheer!

The special train rides — lighted and filled with the music and magic of Christmas — will get visitors in the holiday spirit with live holiday music and caroling on and off the train. Live musical entertainment  will be provided by local favorite Ron Delacy, the popular vintage jazz band The Starlight Serenaders, and strolling cowboy guitarist Keith Keenom.  Greeted by carolers at the dock, Santa will arrive at the station aboard the Sierra No. 3, then join riders on a train of festively lit cars pulled by a shiny and powerful diesel locomotive.  Every child will have plenty of time to whisper their wishes to Santa as he and his elves make their way through the train, accompanied by live music on board.   Also, hot cocoa will be served on board during the evening trains.  

Popular “Santa By Daylight” train rides also continue this year during daylight hours, on November 25, 26 & 27, and again on December 17 & 18.  Trains run hourly from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Santa will be on board to greet visitors and will be accompanied by Railtown’s “Roving Fiddler” Dave Rainwater.  Ticket prices are $13 for adults, $6 for youths, and free for children 5 and under.

Advanced tickets are strongly recommended and are available by calling the depot store at 209-984-3953.

 Pulled by the Famous Sierra No. 3 on Saturdays  Weekends October 8-30

Pumpkins!

With fall blowing in, Railtown 1897 State Historic Park is proud to offer crowd-pleasing “Harvest Haunt Express” train rides on four upcoming consecutive weekends:  October 8-9, October 15-16, October 22-23 and October 29-30.  Staffed by a “skeleton crew,” the popular train rides take place aboard an excursion train that departs on-the-hour from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.  On Saturdays, the excursion train will be pulled by Sierra No. 3 (the “Movie Star Locomotive”) and on Sundays by a vintage diesel locomotive.

            To kick off the month of “Harvest Haunt Express” train rides, family-friendly entertainment, caboose tours, velocipede bike rides for kids, free pumpkins for those taking a train ride, and live music will be offered to the public all day on Saturday, October 8.  Visitors on that Saturday will also enjoy special performances by Cactus Bob and Prairie Flower from noon to 3 p.m. Families are encouraged to spend the day at Railtown 1897 SHP and enjoy the picnic facilities on the sprawling roundhouse lawn.

            Located in the heart of California’s Gold Country, Railtown 1897 SHP combines railroad heritage, local history and the lure of Hollywood and is one of only two authentic and still-operating steam-era railroad roundhouse complexes in the entire country.  The Park is home to the famous “Movie Star Locomotive” Sierra No. 3, which has an impressive history of starring in more than 200 high profile film and television productions such as “High Noon,” “Back to the Future 3” and “Petticoat Junction.”  

            Tickets for “Harvest Haunt Express” train rides (which include Park admission) are $13 adults, $6 youths ages 6-17, ages 5 and under are free.  To make advance online reservations to ride behind Sierra No. 3, visit www.railtown1897.org or call (209) 984-3953 for more information.

Starlight Serenaders perform Noon-3 on Saturday and Sunday

With train rides, live music and more, Railtown 1897 State Historic Park (SHP) in Jamestown is the place to be this Labor Day Weekend.  Popular excursion train rides will be available all three days (September 3-5) that include special rides behind the famous “Movie Star Locomotive” Sierra No. 3 on Monday only.

Minstrel Dave Rainwater performs on board the trains, Saturday, Sunday & Monday

Live vintage jazz music by the Starlight Serenaders will also be offered from noon to 3 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, and fiddler Dave Rainwater will offer live musical entertainment aboard the trains all three days.  In addition to the special holiday activities, visitors are encouraged to spend the day at Railtown 1897 SHP with picnic and barbecue areas available on the sprawling Roundhouse lawn.

The Sidewinder Express runs Saturday & Sunday

 For those interested in memorable excursion train rides through the scenic Gold Country behind the Shay (also known as the “Sidewinder Express”) or Sierra No. 3 (Monday only), they depart hourly between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.  Excursion train rides include a six-mile, 40-minute roundtrip ride along the rails of the famous “Movie Railroad.” 

The Sierra No. 3 pulls the consist on Monday, Labor Day

All tickets for the excursion train rides aboard “mountain observation cars” are $13 for adults, $6 for youths ages 6-17, and kids five and under are free.  All tickets include Park admission and are available on a first-come, first served basis at the ticket window beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.  For Monday train rides behind Sierra No. 3, advance online reservations are recommended by visiting www.railtown1897.org.

 Regular Park admission prices apply — $5 for adults, $3 for youths ages 6-17, and is free for children five and under. Guided tours are also available and are included free with paid admission or excursion train ticket. 

Don't forget to come before the first train (around 9:30) or after the last (around 4:00) to see the roundhouse and turntable in action!

Santa is taking some time out of his busy schedule to make special daytime and nighttime appearances at Railtown 1897 State Historic Park this holiday season.  Special train rides with Santa will operate over the three-day Thanksgiving weekend (November 25, 26 & 27)  and again the weekend before Christmas (December 17 & 18). Advance tickets to ride with Santa will go on sale September 1^st.

 Nighttime Rides Aboard “Santa’s Starlight Express”

For two nights only — on Friday, November 25th and Saturday, November 26th — visitors are encouraged to bundle up and join Santa and his musical friends for two lighted Christmas trains departing at 5:30 & 7 p.m.   

