Crane deposits locomotive

WORK CREWS steady a 22 ton Plymouth diesel locomotive as it is being lifted from a trailer onto the railroad tracks in the town of El Dorado Friday afternoon. Democrat photo by Pat DollinsIt wasn’t wrapped, but the train engine that arrived in El Dorado on Friday, Dec. 17, might as well have had a big red ribbon on it.

The 22-ton Plymouth diesel locomotive is a gift from CertainTeed , in Chowchilla. Keith Berry, president of El Dorado Western Railway, said CertainTeed had owned the engine for over 30 years. “They were looking for a place to donate the engine where it would be taken care of.”  In a sense the Plymouth is coming home to El Dorado County. At one time it was owned by American Rock & Gravel Co. in Cool. It was built by Plymouth Locomotive Works, a builder of small railroad locomotives in Plymouth, Ohio, in 1952.  CertainTeed delivered the engine on a lowboy trailer provided by Bordges Timber Shop in El Dorado. Diamond Crane from Diamond Springs supplied the crane to lift the engine off the trailer.  The Plymouth was delivered into the loving hands of the El Dorado Western Railway Foundation volunteers. Berry said there are about 35 volunteers who work on railroad development, rehabilitating old tracks, installing new ties, repairing drainage areas, cutting brush, and repairing and maintaining railroad equipment.  “Our volunteers range in age from 14 to 82. The track crew is generally in the 18-30 range. Machinists work at a shop at the county museum and some volunteers have homework projects where they repair parts at home and bring them back.”  If all goes according to plan, the Plymouth will be carrying passengers from El Dorado east to Missouri Flat Road, a distance of about three miles, beginning around Memorial Day. The next extension planned is west to the El Dorado Y. Long-range, they would like to extend the railway to Shingle Springs.  “This is the living history component of the railway park in El Dorado,” said Berry. “This is part of the first railroad in the United States. People will be able to step back in time to the early 1900s and experience the excitement of waiting for the train to come into the station, then take a ride through beautiful scenery.”  Berry said that when Southern Pacific was running trains there were dirt roads on each side of the tracks for fire service. The right of way is wide. It can accommodate a paved path for walking, a dirt path for mountain bikes and a path for equestrians. “Passengers can take the train one way, then ride their bicycles or walk back.”  The rails are standard gauge, 4-feet, 8-1/2 inches. Berry says a third rail can be installed “that will allow us to use narrow gauge too.”  The trailhead for this section of the tracks will be located at the proposed regional park in El Dorado. The El Dorado County Department of Transportation is applying to the state for grant money to develop the park. The original El Dorado Depot will be reconstructed on the site. The plan includes an information center, picnic area, parking, restrooms and handicapped access.  Berry is a member of the El Dorado County Museum Commission and project manager for the historical railroad. He is a retired hospital administrator, but he has railroad blood: “My great-grandfather worked on locomotives in England. He brought his family to Dunkirk, N.Y., so he and his sons could continue working on trains.”  He said, ”I was the logical person to take on the project because I had experience with the railroad museum in Sacramento and I have the time to devote to it. This is my avocation. The railroad park and train ride are a community public benefit, and will draw rail fans from outside the region.”  Berry, who is a volunteer, says the development of the railroad is being done with private donations, museum volunteers and local contractors. “We want to show that the community can generate support for programs without having to spend millions of dollars,” he said.  The railroad will operate under federal railroad regulations. It will travel at a speed of 10 mph, and when crossing a road will stop and the flag men will jump off the train and stop traffic. “The whistle is tuned to the environment. It’s about half volume. We will be a good neighbor,” he said. The El Dorado Western Railway Foundation is a 503(c)(3) not-for-profit. It is housed in the El Dorado County Museum at 104 Placerville Drive. Mary Cory, museum director is a member of the museum commission and serves as the foundation secretary.  To make a donation or inquire about volunteering, call the El Dorado County Museum at 530-621-5865.
Berry says the train is scheduled to run on weekends and holidays year-round, including some evening rides “Imagine the fun of a train ride in the snow, and the sound of the train whistle tooting,” he said.

Supes: No priority rights on RR route

Featured Stories News

Thursday, December 9th, 2010 | Posted by Chris Daley

PINT SIZED POLAR EXPRESS — Santa and Mrs. Claus wave good-bye to the crowd gathered at the depot in Shingle Springs as they take off in a speeder car toward the town of El Dorado. The event sponsored by the Folsom, El Dorado, & Sacramento Historical Railroad Association gave train enthusiasts the thrill of riding the rails from Shingle Springs to El Dorado Saturday. Demaocrat photo by Pat Dollins

Biking, hiking and equestrian activities will not be designated as the  ”priority” use for the El Dorado Trail.  Neither will excursion trains or other rail sports be designated the “priority” activity.

After four hours of testimony and discussion Tuesday evening, the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors opted to withdraw a proposed resolution that would have set non-railroad pursuits as the county’s priority for the Sacramento-Placerville Transportation Corridor.

