Nostalgia & History > Sierra RR Last Scheduled Train

On October 28, 1979, the last scheduled passenger train passed through Sonora, Calif., with engine #34 in charge. #34 crosses Washington Street with four coaches with the final train heading for Jamestown.

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Brian,

Cool shot...Did the #34 run past Standard in those days (or even before)?


SV

During the 70's, #34 went past Standard only once, to milepost 51, one mile above Standard depot. During January, February, and March of 1955, both the 34 and 36 were used on freights between Jamestown and Tuolumne, as the 24 & 28 had been retired in 1951 and 1952. #34 made it's last trip to Tuolumne on April 2, 1955.

SierraRail Wrote:
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> During the 70's, #34 went past Standard only once,
> to milepost 51, one mile above Standard depot.
> During January, February, and March of 1955, both
> the 34 and 36 were used on freights between
> Jamestown and Tuolumne, as the 24 & 28 had
> been retired in 1951 and 1952. #34 made it's last
> trip to Tuolumne on April 2, 1955.

First, nice pic Brian. Did you get up on a rooftop for that?
Secondly, your info on the steam is appreciated. I was not aware that engine 28 had been retired. I have an Al Rose slide in my collection taken in mid-April, 1955 of her under steam. I now wonder what the occasion was.
When Jim Baker was still alive, he told me how they'd have to fill engine 24 with as much water as she'd take without carrying over before they started up the hill out of Cooperstown. She was a fairly big engine, but had no superheater & was really piggy on water consumption when worked hard. They'd use both injectors up the Canyon Tank grade & still ended up a little shy of where they should have been in the glass!

Tom, I was up on the hillside for that photo. #28 went into the Jamestown roundhouse in November, 1952, and never turned a wheel until August, 1954. She was used for two days as a helper from Jamestown to Quinn's, operating a total of 14 miles, then back into storage. She next operated in January and March of 1955, again as a helper engine, racking-up a total of 36 miles. In April, 1955, #28 was used on a couple of passenger excursion trains for a total of 172 miles.

That's great info, thanks. I had been aware that 36 & 38 were used a lot in the last few months, but not 34. I have no slides of her in steam then, just the other two.
Tom

One thing that I'd forgotten to add was that engine 36 was used as a helper West out of Jamestown at least once in the first quarter of 1955. Engine 38, the 2-6-6-2, was the road engine.
Tom

Another factor in all of this is that from June 15 to about August 15, 1954, engine 38 was out of service due to mechanical problems. Only engines serviceable were the 34 and 36. Engines 18 and 24 were completely unserviceable, but the 28 could be readied if needed. Then on August 22, 1954, Master Mechanic Bill Tremewan died suddenly. Within 48 hours of his death the decision was made to get rid of steam power, and order new diesels from Baldwin.

Great info...stuff like this belongs in a book!

They went further than just a mile out of Standard in the early seventies. They went as far as Black Oak trestle in 1971 and 1972 ( 72 with an excursion train of PLA's)

WAF Wrote:
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> They went further than just a mile out of Standard
> in the early seventies. They went as far as Black
> Oak trestle in 1971 and 1972 ( 72 with an
> excursion train of PLA's)

Correct, but I think it was with engine 28, not 34. I was on the mixed & we went as far as Ralph. Tried to talk Joe Francis into running up on the Pickering a little bit, but he would have none of that!

The mixed train was with 28 in Oct, 1971?, but the triple header in 1972 went to Black Oak also, the PLA trip on Labor Day. How far did the 1971 trip with 34 on the head end and 28 pushing get? Standard? Was on it, but don't remember. Those Jumps trips went a bit past Standard, but was so overgrown, they didn't want to go further.

No triple header operated to Black Oak in 1972. I don't know of any triple-header train operating east of Standard in the entire history of the Sierra Railroad. The only train beyond Standard in 1972 was a double-header on Sept. 3, 1972, and it stopped well short of Black Oak trestle by at least 3/4 mile, and then backed back down the hill to Standard. If anyone has photos of a triple-header above Standard, I'd love to see them.

Double header then, with 3 and 34. Henry Bueckman and Robert Hogan had pictures of it as stated in the caption it was Black Oak. One trestle looks to same as another...

WAF Wrote:
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> Double header then, with 3 and 34. Henry Bueckman
> and Robert Hogan had pictures of it as stated in
> the caption it was Black Oak. One trestle looks to
> same as another...

Could have either been Draper or Sullivan Creek. Brian is right as Black Oak is getting pretty close to Ralph.
Wow, Henry Brueckman & Bob Hogan...Henry passed away a few years ago & I haven't seen Bob for over 25. I believe that he got into On3 modeling. Bob & Karl Koenig were the two guys that went to John Lowe of Fibreboard & secured the lease so that PLA could operate the Sugar Pine Ry. over the Labor Day Weekend of '71.
Tom

So, you're saying Henry Bruekman and Roger Hogan took photos of #34 in 1972 on Black Oak trestle? That's impossible! It never happened!

Hogan's photo in a late fall issue of Pacific News and Henry's in his little 24 page softbound book on the Sierra Railroad. In fact, in Ted Bensen's article in Trains on the Sierra in the Seventies, had a shot of this runby too. Three photos.