Steam & Excursion > Western Railway Museum's Scenic Limited 2024 Edition

This year's edition of the the annual WRM Scenic Limited features CCT 7 as the power car, or it did on Sunday April 21.  On my past visits the power car has been SN 1005, so this was a nice change of pace for me, I like the pantograph.  Apparently the 1005 is getting some more restoration work done. The Scenic Limited has one more weekend of operation.  The rolling hills are wonderfully green, and there seems to be a lot of mustard this year. Well worth the short trip from the Bay Area.

JBWX



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/23/24 11:47 by jbwest.

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Almost like time travel!
Bob

Sweet shots!

Those views are gorgeous and colorful.  Thanks for posting.

-John

I rented a caboose on it 30+ years ago.  We went north from the museum.  The train was pulled by their Pacific Electric 44 tonner.  I forget the exact consist.  It had a UP cupola caboose that I rented, a WP(?) bay window caboose, a Western Pacific Exposition Flier observation, and I think a coach.  Fun ride.  Too bad they don't go that way anymore.

Fant astic shot!

Probably the classiest train that box motor has hauled.

Beautiful image, John.

It really captures the feeling of rural electric railroading of the past.

S_W

Posted from Android

Stevo_Weimario Wrote:
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>
> It really captures the feeling of rural electric
> railroading of the past.

I wish that wonderfully restored rural right of way were used for more photo ops with different equipment.  I'd love to see a SN motor with some freight cars.  I can't quite figure out whether that rarely happens, or if the information just doesn't get out.  I'm a member but never hear much.  I have been told equipment maintenance is an issue, with a shortage of skilled labor and money.  I have asked about sponsoring photo charters and been discouraged.  It is a wonderful museum with so much ability to create vignettes of the past.  But all that is dependent on roadable equipment.

JBWX



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/24/24 13:24 by jbwest.

If the voting public in Solano county don’t vote down this new project where some.com bought 50,000 acres plus for a new town in that area, it could eliminate all those views in the future.

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I agree, I would love to see a recreation of an SN freight on that restored electrification.    I remember when the SN still ran electric freight trains between Oakland and Sacramento.  There are not many of us left that remember electric freight operation in the 1950s. As a kid I lived in Clyde and then North Concord a half block from the location of the Dorenda station which was close to the North Sixth St crossing.
I had a paper route that took me out to Ranchito Drive and the Port Chicago Highway where I used to watch them come over Ohmer Hill with half a freight which they would take into Concord and then come back for the rest of the train.  That happened fairly often and this was about 1954.  The most common power was 654, 653 and 652.  The first time I saw one of those motors was about 1949 and I was a little kid.   There was something about them that seemed really old and interesting even though they were only twenty years old at the time, I became a fan of the SN from that day on.   It was a sad day when the wire came down in 1957.
I was a member for thirty years and the BAERA "REVIEW" when Rick Borgwardt was the editor kept the membership informed of what was going on.   When Rick died, the" REVIEW" faded away and unless you volunteered at the museum you were in the dark.
It seems like most of the early long time members are gone and have been replaced with younger generation people.
People that would like to see a charter electric freight should get together and see if we can shake something loose.

Outstanding photos of such a unique operation.  I really need to get back out there one of these days to see all the changes since I last visited - when I was going to Armijo high school, I think.  It took me a moment to place the background of the photo, I realized we're looking south across the Delta towards Pittsburg and the northern portion of the Diablo Range.  Everything is so green with lots of mustard flowers, I sure miss that area.

Nathan