Under the provisions of the national Rails to Trails Act, the county or other jurisdiction can determine how a former railroad right of way may be used — with one major caveat. No matter what activity may be contemplated on the land, it must be clearly designated as an “interim” use. The federal law basically states that in the event commercial railroading becomes viable again in the future, the right of way must be readily convertible back to rail use. The law does not promote one use over another but specifies only that significant impediments to future rail use not be erected.

Passions have run high over the past year as proponents of restoring rail traffic along the 26-mile route from Placerville to Folsom have competed with hiking and cycling groups for acquiring a measure of control over the right of way.

Supervisor John Knight eventually withdrew his proposed resolution in favor of allowing leaders of the two rival factions to come together and bring potential areas of agreement and cooperation back to the board in March.

Jeff Sellwood of Friends of the El Dorado Trail and Jim Harville of the Sacramento Valley Railroad organization agreed to work together to resolve outstanding points of contention regarding future use of the right of way. Harville’s group proposes to operate excursion trains over some portion of the tracks between Folsom and Shingle Springs or possibly to El Dorado.

Friends of the El Dorado Trail has focused on creating a “trail of national significance,” as described by Mike Kenison, a member of that board. Kenison told the Mountain Democrat in a phone call Wednesday that his group viewed the non-resolution as a bit of a setback, but “the vision is still there, and our group has really raised a lot of awareness about trail issues.”

“Although we don’t have priority, we will work with different groups, such as the Board of Supervisors and Department of Transportation to do what we can,” Kennison said

“One of the most important things we’ve done is searched for the facts and painted a realistic picture of what the trail can mean. There are so many trails in the country that generate tremendous revenue, and this  could become one,” Kenison said.

The El Dorado Western Railway Foundation represents another point of view. As the “living history component” of the county’s railroad park in El Dorado, a subsidiary of the El Dorado County Museum, foundation volunteers have put in thousands of hours clearing brush and renovating equipment. Their near-term goal is to operate a historically authentic train generally between Missouri Flat Road and the park in El Dorado.

Keith Berry is a museum commissioner for the county, director of the foundation and project manager. He and his group have restored rolling stock and repaired rails and ties over the three-mile stretch to enable local rail history to “come alive.”

Berry said the rail buffs generally appreciated the “clarity” that came out of Tuesday’s meeting, that is, “that no one venue has priority” on the right of way and that consistency with the county’s General Plan and relevant master plans would prohibit exclusivity of one use over another.

He further noted that wild rumors to the contrary, “Amtrak won’t be coming up the hill, and our use limits us to 10 mph; we have nowhere to go in a hurry,” he quipped.

“We’re on the road to proving ourselves to the community,” Berry continued. “And we’re going to be good citizens.”

Berry also concluded that “there are ways of engineering” the roadbed that would accommodate multiple use activities, and he said he is optimistic that some workable compromises can be developed to “facilitate sharing” of the land.

Supervisors Knight and Jack Sweeney will represent the county in the ad hoc group tasked with exploring areas of common interest and points of conflict between potential user groups.

Volunteers reopen railroad tunnel cut

VOLUNTEERS UNLOADED each carload of rocks into the gully in about 15 minutes. They then laid a 10-foot line of rocks in the gully. The rocks will prevent rushing water from cutting into the rail bed during heavy rain storms. Crew members, from left to right, are Bill Wilde, 47, Shingle Springs; Alex Wilde, 22, Cameron Park; Hank Stiles, Fairmount speeder operator, 62, Rancho Cordova; Keith Berry, EDWRF president and project manager, 62, El Dorado; and Jacob Karoly, 19, Diamond Springs. Photographs by Steven Karoly

On Saturday, Nov. 13, 15 volunteers from two railway organizations joined forces to clear several tons of rock and dirt from the Tunnel No. 1 cut on the historical Placerville Branch rail line.

In an era of austere government budgets, crews from the El Dorado Western Railway Foundation and the Folsom, El Dorado and Sacramento Historical Railroad Association  donated over 75 hours of personal labor to ensure safe passage through the cut for pedestrians, bicyclists, equestrians and trains.

“Saturday’s work day on the Placerville Branch is a stark reminder of how the railroad was built and how we can overcome the need for tax dollars by using volunteers,” said Ed Cunha, EDWRF vice president. “In less than five hours, this small army of volunteers was able to reopen the Tunnel No. 1 cut and reestablish drainage in the cut where standing water had prohibited passage for as many years as anyone can remember.”

A key aspect of the project was the reclamation of excavated rock and dirt from the cut.

EDWRF president Keith Berry identified a washout one-half mile west of the cut where the material was used to shore up an eroded drainage ditch. Using the FEDS’ large Fairmount speeder and flatcar to transport fill material from the cut, the crew laid a rock foundation over a donated eight-inch steel culvert pipe.

