California State Railroad Museum: The Harley Adventure! Day 8

Ahhhh...The last day of the trip! We took our time, had some breakfast, then hit the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento. I hadn't been there since 2000 and Jennifer had never been, so it was a cool adventure for our last day on the road.
If you've never been, it's definitely a great place to experience. Not just the museum, but Old Sacramento as well. There is no Harley footage on this trip as I-5 down the valley is as visually boring as it gets.
So, join us for a visit to a great museum and some of California's history! Here's a link to their website.
www.california...

[@kenmunozatmmrrailroad6853]

Thanks Mark… I’ve always wanted to go and take my teenage daughter; now that I see how beautifully everything is displayed, I think she’ll enjoy it.

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

It's a wonderful place!

[@vicordaz6874]

Went there about 5 years ago, it was awsome!

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

It certainly is! Thanks for checking it out!

[@alcopower5710]

The Cab Forward is my favorite steam engine of all time. Thanks for sharing 👍

[@suzannerickles6169]

Almost like being there myself!

[@gusterposey]

The thing going on here in Nevada is in Carson City, they're gathering as many of the V&T Locomotives as they can for the 150th Anniversary of the V&T's route from Reno to Virginia City being completed. There's a bunch of other steam locomotives at the Railroad museum in Carson City.

[@edwinsinclair9853]

The S.P. 2467 was under steam and operating at the last Railfair in 1999 in Sacramento. It's a P-8 Pacific type last used in commute service between San Francisco and San Jose. Another S.P. 4-6-2 #2479 a P-10 was recently moved from the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds to the Niles Canyon Railway in Sunol, Ca. it will be restored to full steam-up operation. They are also working on restoring S.P. 1744 a 2-6-0 (one of the Valley Malley) to full operation. They have also acquired the old S.P. Lenzen Ave. Roundhouse, Water tower, and turntable from San Jose. Thy have plans to rebuild the roundhouse and all the facilities near Niles, Ca. Their trackage is the original Southern Pacific line from the Bay Area over Altamont Pass to Tracy, Lathrup, and east. This was the main line before the California Pacific (Cal P) was built between Oakland and Sacramento. The line basically follows the ex-W.P. (now U.P.) through Niles Canyon.

[@curtisstewart2829]

The bag that come off trains was addressed for that town. Back then probably you would get your same day delivery. The Fruit Growers Express were Called “a plug door reefer.

[@johnstashik8896]

The thing holding the mail sacks was called a mail crane. A long time ago before road work required removal, the 4294 and CP Huntington were displayed on a lawn in front of the Sacramento SP depot.

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

Thanks for the info! I read that about the locomotives being stored outside. They have a photo of the 4294 out there before its restoration. It looked rough!

[@KUNYSZZ]

The cab forward is a 4-8-8-2 and the diesel that pulled your train is a SW1200 switcher. I volunteered there my final year at UC Davis. I still have my Docent badge where I can get 3 people in free and a free ticket on the train for one.

[@sgrizzz]

thanks mark for the tour. and the new cat is cute .

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

My pleasure. The new cat is "Moose". Another rescue kitty!

[@paulkalff6408]

Mark and Jennifer! Great videos of your trip! That Georgia Northern "Open-end Observation" is actually the heavyweight private railcar of the late raconteur, journalist, and all-around bon vivant, Lucius Beebe, and his partner Charles Clegg. The train shed and adjacent trackage were featured in a couple of scenes in the movie, "Memoirs of a Geisha." The 0-6-0 "Granite Rock" #10 was painted an Olive Drab-ish color and lettered in Japanese characters. The scenes in that movie which include "Sayuri" and ""Nobu" and ladies washing dyed fabric are upstream in/on the American River. My late wife and I stumbled upon the filming in 2004 during a pause due to rainy weather. Some 100 -150 "extras" from Japan were housed in local hotels, and we had a very nice conversation with one of the ladies responsible for acquiring filming locales for the Speilberg co-produced film. BTW, in Japan, the movie is titled, "Sayuri" and received decent reviews.

