The Roaring Camp & Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad is a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gaugetourist railroad in California that starts from the Roaring Camp depot in Felton, California and runs up steep grades through redwood forests to the top of nearby Bear Mountain, a distance of 3.25 miles (5.23 kilometers).
Roaring Camp Railroads
The burned trestle, with damage to sleepers and rails
The railroad runs most trains using steam locomotives, several dating from the 1890s. They are some of the oldest narrow-gauge steam locomotives still providing regular passenger service in the United States. (The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad has the oldest steam locomotive from 1883.[1])
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 the Appalachian Mountains; he described it as looking like a " rusty pile of junk".[2]Dixiana 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 on the 170 acres (69 ha) Clark acquired with a 99-year lease of the larger Big Trees Ranch.[3]
The Big Trees Ranch was bought in 1867 by San Francisco businessman Joseph Warren Welch to preserve the giant redwood trees from logging. It was the first property in the state acquired specifically for that purpose.[4] In 1930, the Welch family sold part of the property to Santa Cruz County, which eventually became part of Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park.[3]
The first scheduled train trip was on April 6, 1963 with 44 ticketed passengers.[3]
Clark's wife, Georgiana, Vice President of Operations assumed the ownership and management responsibilities following his death on December 2, 1985.[3]
Originally, two large trestles formed a "corkscrew" loop at Spring Canyon, but these were destroyed by a 1976 fire (alleged to have been arson), the smoke from which could be seen from San Francisco. Within six months, a switchback was constructed to bypass the severed loop and the line was returned to service. The switchback has an estimated 9.5% grade. The length of the tail tracks in the switchback restricts the trains that may be operated to six cars or fewer; longer trains require a diesel switcher to run at the rear and bring the excess cars up and down the switchback separately.[5] 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" 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.[6]
Accidents and incidents
On December 28, 2015, a train collided with a stop block on part of the switchback. Six people were injured. The cause was driver error.[7]
Locomotives
Locomotive#7 "Sonora" prior to her 2007–2009 overhaul
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.[8]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.
Ex-Elk River Coal & Lumber Company #3. Acquired from Carroll Park & Western Railroad, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. Inoperable, rebuild planned as funds & shop space allow.[9] As of 2017, the locomotive's engine set can turn over on steam.[10]
Built in 1912, this engine was originally owned by the Alaculsy Lumber Company, and was used on the Smokey Mountain Railroad in Tennessee. The Dixiana is named for a small narrow-gauge mining railroad, now abandoned, out of Dixiana, Virginia. Notable characteristics include the boiler, which was set left of centerline to compensate for the weight and position of the engine – giving it a lopsided appearance – and the engine design of a three-cylinder exhaust system.[4]
Bloomsburg Climax #5
The Bloomsburg was built in 1928 for the Elk River Coal and Lumber Company in Swandale, West Virginia. Previous owners include W.M. Ritter Lumber Company, Georgia Pacific Railroad, and the Carroll Park and Western Railroad in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania until bought for Roaring Camp in 1975. It is the last locomotive of its type manufactured by Climax that operated for logging in the west.[4][11]
Locomotive#2, Tuolumne
Tuolumne Heisler #2
Built in 1899 for the Hetch Hetchy Valley and Yosemite Railroad for use at the sawmill of West Side Flume and Lumber Company near Tuolumne City. First named Thomas S. Bullock after the first general manager of the West Side Flume and Lumber Company, the locomotive was purchased for Roaring Camp in 1962 for $7,000. It is the last steam engine used in the commercial lumber business in Tuolumne, California,[4][11] and the oldest Heisler still in operation.
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The Roaring Camp amp Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad is a 3 ft 914 mm narrow gauge tourist railroad in California that starts from the Roaring Camp depot in Felton California and runs up steep grades through redwood forests to the top of nearby Bear Mountain a distance of 3 25 miles 5 23 kilometers Roaring Camp RailroadsThe burned trestle with damage to sleepers and railsOverviewHeadquartersFelton CaliforniaReporting markRCBTLocaleSanta Cruz County California USADates of operation1963 presentTechnicalTrack gauge3 ft 914 mm The railroad runs most trains using steam locomotives several dating from the 1890s They are some of the oldest narrow gauge steam locomotives still providing regular passenger service in the United States The Cumbres amp Toltec Scenic Railroad has the oldest steam locomotive from 1883 1 The American Society of Mechanical Engineers designated three of the railroad s locomotives as Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark 134 in 1988 Contents 1 History 2 Accidents and incidents 3 Locomotives 4 Historic mechanical engineering landmark 4 1 Dixiana Shay 1 4 2 Bloomsburg Climax 5 4 3 Tuolumne Heisler 2 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksHistory EditRoaring 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 the Appalachian Mountains he described it as looking like a rusty pile of junk 2 Dixiana 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 on the 170 acres 69 ha Clark acquired with a 99 year lease of the larger Big Trees Ranch 3 The Big Trees Ranch was bought in 1867 by San Francisco businessman Joseph Warren Welch to preserve the giant redwood trees from logging It was the first property in the state acquired specifically for that purpose 4 In 1930 the Welch family sold part of the property to Santa Cruz County which eventually became part of Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park 3 The first scheduled train trip was on April 