Steam & Excursion > Roaring Camp in 1963

Heres a shot I took of the Roaring Camp & Big Trees in Felton Ca. back in 1963. Heres an operation thats been around for a while. They had not even built up into the woods at this point. They did a short run across a field then back to the depot. If I can remember right they were offering stocks in their company for 50 cents a share.

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Nice shot, Bob. In early 1963 I went to Roaring Camp for a day with SP towerman George Janes. (George knew the owner, Norman Clark.) At the time the track laying project has just reached the beginning of the redwoods and George and I spent most of day laying ties and spiking rail. At the end of the day we all climbed in the Shay and the fireman asked me if I had ever fired a steam locomotive before. When I said I hadn't he gave me a two minute course on firing and off we went to the Felton depot. I misused the atomizer and firing valve and created the largest smoke screen in the history of Felton, Boulder Creek, and probably Santa Cruz. My embarrassment was made worse by having the whole crew laugh at me. I'm sure there are Felton townfolks still looking for the S.O.B. who turned their town dark with oil smoke.

Tony Johnson

Nice!

And, a stub switch, too!

cool photo. is it just me or does this look like a G gauge model RR? probably because of the awkward stance of the guy in the shot...

My God, Photobob near the land of the Santa Cruz Taliban. What else is lurking in that box of slides of yours?

I grew up in the SLV, graduated from high school in Felton in 1966. My best friend and I were supremely attracted to the RC&BT NGRwy when it began to exist. One Saturday morning we turned up there, the Dixiana was spotted next to the Felton depot building up steam for the day. The strangest effluvium was coming out of the stack: warped, smoking, red hot pieces of paper ash were blasting into the air and then fluttering down as grey flakes all over the landscape. Turns out that an order of checks (boxes full!) had been received, but were misprinted. Norman Clark ordered them burned on the spot. The engine crew took care of it.

We also knew Charley Ward, an occasional engineer there and also an SP hoghead and artist. Whatever happened to the early conductor / sheriff with the handlebar moustache?

On another occasion, after the line had made it into the trees and around the first big curving trestle (not the later helix further up), we hid underneath the trestle in the shadows and watched through the timbers the firebox go roaring by over our heads as the Shay charged up the mountain. It was stupid, we were lucky not to get hurt, but I've never forgotten the rattle and roar of the locomotive. Not far away from that spot, where the SPC right of way turns and runs down to the San Lorenzo River bridge, there was a large redwood stump, black with age, next to the SP standard guage. It looked to be the perfect perch from which to jump into a slowly moving sand hopper from Zayante to Santa Cruz. We called that spot "bum's port" but we (fortunately) lacked the courage to try the stunt; we watched old SP GP-9s rumbling along the line with the sand hoppers and the odd flat or box from the lumber company in Felton.
On weekend days and in the summer, if the wind was right, I could hear the whistle at my home up in the mountains some miles away beyond Ben Lomond. The memory still haunts me; I'm pleasantly suprised that RC&BT and its new standard guage operation are still thriving.

50 cents a share. HA! My dad bought some in the 60's sometime and it's paid for itself over and over and over again. They give shareholders free passes for rides. Count the years since the mid 60's and you can figure it's more than paid for itself. What a deal at twice the price!! I can't tell you how many times I've been there.

For a long time it was a ride-all you want benefit. In the last 20 years or so, it's been a set number of one-time complimentary passes.

I did the engineer for a day deal awhile back. It was quite possibly one of the best days of my life (ok, the marriage and the birth of two kids was pretty good too. . .). I highly recommend it to everyone. Just pick a day that's under 98 degrees.

Great picture. Thanks for posting. The Dixiana Shay hasn't looked that good in a long time.