p&sr
OBS Chief
Last Saturday my wife "Moonlight Express" had a conference to attend in Sacramento. We decided to go there together and celebrate Trains. We might have taken the Capitol Corridor to get there, but unfortunately the meeting was scheduled to begin before the first train of the day was due to arrive. So we drove.
Getting there a little early, we drove around town a bit. We saw the old U.P. Passenger Depot (now a Spaghetti Restaurant) and the current Amtrak Depot (with the ancient Locomotive Works across the way), and then drove around Old Town and the RailRoad Museum. Around the back, we saw the Steam Engine ("Granite Rock") getting steamed up for that day's runs.
After dropping her off for her meeting, I parked for the day next to Old Town. In front of the RailRoad Museum, there was a group of folks all with fancy cameras, involved in a photo contest. The leader was mentioning things to look for, and I added that there would be Steam Trains running that should provide some great photo opportunities. Then I headed over to watch the preparations on the Steam Engine. They practiced blowing great clouds of steam through the cylinders in the cold morning air, and running forward and backward a few feet along the track. Then they placed wheel-blocks and began lubricating all of the drive pistons and such, filling a number of little bronze receptacles with oil. After a few toots of the whistle, they were ready to roll.
About this time, they started up a little diesel switching engine that was parked on the Turntable, and rotated the Turntable so it could exit. It then drove into a locked area at the historic Depot, and pulled out the historic Parlour Car to be used on that day's runs. Next, they got the Steam Engine across the Turntable, and filled the tanks with water from a near-by fire-hydrant. After that, they drove down to the Depot area next to a tank car, and filled the Engine with fuel... "used motor oil". The tank car used a pump which was powered by steam pressure from the Engine, so they had a double connection... one for fuel, and one for the steam pressure.
Finally, after some more manoeuvering in the yards and getting up some speed on the straightaway, they coupled onto the passenger train for the day's runs along the Levee of the Sacramento River. About this time, I got my ticket to the RailRoad Museum and watched their movie (which I had not seen for a few years). There was a large tour group there from New Jersey, so naturally I asked them if they had come all that way just to see the RailRoad Museum (perfectly reasonable, in my opinion). No, they were also to see Lake Tahoe and San Francisco. Fine, I said, just be sure to ride the Cable Cars!
After the movie, I took a quick walk-through to see a few of the highlights... Central Pacific's Engine #1 (the Stanford), and Southern Pacific's Engine #1 (the Huntington), Engines #12 and #13 from the Virginia & Truckee, and the beautiful little engine "Sonoma" from the North Pacific Coast Railroad. Then back to the historic Depot to get tickets for the first Steam Ride of the day.
We had a pleasant three-mile run down the River. Riding in Coach (as always!), right behind the Engine, there was plenty to see and hear. On the return trip, we stopped to blow off some steam. To prevent the build-up of mineral scale inside the boiler, they vent off some super-heated water (300 degrees) from the bottom of the boiler where debris tends to settle. It immediately vaporizes on release, shooting out like a geyser 100 feet to the side of the Train. Very dramatic.
Back in the Depot, I watched as they detached the Engine and ran around to connect to the other end of the Train for their next run. After that (and after an excellent lunch of grilled sausage at the Depot), I headed over to the Amtrak Depot (where some Amtrak California Trains were coming and going) and boarded the Light Rail. Riding through town and past the State Capitol Building, I transferred at 16th Street back to Northbound, and continued all the way to Watt/I-80 (along the UP Mainline north-east of town), then back into town again, exiting at the K-Street Pedestrian Mall. Walking over to the Convention Center, I met my wife, whose meeting was just concluding.
Together we walked back for a full tour of the RailRoad Museum. While there, we saw the big rail-and-highway bridge swing open to allow a steamboat to pass through. Also of interest (by the entrance to the Theatre) was a model of the historic Locomotive Works, showing in great detail the various industrial facilities that used to operate there.
In the main Museum, we walked through a Pullman Car (made to feel like it is moving), and through a Dining Car (with a full restaurant-style Kitchen) containing a colorful exhibit of historic ceramic dinnerware from many different RailRoads. We also enjoyed visiting the cab of an exceptionally large Steam Engine, and seeing several smaller engines as well... one narrow-gauge (upstairs on the Trestle), one 18-inch gauge (by the front entrance), one about 12-inch gauge (in the Toy Trains exhibit upstairs) and one about 7-1/2 inch gauge (on the Mezzanine). The last two were highly detailed operating replicas of historic engines, lovingly built by hand over many years.
Next we walked over to the historic Depot and watched the Steam Engine drive by to connect for its last run of the day, and then saw the Train depart past the golden Tower DrawBridge and out of Old Town. We got back to our car, crossed the Bridge, and found a good viewing spot on the Levee across the River... just in time to see the Steam Train returning north from its final run. An excellent conclusion to the day's activities.
Driving home by a scenic route, we saw the high Santa Fe Trestle at Martinez, crossed the UP Mainline at Crockett, and passed the old Schellville Depot. After a fine dinner out, we were ready to call it a day.
Next time we do Trains... we hope to actually ride them somewhere. But for this day, of course, we were glad just to focus on Steam and on our local RailRoad history.