[@artillerest43rdva7]

great trip, traffic in CA sucks! going from LA to anahiem it took me 4hours during rush hours traffic. while going the other way it was 45 min. and that was on a thursday. at that time was ‘87 hard maps only. my dad went on a cruse / train trip to alaska , train on first leg then cruse 2nd . he loved that trip. that is a wonderful RR museum we do not have any around here. love to see one for all the trains located in the NE.

[@davidpoulsen3640]

I remember the ice house and icing platforms at the S.P. yard in east Bakersfield . And you were right to make that change from toy trains to model railroad ! I am one of those Model Railroaders ! Thank you for everything you do Mark . David Poulsen

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

Thank you! I am editing an interview with an elderly gentleman who is a lifelong model railroader and is going through some of the trains he is donating to the Tehachapi Depot Museum as well as telling some stories of his experiences riding trains of the past.

[@yourpalernie9414]

At 8:30, that 4466 switcher used to work at the Cheyenne yard during the Big Boy days. I saw this in documentary on Union Pacific. The engineer on that switcher, that was considered a pension position. That what the documentary said.

[@briansimson933]

SP was sometimes called the "Sufferin' Pacific" by the employees due to lack of maintenance

[@paulkalff6408]

Indeed! It also had the penchant for: 1) Running Dizmals until the main cranks failed; 2) Keeping separate books for freight and passenger service....guess which set was used to pay and account for track/ROW maintenance! "All the better to eliminate passenger service, my dear!"

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

As one who spent 17 years with SP prior to the merger, I can say that there are a LOT of people out there who tend to look back with rose colored glasses at the company. Here's the link to my opinion of the merger. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iX3bZ4qvaKpsgKc

[@davesargenti9876]

That bridge at the 1:49 minute mark at the start of the video was Between Danville Ca/San Ramon Ca. 5 miles from where I lived..It was moved to the museum for display..The precision chisel granite stone foundation are still there (1890 when it was built to help farmers to ship their crops).. The line has been abandoned since the 1980's... It is now a public park trail called the Iron Horse trail with a new bridge at the spot...

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

Very cool. I just assumed it was something built for the museum. Thanks for the info!

[@wrangler70jkujeep74]

Georgia 100 💯💚💚💚💚 wow awesome job and video . Bucket list place always wanted to go to. great video

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

Thanks. It really is a great place. As will most things, the video does it no justice!

[@wrangler70jkujeep74]

@@MarkClayMcGowan I enjoy your videos. Depot with gentleman speaking and Sacramento at museum. Cab Forward wow ! One my favorite locomotives along NW #1218 .

[@scottcary1]

Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City is having a big steam engine gathering this coming weekend.

[@ATSFSuperChief]

Remember being in Sacramento loading cargo for Vietnam in 1969 on the SS PECOS. No museum then and then drove through in 1978 and down I-5. Videos of museum were great and mail bag device that held bag for pickup on the fly was known as a "bag hanger" (corrections welcome). Thanks Mark and Jennifer and glad you are home.

[@revenniaga6249]

Loved the tour. I was there over 35 years ago and the Canadian National sleeper was set up with a motor device to rock back and forth to make feel like you were going down the rails

[@pauljansson2691]

it still does. it just comes down to volunteer turnout

[@StormySkyRailProductions]

Nice!! Looks like an excellent museum 👍👍

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

It really is! Anyone in, or traveling through the area should check it out, even if they're not railfans!

[@frankcfwrr3920]

The locomotives are on loan to the Nevada Railroad Musiuem for their Great Western Steam UP next weekend

[@angelica351a]

Awesome,love how they lighted them

[@robinroberts3335]

Hello mark well that was a great tour of the museum fascinating place so cool . Interesting trip made it Home safely. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 😎 tell the next video. Be safe 👍🏻🇨🇦🇺🇸 Robin.

