Steam & Excursion > Niles Canyon Steam Like We Will Never See Again - 1949!

Here is a setting that is very familiar to many of us, but not with the trainset like this!

No, your eyes are not playing tricks on you, that really is an ancient 4-4-0 pulling a short wooden car train just out of Niles, California. The engine in fact is none other than former Virginia & Truckee #12 on a special excursion on this fine spring day of May 1, 1949. The 1873 built Baldwin named the Genoa, has been selected as the power of this very short railfan special.

This special train actually ran all the way from San Jose to Oakland behind the little wood burner. Yes, the Genoa had been retired by the V&T in 1908 and had never been changed from wood to coal. This meant the engine had to be supplied with wood along the way of this special excursion.

A few days after this R&LHS trip was over, the Genoa and R&LHS owned 2-4-0 #21, "The Bowker" were loaded on flat cars and sent off the worlds fair in Chicago. While a popular display at the fair, the #12 had been seen bu an estimated 50,000 people as she powered this special little train through Central California.

Martin



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 09/11/13 04:37 by LoggerHogger.

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Hey Martin-- Great photo, Sir !! Wood even.. fantastic! Got a challenge for you though....
See if you can find a photo of the "Argonaut Bay Special" that was operated in San Francisco on
June 23, 1953. It was a short consist which included the same ancient WP combo that was used in your photo herein, pulled by the J.W. Bowker and operated on Market Street. Tony Johnson in Medford doesn't believe me but it's true !! So there is your challenge of the day, Sir!

Ok- tell you what.. Here's a second challenge for you.. Find a photo of the J.W. Bowker and train operating from the Ferry Building to Aquatic Park in San Francisco on Sunday, May 27th--1951.. Old Tony J. will be pulling his hair out by now!! hehehehe...

Cheers.

KRK.

Ken,

I think I do have one or both of these shots. I will look for them when I get home tonight.

Martin

KeyRouteKen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hey Martin-- Great photo, Sir !! Wood even..
> fantastic! Got a challenge for you though....
> See if you can find a photo of the "Argonaut Bay
> Special" that was operated in San Francisco on
> June 23, 1953. It was a short consist which
> included the same ancient WP combo that was used
> in your photo herein, pulled by the J.W. Bowker
> and operated on Market Street. Tony Johnson in
> Medford doesn't believe me but it's true !! So
> there is your challenge of the day, Sir!
>
> Ok- tell you what.. Here's a second challenge for
> you.. Find a photo of the J.W. Bowker and train
> operating from the Ferry Building to Aquatic Park
> in San Francisco on Sunday, May 27th--1951.. Old
> Tony J. will be pulling his hair out by now!!
> hehehehe...
>
> Cheers.
>
> KRK.

Ken,
I don't have much hair left to pull. Besides, I do believe the J.W. Bowker operated on the SBL of California as I've seen photos of it. I've never seen a photo of it on Market Street, but there were rail connections back then to where it could have happened. I just found out the world is not flat so my mind can be changed. - Tony J.

It should be noted that the Train, if coming from San Jose to Oakland, is now on the WP 1st Sub after coming up the San Jose branch. Its exact location is just compass west of Mission Boulevard about to cross the SP at Niles Jct. The Photographer is likely taking this photo from the SP trestle over Alameda Creek!

It's nice to know that the hills in this photo haven't changed much, I'm looking at them as I type.

Rob
Fremont, CA



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/11/13 18:29 by GoldenState.

GoldenState Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It should be noted that the Train, if coming from
> San Jose to Oakland, is now on the WP 1st Sub
> after coming up the San Jose branch. Its exact
> location is just compass west of Mission Boulevard
> about to cross the SP at Niles Jct. The
> Photographer is likely taking this photo from the
> SP trestle over Alameda Creek!
>
> Rob
> Fremont, CA

Rob,
Thanks for defining where the shot was done. I had it in my mind that it was on the SP and I couldn't figure out where the location would be. The rods along the track showed it was close to Niles tower but nothing in the background matched the SP ROW. Now that you point it out as on the WP it totally makes sense. That would have been a fun era to hang out at Niles Tower.
Joe Mann