To Summarize: if you can get to Sacramento, do visit the RailRoad Museum. And if it happens to be on a Summer Weekend, do check out the Steam Trains.
Getting there a little early, we drove around town a bit. We saw the old U.P. Passenger Depot (now a Spaghetti Restaurant) and the current Amtrak Depot (with the ancient Locomotive Works across the way), and then drove around Old Town and the RailRoad Museum. Around the back, we saw the Steam Engine ("Granite Rock") getting steamed up for that day's runs.
After dropping her off for her meeting, I parked for the day next to Old Town. In front of the RailRoad Museum, there was a group of folks all with fancy cameras, involved in a photo contest. The leader was mentioning things to look for, and I added that there would be Steam Trains running that should provide some great photo opportunities. Then I headed over to watch the preparations on the Steam Engine. They practiced blowing great clouds of steam through the cylinders in the cold morning air, and running forward and backward a few feet along the track. Then they placed wheel-blocks and began lubricating all of the drive pistons and such, filling a number of little bronze receptacles with oil. After a few toots of the whistle, they were ready to roll.
About this time, they started up a little diesel switching engine that was parked on the Turntable, and rotated the Turntable so it could exit. It then drove into a locked area at the historic Depot, and pulled out the historic Parlour Car to be used on that day's runs. Next, they got the Steam Engine across the Turntable, and filled the tanks with water from a near-by fire-hydrant. After that, they drove down to the Depot area next to a tank car, and filled the Engine with fuel... "used motor oil". The tank car used a pump which was powered by steam pressure from the Engine, so they had a double connection... one for fuel, and one for the steam pressure.
Finally, after some more manoeuvering in the yards and getting up some speed on the straightaway, they coupled onto the passenger train for the day's runs along the Levee of the Sacramento River. About this time, I got my ticket to the RailRoad Museum and watched their movie (which I had not seen for a few years). There was a large tour group there from New Jersey, so naturally I asked them if they had come all that way just to see the RailRoad Museum (perfectly reasonable, in my opinion). No, they were also to see Lake Tahoe and San Francisco. Fine, I said, just be sure to ride the Cable Cars!
After the movie, I took a quick walk-through to see a few of the highlights... Central Pacific's Engine #1 (the Stanford), and Southern Pacific's Engine #1 (the Huntington), Engines #12 and #13 from the Virginia & Truckee, and the beautiful little engine "Sonoma" from the North Pacific Coast Railroad. Then back to the historic Depot to get tickets for the first Steam Ride of the day.
We had a pleasant three-mile run down the River. Riding in Coach (as always!), right behind the Engine, there was plenty to see and hear. On the return trip, we stopped to blow off some steam. To prevent the build-up of mineral scale inside the boiler, they vent off some super-heated water (300 degrees) from the bottom of the boiler where debris tends to settle. It immediately vaporizes on release, shooting out like a geyser 100 feet to the side of the Train. Very dramatic.
Back in the Depot, I watched as they detached the Engine and ran around to connect to the other end of the Train for their next run. After that (and after an excellent lunch of grilled sausage at the Depot), I headed over to the Amtrak Depot (where some Amtrak California Trains were coming and going) and boarded the Light Rail. Riding through town and past the State Capitol Building, I transferred at 16th Street back to Northbound, and continued all the way to Watt/I-80 (along the UP Mainline north-east of town), then back into town again, exiting at the K-Street Pedestrian Mall. Walking over to the Convention Center, I met my wife, whose meeting was just concluding.
Together we walked back for a full tour of the RailRoad Museum. While there, we saw the big rail-and-highway bridge swing open to allow a steamboat to pass through. Also of interest (by the entrance to the Theatre) was a model of the historic Locomotive Works, showing in great detail the various industrial facilities that used to operate there.
In the main Museum, we walked through a Pullman Car (made to feel like it is moving), and through a Dining Car (with a full restaurant-style Kitchen) containing a colorful exhibit of historic ceramic dinnerware from many different RailRoads. We also enjoyed visiting the cab of an exceptionally large Steam Engine, and seeing several smaller engines as well... one narrow-gauge (upstairs on the Trestle), one 18-inch gauge (by the front entrance), one about 12-inch gauge (in the Toy Trains exhibit upstairs) and one about 7-1/2 inch gauge (on the Mezzanine). The last two were highly detailed operating replicas of historic engines, lovingly built by hand over many years.
Next we walked over to the historic Depot and watched the Steam Engine drive by to connect for its last run of the day, and then saw the Train depart past the golden Tower DrawBridge and out of Old Town. We got back to our car, crossed the Bridge, and found a good viewing spot on the Levee across the River... just in time to see the Steam Train returning north from its final run. An excellent conclusion to the day's activities.
Driving home by a scenic route, we saw the high Santa Fe Trestle at Martinez, crossed the UP Mainline at Crockett, and passed the old Schellville Depot. After a fine dinner out, we were ready to call it a day.
Next time we do Trains... we hope to actually ride them somewhere. But for this day, of course, we were glad just to focus on Steam and on our local RailRoad history.
To Summarize: if you can get to Sacramento, do visit the RailRoad Museum. And if it happens to be on a Summer Weekend, do check out the Steam Trains.
My one and only time at the RR Museum was over 16 years ago.