 The special train rides — lighted and filled with the music and magic of Christmas — will get visitors in the holiday spirit with live holiday music and caroling on and off the train.  Greeted by carolers at the dock, Santa will arrive at the station aboard the Sierra No. 3, then join riders on a train of festively lit cars pulled by the Shay No. 2.  Every child will have plenty of time to whisper their wishes to Santa as he and his elves make their way through the train, accompanied by live music onboard.  Hot apple cider and refreshments will be available for purchase at the depot.    

 Tickets for the nighttime rides aboard “Santa’s Starlight Express” are $24 for adults, $12 for youths, and free for children 2 and under (traveling in a lap).  Discounts are applied to members. 

 Rides Aboard “Santa by Daylight”

Popular “Santa By Daylight” train rides also continue this year during daylight hours, on November 25, 26 & 27, and again on December 17 & 18.  Trains run hourly from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Santa will be on board to greet visitors and will be accompanied by Railtown’s “Roving Fiddler” Dave Rainwater.  Ticket prices are $13 for adults, $6 for youths, and free for children 5 and under.

 Advanced tickets are strongly recommended and are available online at www.railtown1897.org or by calling the depot store at 209-984-3953. 

While it is difficult to see in this old photo, the oil cup covers in the past have been different than the ones found on the locomotive today. As with many parts, they were interchangable with other locomotives in the roundhouse over the years.

If you look closely, inside the circle, you can see one of the oil caps that was used on the No. 3 for many years– an old, beat-up, thermos cup.

Examples of this type of ingenuity can be found throughout the shops, but we thought the No. 3 deserved better.

Volunteer Machinist Tony Stroud duplicated one of the old oil cap covers to replace the thermos cup. In his hands are the oil cup (left) and the new cover.

Ta Da! Matching oil cup covers.

Fireman Joe Francis and George Sapp trading stories about the No. 3

One of the fun things about working in a young park (just 28 years old), like ours is that sometimes we get visitors who worked here before it was a park.  In fact, some of the crew who worked here in the diesel era of the Sierra Railroad, and today’s Sierra Northern Railroad, are still around and stop by often just to see what is happening.

Today we had a real treat when former Sierra Engineer Joe Francis stopped by.  Joe lives in Idaho these days, but he grew up around the shops in Jamestown.  In 1946 when Duel in the Sun was being filmed, he was hired on to help with the filming, and the railroad kept him on afterwards.  He worked here for over 34 years, and fired for the likes of Mose Baker, Jim Baker, and worked with Master Mechanic Bill Tremewan.  Jim stood by the No. 3 today, and you could just see the memories flooding back.  He shared some tales of firing on the 18, 22, 34 and other locomotives, and told us about removing the cistern of the No. 3 at some point, to replace the deck boards. 

Jim had good timing for his visit, because we are running the No. 3 tomorrow.  If you are out in the morning, you may see him up in the cab with the crew, taking a trip down “memory rail”. 

Come out and ride the train yourself tomorrow.  If you are at the park in the morning before 10, you can see the crew bring the locomotive onto the turntable, and fill up at the water tank.  Watching the crew at work in and around the historic roundhouse is a wonderful way to make the connection that we are keeping history alive through the trades– maintaining and running the same equipment in the same place, in mostly the same way, today, as Jim and Mose and Bill and so many others over the past century.

Join Mark Twain on the Train at Railtown! Photo (C) Dave Henry/CSRMF

Get ready for a summertime favorite — it’s the Mark Twain Train Ride on Saturday evening, July 23, at Railtown 1897 State Historic Park in Jamestown!  Get there early to listen to live music provided by local sensation Dave Rainwater and fascinating storytelling by Mark Twain himself (vividly portrayed by Pat Kaunert) beginning at 4 p.m. on the sprawling Roundhouse lawn.

Then, the Sidewinder Express (No. 2 Shay) departs promptly at 5 p.m. for an entertaining and spirited train ride through the rolling Gold Country foothills.  Bring your own victuals and libations to enjoy on board this lovely summer evening train.

Advance tickets for are available online at www.railtown1897.org for the special Mark Twain Train Ride.  Don’t miss the family friendly rail-related fun at Railtown 1897!  For more information, call 209-984-3953.

CGOR Rule 5.4.7 Display of Red Flag or Red Light

A red flag or red light is displayed where trains must stop. When approaching a red flag or red light, the train must stop short of the red flag or red light and not proceed unless the employee in charge gives verbal permission. If permission to proceed is received before the train stops, the train may pass the red flag or red light without stopping.

Displayed Between Rails. When a red flag or red light is displayed between the rails of a track other than a main track or controlled siding, the train must stop and not proceed until the flag or light has been removed by an employee of the class that placed it.

Red flag warning! Train stops.

Conductor, Lenny G., and Brakeman, Warren S, approach the locomotive to confer.

At the conclusion of the test, the flag was removed by DSLE (Designated Supervisor of Locomotive Engineers) Kevin Z., who placed the flag for testing.

Today’s crew passed the test with a perfect performance. Although we rarely face actual red flags, it is important that we train for any eventuality. The all-volunteer train crew takes their responsibilities seriously, and approaches their jobs with a high level of professionalism and concern for the safety of the passengers and other crew members.