To facilitate passage on the existing unimproved hiking and mountain bike trail adjacent to the tracks, the crew built a trail crossing over the repaired drainage ditch.

This project brought volunteers from two distinct railroad associations together to preserve El Dorado County’s rail legacy for current and future generations.

It’s a testament of the value these volunteers bring to the project. Using picks and shovels and a backhoe, volunteers cleared an important passage on the rail corridor without spending one dollar from county coffers, the group stgated in a press release.

“This project serves all corridor venues, thereby providing a fine first example of developing a commonly held resource,” said Berry. “This project is extended toward the entire community and is only the first step in demonstrating a viable and successful approach within very limited financial times.”

The foundation is working in partnership with the County of El Dorado and the El Dorado County Historical Museum to develop the El Dorado County Historical Railroad Park in the Town of El Dorado and to preserve the historical Placerville Branch rail line.

VOLUNTEERS UNLOADED each carload of rocks into the gully in about 15 minutes. They then laid a 10-foot line of rocks in the gully. The rocks will prevent rushing water from cutting into the rail bed during heavy rain storms. Crew members, from left to right, are Bill Wilde, 47, Shingle Springs; Alex Wilde, 22, Cameron Park; Hank Stiles, Fairmount speeder operator, 62, Rancho Cordova; Keith Berry, EDWRF president and project manager, 62, El Dorado; and Jacob Karoly, 19, Diamond Springs. Photographs by Steven Karoly

A BACK HOE operators Bob McCormick of El Dorado digs a drainage ditch on the east side of Tunnel No.1 cut. The dirt was used as fill for a washout repair a half mile down the line. Photograph by Steven Karoly

CREW MAKE-UP CHANGED each time a new load of rocks or fill dirt was brought down the rails to the washout. Within one hour of completing the project, two men on mountain bikes reported to Ed Cunha that the bridge worked well. The last crew of the day consisted of, left to right, Hank Stiles, Fairmount speeder operator, 62, Rancho Cordova; Keith Berry, EDWRF president and project manager, 62, El Dorado; Ben Cunha, 55, Diamond Springs; Ed Cunha, 28, Diamond Springs; Alex Wilde, 22, Cameron Park; Bill Wilde, 47, Shingle Springs; and Bill Bellas, 54, Cameron Park. Photographs by Steven Karoly

All Aboard - The Folsom Rail Festival

by Kati Garner

Track that was laid to be part of the Trans-Continental Railroad did not fulfill its destiny but it was celebrated as the oldest railroad track west of the Mississippi River this weekend during the Folsom Historic Railroad and Transportation Festival .

"130 years ago the track ran from Sacramento to Folsom. The route was changed and now it runs from Sacramento to Auburn and beyond," said Larry Bowler, one of the Festival's organizers.

It became only a local freight line and travelled just beyond Placerville. Many years ago the track was torn out five miles west of Placerville.

This is the first time the festival has been in Folsom. The past four years it's been held in Ione on a smaller scale.

There were lots of things to see and do.

Walt Freeman, Sacramento Regional Transit, prepares passengers for a short trip in Sacramento Regional Transit’s own #35 PG&E Streetcar at the Folsom Historic Railroad and Transportation Festival at Folsom Pointe. Designed to run on the rails, the streetcar was built in St. Louis, MO in 1913, servicing Sacramento from 1914 through 1948. The old Folsom Powerhouse supplied power to a power plant in Sacramento at 6th & I Streets and ran the system.

Conductor Eric Olds collected passenger's tickets.

The historic streetcar ride took passengers south of Hwy 50.

One of the characters along the way.

A man and his two sons depart from the streetcar.

A festival visitor stands by a Railroad Motorcar, sometimes called a “Speeder”. Smaller models, like this one, were used routinely to inspect the many miles of track for defects. Larger versions would carry half a dozen workers and pull a few trailers loaded with spikes and tools, to handle track maintenance.They have a top speed of 30mph and are faster than handcars. ( from www.narcoa.org/newsite/faq.htm)

Ric Hornor was on hand with 'Books by Dead Guys', books full of photos and stories created in the 1800s. (www.19thcentury.us/)

This is the passenger side of San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway Fire Truck MW No. 1003. It was built by the Ford Motor Co. in 1931 and was based near the Mexican border at Jacumba, CA. It fought fires that plagued the railway's many wooden trestles and timber lined tunnels of the Carriso Gorge. It is in full operational condition.

A father and son inspect a Track Mobile. It has rubber and steel wheels so it can travel on land as well as the rails. It is mainly used in industrial settings.

A huge wrench is carried in a Mudge "Special", an all-around car that can carry three men, yet it is light enough to be handled easily by one person. It has a one cylinder, 4-hp engine and is used by linemen, signal men, claim adjusters, patrolment, station agents and inspectors. It has removable guide arms, wheels and tray, and can be loaded into baggage cars.

Indoor Model Railroad Displays were up and running.

joe@psvrr.com

 SacPress Photos | Kati Garner