6 1963 with 44 ticketed passengers 3 Clark s wife Georgiana Vice President of Operations assumed the ownership and management responsibilities following his death on December 2 1985 3 Originally two large trestles formed a corkscrew loop at Spring Canyon but these were destroyed by a 1976 fire alleged to have been arson the smoke from which could be seen from San Francisco Within six months a switchback was constructed to bypass the severed loop and the line was returned to service The switchback has an estimated 9 5 grade The length of the tail tracks in the switchback restricts the trains that may be operated to six cars or fewer longer trains require a diesel switcher to run at the rear and bring the excess cars up and down the switchback separately 5 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 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 6 Accidents and incidents EditOn December 28 2015 a train collided with a stop block on part of the switchback Six people were injured The cause was driver error 7 Locomotives Edit Locomotive 7 Sonora prior to her 2007 2009 overhaul 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 8 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 Works 2 truck Shay 2593 1912 October 1962 Ex Coal Processing Corp 3 at Dixiana Virginia Operable and in regular service 9 2 Tuolumne Stearns Manufacturing Company 2 truck Heisler 1041 1899 1963 ex West Side Lumber Company 3 Operable Restored 2001 and 2010 9 3 Kahuku Baldwin Locomotive Works 0 4 2T 10756 1890 1966 ex Kahuku Plantation 1 Keana Operable and used on special occasions 9 4 Waipahu Baldwin Locomotive Works 0 6 2T 15321 1897 1977 Sold to Western Village theme park Nikkō Japan in 1988 Ex Oahu Sugar 1 5 Bloomsburg Climax Locomotive Works 2 truck Climax 1692 1928 1975 Ex Elk River Coal amp Lumber Company 3 Acquired from Carroll Park amp Western Railroad Bloomsburg Pennsylvania Inoperable rebuild planned as funds amp shop space allow 9 As of 2017 the locomotive s engine set can turn over on steam 10 6 Daisy Lima Locomotive Corp 2 truck Shay 2519 1912 1988 ex WM Ritter 7 Last operated and retired at Daisy Kentucky Inoperable 9 7 Sonora Lima Locomotive Corp 3 truck Shay 2465 1911 1986 ex West Side Lumber Company 7 Inoperable under overhaul Restored 2007 2009 and 2018 present 9 40 Plymouth Locomotive Works 14 ton Diesel model DDT ex Kaiser Steel Fontana California Operable 50 Davenport Locomotive Works Diesel ex D amp RGW 50 Operable sold now at Colorado Railroad Museum 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 Georgetown CO 2010 30 Whitcomb Locomotive Works ex Kauai Plantation Railway 10 Kauai HI Obtained 2010 sold March 2013 to Redwood Gulch Shortline 10 Milwaukee Locomotive Manufacturing Company Motorcar formerly Critter ex West Side Lumber Company OperableHistoric mechanical engineering landmark Edit Locomotive 1 Dixiana in 2022 The American Society of Mechanical Engineers collectively designated Roaring Camp s Shay Climax and Heisler engines National Mechanical Engineering Historical Landmark 134 on August 1988 as examples of small slow speed 19th century geared locomotives 11 Dixiana Shay 1 Edit Built in 1912 this engine was originally owned by the Alaculsy Lumber Company and was used on the Smokey Mountain Railroad in Tennessee The Dixiana is named for a small narrow gauge mining railroad now abandoned out of Dixiana Virginia Notable characteristics include the boiler which was set left of centerline to compensate for the weight and position of the engine giving it a lopsided appearance and the engine design of a three cylinder exhaust system 4 Bloomsburg Climax 5 Edit The Bloomsburg was built in 1928 for the Elk River Coal and Lumber Company in Swandale West Virginia Previous owners include W M Ritter Lumber Company Georgia Pacific Railroad and the Carroll Park and Western Railroad in Bloomsburg Pennsylvania until bought for Roaring Camp in 1975 It is the last locomotive of its type manufactured by Climax that operated for logging in the west 4 11 Locomotive 2 Tuolumne Tuolumne Heisler 2 Edit Built in 1899 for the Hetch Hetchy Valley and Yosemite Railroad for use at the sawmill of West Side Flume and Lumber Company near Tuolumne City First named Thomas S Bullock after the first general manager of the West Side Flume and Lumber Company the locomotive was purchased for Roaring Camp in 1962 for 7 000 It is the last steam engine used in the commercial lumber business in Tuolumne California 4 11 and the oldest Heisler still in operation See also Edit Trains portal California portalGeared steam locomotive List of heritage railroads in the United States Logging railroad Ocean Shore Railroad Santa Cruz Big Trees and Pacific Railway Santa Cruz Railroad U S common carrier narrow gauges in the twentieth centuryReferences Edit Roaring Camp website main page Retrieved July 9 2010 a b Brown Phillip King The New York Times California Train Trip into the Past May 2 1965 a b c d Roaring Camp History Archived 2011 01 07 at the Wayback Machine a b c d The Geared Locomotive Collection of Roaring Camp and Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad Kliment Jim Part 2 Disaster Strikes Discover Live Steam online magazine Prince Charlene June 20 2003 Day Out with Thomas at Roaring Camp San Francisco Chronicle Train Collision with End of Track Felton California PDF National Transportation Safety Board February 15 2017 Retrieved February 27 2017 Trainweb org Roaring Camp and Big Trees Railroad Retrieved July 9 2010 a b c d e f Steam Locomotive com Archived 2010 07 29 at the Wayback Machine Roaring Camp Railroads Steamfest 2017 YouTube Treefrogflag Productions Archived from the original on 2021 12 21 Retrieved 29 March 2018 a b c American Society of Mechanical Engineers list of landmarks 134 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Roaring Camp Railroads www wbr roaringcamp wbr com Roaring Camp Railroads Retrieved 2005 11 29 Video Documentary about Roaring Camp Railroads Narrow Gauge Steam Operations Archived from the original on 2007 09 27 Retrieved 2007 04 09 Roaring Camp Railroads A personal visit in 2006 with photographs Coordinates 37 02 27 N 122 03 45 W 37 0407 N 122 0624 W 37 0407 122 0624 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Roaring Camp 26 Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad amp oldid 1102067456, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
