Steam & Excursion > A Friendly Waive From A Passing Freight To The Movie Train!

Even after steam power was formally retired on the Sierra Railroad, visiting railfans would occasionally be treated to the sights of an old time steam locomotive pulling ancient wooden coaches.  These were the infrequent movie trains that the Sierra Railroad would host, usually with their 4-6-0 #3.

In this fine view by Jim Wren, we see a freight train, pulled by one of Sierra's Baldwin diesels,  passing #3 and her short movie train in a siding out on the line.  The conductor on the freight gives a waive to his fellow Sierra trainmen as they roll by.  Soon #3 and her train will be clear to pull out from the siding and back to the scene they were shooting.

Martin



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/10/19 03:15 by LoggerHogger.

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How did they manage to run the coal fires movie train in those grass lands without burning up the prop? I guess the track car was the fire patrol.  Especially with the past photo you showed of the triple header in the golden field of grass in the fall when it was dying and dry along the Sierra RR. I sure enjoy these daily travel logs. Thanks.

The Sierra Railroad locomotives were all oil burners, including the movie engines.  They had piles of wood stacked onn their tenders for the visual effect, but they still burned oil.

Martin

The scene looks like springtime, with fresh grass in the foreground and patches of snow on the mountains in the background.   It also appears to be in the hills between Keystone and Chinese.

It's at Quinns Spur, MP 37. which is about a mile west of Chinese.  You can see the top of the water tank there over the freight train on the right about mid-way. Spur was used in the later years for doubling up the hill out of Chinese.

Conductor Al Moreno doing the waving from caboose.

When I rode the triple headers in the 70's, they had a speeder follow the train on fire watch. Possibly why the speeder is behind in your photo



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/11/19 12:07 by dmaffei.

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Dave,

I assumed that the speeder was for the #3 and her movie train.

Martin

Martin:

Thanks for posting an occasion which I often observed, but didn't usually have a camera along. Quinn Spur was used in the days of steam operations as a place for westbound trains to "double the hill". Westbound trains, particularly in the later days of operations were mostly loads (lumber products and limestone products) and the grade on Chinese Hill (just west of Chinese Station) would further reduce the tonnage rating of locos. Thus, if a helper wasn't available they would take part of the consist up and put in on Quinn Spur, return to Chinese, grab the rest of the train and then reassemble at the top of the hill at Quinn.

Much earlier in the Sierra's operations 1910-1930, there was much more "intra" delivery of loads on line causing operations demands not experienced in later years - loads moving eastbound as well as westbound. Although we mostly see the #3 as "the movie princess" she wasn't always in that role. Back in the early days the #3 was regularly used as a freight loco.

John Mills