Nostalgia & History > The SP Placerville Branch Rides Again!

In the mid to late 1980's , Southern Pacific began abandoning most of their branch lines in an effort to save money. In 1987, they intended to abandon one of their most profitable and oldest branch lines known as the Placerville Branch. However the branch has never been legally abandoned. It was instead purchased by a joint powers authority (County of Sacramento, city of Folsom, county of El Dorado, and the Regional Transit authority) with the hopes of preserving the line for excursion service and possible future freight use.

http://i60.tinypic.com/2qasgb4.jpg

The rougly 50 to 60 mile Branch wound from R street in Sacramento California, through the city of Folsom and up through the foothills to the city of Placerville where it linked up with another railroad called the Camino, Placerville, & Lake Tahoe Railroad. (CP&LT) The last couple of miles from Diamond Springs to Placerville have been torn up and replaced by a bike trail. But the remaining 39 or so miles from Old Town Folsom to Diamond Springs remains completely intact. In 2011 the Placerville & Sacramento Valley Railroad began running short excursions on the line from the edge of Folsom to the El Dorado county line (About four miles) using an A4 motorcar, an A6 motorcar, and a much larger 1936 motorcar called the Skagit which the group restored in 2002.

http://i59.tinypic.com/24b2c8w.jpg
^^ An excursion with the Skagit crossing White Rock Road in 2011

Unfortunately a group of bicycle enthusiasts have been lobbying to tear the tracks out and use the money from the rails to build a bike trail on the right of way. Fortunately that plan is no longer in consideration and almost everyone now agrees that both needs can be met by putting a bike trail NEXT to the tracks.

In late 2013 things really started to gain momentum. The White Rock Road grade crossing was legally reactivated and newer gates with arms were installed to replace the wig-wag that had since been removed. Then in August 2014, after much tie replacement, ballast adjustment, and drainage improvements, the group successfully tested their "Diesel Train." The 44 ton Howard Terminal locomotive, an open air passenger flatcar, and a steel SSW bay window caboose are intended to replace the motorcars in public excursion service.

http://i62.tinypic.com/2vnfkoh.jpg

Many people were doubtful that nothing would run on the line again. But now I am a member of their group and the faces of people in their cars as a diesel locomotive rolls through Folsom on the "abandoned" track are priceless. I will include more photos from my collection soon, but for now, here is the website: http://psvrr.org/

The SP Placerville Branch rides again!

It's great to see their intestinal fortitude and efforts in getting the line saved. In it's
last year after every expense SP could throw at it the line still cleared over $250K and the
FRA denied the abandonment. The thing that killed the line was the $1200/car "surcharge", just
in time to foil that evil W-O lumber from starting to ship again. It would make a totally
scenic dinner train route with certainly the population base to support it.

Out

Our group has discussed a dinner train and there are even a few industries along the line who want us to ship frieght for them again.

Posted from iPhone

This is fantastic news. I would love to see some restored SP locomotives run down the line. Steam would be preferred.

sphauler



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/23/15 12:11 by sphauler.

Here are some more pictures of the new operations. I will link a couple videos as well
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCrW6MgfQQA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bob4spO9_Sg

---

---

You must be a registered subscriber to watch videos. Join Today!

I have zero SP pictures to post that include that fancy wall! Sure nice to see a
train on that line and that thing isn't a 44 tonner.

Out

Looks like a typical EsPee "Common Standard" branch line of the era with 75CSR rail (or maybe 90RA)...those wrap around joint bars give it away!

Dick Samuels
Oregon Pacific Railroad

Most of it is SP spec 5 3/8" tall 90# (as opposed to SF 6" tall 90#).

Out

It's all 1905 75lb rail until Shingle Springs where it's 1960's 110lb rail

Posted from iPhone

So glad they are running trains again there. Loved looking to trains as a kid when we went to Apple Hill. When it was abandoned I was so disappointed, and wished I had enough money to buy it.

Nathan

Posted from iPhone

callum_out Wrote:

> Sure nice to see a
> train on that line and that thing isn't a 44
> tonner.

Ted Wurm's article on the Howard Terminal in the January 1975 Pacific News give Whitcomb #8's weight as 88,999 lbs.

Dylerbiller Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It's all 1905 75lb rail until Shingle Springs
> where it's 1960's 110lb rail
>
> Posted from iPhone


That old EsPee 75 pound rail is tough stuff...we're running 286 loads over 4 miles of it on our Molalla Branch...most problems with it are vertical split head separations.

Dick Samuels
Oregon Pacific Railroad

I do believe that there are a number of spots which are at least 90#, for instance
the curves East of Latrobe, it's not all 75#

Out