Steam & Excursion > Some Sierra for Saturday

The former concessionaire of Railtown 1897 used to run chartered photo runs which I had the privilege of attending. Here are two shots from those trips and one of the Mother Lode Cannonball.

1. Sierra Shay 2 is being turned on the Cooperstown wye on February 1, 1992. The wye had been out of use for 10 years maybe? They had to unspike the switch and then the crew was watching carefully as she traversed the wye successfully. I don't know what the plan would have been if she had derailed! But soon she will be turned and we will be back on our journey back to Jamestown.

2. On December 5, 1992, Sierra 3 and 28 are smoking it up on a runby west of Jamestown, CA.

3. Sierra 28 is eastbound at Montezuma along Hwy 49 on September 7, 1992.

Thanks for looking,

Tom

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Tom:

Thanks for posting the photos. That shot of the Shay on the Cooperstown Y reminded me of one of the (sometimes) surprises at Cooperstown out along the Y - Rattlesnakes. On excursion I rode on back about 45 years ago or so, one of the railfans was running to get a shot of the 28 being Y'd and ran right past a surprised rattler along the rail. Luckily he wasn't bitten and as I recall someone killed it with a couple well placed rocks because their were railfans all over the place, mostly heedless of our rural "buzz tails".

During the operations of Railtown 1897 when the Sierra was running Twilight Limiteds and the Dinner Trains (on which I worked) you wanted to keep an eye out in Cooperstown as sometimes the snakes cozied up to the rails for heat in the evening. Same thing along the Pickering along the tracks that I recall between Middle Camp and Tramway.

John

I had a question, how much wood did 34 use on it's daily passenger run up the hill?

Out

callum_out Wrote:
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> I had a question, how much wood did 34 use on it's
> daily passenger run up the hill?
>
> Out
None,from the day she was delivered She and all of Sierra locomotives were oil burners

No, no, can't be! I just saw the 34 in a movie and it had the tender just stacked with fresh split lumber!
Actually, watched Pale Rider, haven't seen it in a while and the train scenes feature 34. Nice paint, typical
fake stack, and the tender just piled high with wood, don't know where the water was kept! Train relettered
for some phony road (Denver and California Western) but the 34 tender was still lettered Sierra Railway.
The rest of the movie is very accurate as to the firearms, furnishings, etc and here they completely blow
it on the locomotive. Movie was made in 1985 and I don't remember 34 running that late but I guess it
did.

Out

I was told 34 never ran after about 1979.

flash34 Wrote:
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> I was told 34 never ran after about 1979.

Last day #34 was fired-up was May 21, 1980.

OK, how do you explain it appearing in a movie released June of 1985?

Out

 

#28 using 34's spot plate....

Except I do believe the engine in the movie was a Mike.

Out

callum_out Wrote:
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> OK, how do you explain it appearing in a movie
> released June of 1985?
>
> Out
>
>  

Pale Rider, starring Clint Eastwood, was filmed at McCormick Wye on October 30, 1984, using Sierra Railroad 2-8-0 #28, fitted with a diamond stack.

Interesting, I didn't look that close but it looked like a Mike, also why renumber it 34?

Out