CSRM Steam

[SP 9811]

Central Pacific No. 1 Gov. Stanford R. Norris 1862&n 4sp;-4-0
Last operated 1/1895; loaned by Leland Stanford Junior University. Restored by CSRM to 3/1899 appearance.

Northwestern Pacific No. 112 ALCO 1908 4-6-0
Last operated 5/1952; gift 8/1969 of R&LHS, Pacific Coast Chapter. Sole surviving NWP steam locomotive.

Southern Pacific No. 1 C. P. Huntington Cooke 1863 4-2-4RT
Ex-Central Pacific No. 3. Last operated 5/1939 at LAUPT. Gift 9/1964 of SP; restored by CSRM to 11/1914 appearance.

Southern Pacific No. 1771 Baldwin 1902 2-6-0
Retired 12/1957; gift 3/1985 of City of Placerville. Disassembled.

Southern Pacific No. 4294 Baldwin 1944 4-8-8-2
Retired 3/1956; gift 10/1977 of City of Sacramento. Restored by CSRM to 1950s in-service appearance. Sole surviving SP cab-forward.

[espeefoamer]

In 1982 I rode behind SP 0-6-0 1269 on the Sacramento Southern.Where is this engine today? At one of the later Railfairs,SP 1233 was running on a short photo freight on the Yolo Short Line.Where is this loco today?

[thespcaboose]

I had the chance, and took it, to visit the CSRM several years ago. I was impressed with the amount of equipment they had. I would reccomend a visit for any one.

[espeelover]

This past summer, my 10 year old son and I headed north to see some friends in Oregon. Of course we went via Roseville, Mt. Shasta and Sacramento, just to mention a few spots. The main point was for me to get him to the CSRM for his first visit. I mean the biggest steam engine he had seen before this trip was either at Knott's or a Santa Fe switcher at a park near my moms home.

As I led him from display to display he was amazed at the ancient locomotives. What I did was keep him from seeing the 4294 until I was ready to show it to him. I even took him back to the front so we could come at the AC-12 from the tender end. I asked him if he remembered the engine from the park near his grandmothers? When I had him thinking about that little tender, I led him into the hallway that faces the rear of 4294, only allowing him to see the tender.

You should have seen his young face when he realized how huge that tender was. Then we had to pick his jaw up off the carpet when I told him to step around the corner and look at the rest of the steam engine. He loved running my HO AC's (not them new things), and now he was face to face with the real deal. I slowly walked him alongside the beast, letting him absorb the mass of the rods and the height of the drivers; but the best was yet to come.

If you have not been to the SP version of Mecca in a while, a new treat is afforded us mere mortals; we are now allowed inside the holy of holies, inside the cab of 4294. I sat him in the engineers seat and showed him which lever did what; I think even the docent was enjoying what I was up to. I had him then look at the view of the Pacific in front of him, and the people milling about it, just to get an idea what things looked like from way up here. He was very much jazzed by everything.

I knew I was blessed when, a couple of years ago, I bought him a pair of modern BNSF HO 'Dash Whatevers' with DCC and sound, and he did his false happy act for me. Later I asked him what was wrong, and he said that he would rather have an SP Steam engine. Alright I thought, he really is mine! Not that I ever doubted my wives fidelity in any way, it was that until that moment my son and I had never really connected on anything to this degree.

The trip not only was fun, but we were able to get a lot closer. The museum was a big part of that, and I highly recommend it to any railroad fans out there; heck, its great for the entire family!

You just gotta go there!

[thespcaboose]

Great story John. The CSRM is a railfans dream.

[thespcaboose]

The website sor the California State Railroad Museum is www.californiastaterailroadmuseum.org and is very helpful.