[@andross51]

I have always wanted to visit the California State RR museum! Love all the pieces of RR history they have mark! Great video as always!

[@charlesglandon7840]

Thanks for showing us your trip, the Sacramento museum is a very nice place to go for a weekend destination. You should be glad you went down I5 the 99 is twice as congested and so rough and lots of construction terrible road.

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

The advantage of 99 is most of it is three lanes, but then it goes through cities and towns every five miles! At least on 5 I was with the same bunch of idiots the whole way!

[@catherine5446]

Thank you for this

[@paulkalff6408]

Oh....the previous is from the Old Squid who had 2 years at China Lake. That narrow-gauge SP boxcar appears to be lettered as having a journal re-pack at Owenyo (just North of Lone Pine) on April 14, 1923. Owenyo was also the location of the trestle/transfer facility for talc and other minerals between the narrow (SP nee Carson & Colorado) and standard gauges of the "Jawbone Branch." Always a fun area to inspect while a landlocked Sailor at China Lake! Lone Pine and environs were used for dozens of movie and TV show filming locations, including "Brigham Young," with Tyrone Power, and "High Sierra," with Humphrey Bogart. Here's a link: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_shot_in_Lone_Pine Andale, amigos!

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

If you go to my "Branch Lines" playlist, I have two videos on the history of the section still in service and a few of trains running on it. In the "Depots, Stations and Museums" playlist is a short tour of the Laws Museum. I spent many days (and nights) working on "The Pine" testing, troubleshooting and repairing the crossings out there! I am planning a piece on the abandoned upper end as well as the Trona, but it's too hot now. Maybe this fall or winter.

[@paulkalff6408]

@@MarkClayMcGowan Hi, Mark! Thanks! I'll check out the Depots playlist...I spent many hours out and around Owenyo, Laws, and Keeler during my two years at NAVWEAPCEN (as it was called, then)....loads of great California and RR history out there! Andale! Paul

[@Hogger1225]

The Amtrak locomotive in your video is an F40.

[@gusshadleythelunaticfromar7125]

Right impressive museum , the scale train display way over the top.

[@simisteve1425]

It’s a shame they closed the diner and sleeping cars, Mark. As I recall they were set up to simulate them being underway with soundtrack and passing lights and it was actually quite realistic. Hopefully you and Jennifer get a chance to go back and they have those two exhibits reopened. Thanks for the tour it looked a lot of fun. Have you ever visited the San diego Railroad Museum Tehachapi pass exhibit? I’d love to hear your opinion of it

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

The cars were all open, as was the cab of the cab forward last time I was there in 2000. We'll probably get back up there at some point. I have not been to the Balboa exhibit. We went down there a couple years ago and it was so crowded we decided to skip it. Maybe another time. Thanks for checking it out!

[@chriskolbeck3718]

That is a Fantastic museum. It’s a shame they couldn’t have saved the Sacramento locomotive works across I-5. The shops and support yard was huge.

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

I was only at the Sac shops and yard once (about 1989) to pick up some material for our division. It was a city of its own!

[@mikehawk2003]

@@MarkClayMcGowan It is a bit disappointing UP chose to abandon the yard and tear up all tracks. Now those brick buildings that once built steam locomotives will become shops and nightclubs. The plus side is that several locomotive boilers dated to the 19th century were found on site buried.

[@asbmp]

it makes me want to break into the tv screen and steal a couple of model trains

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

It was quite a display, and I didn't even shoot all of it! Thanks for checking it out!

[@curtisharlan9230]

Hello mark and wife

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

Hello, Curtis.

[@alexschmollinger6576]

CSRM needs to Restore SP Cab-forward 4294 into Operation And I think the State of California Would let the CSRM Restore And Operate the SP Cab-forward 4294 And I'm a Big SP Cab-forward Fan

[@MarkClayMcGowan]

That would be awesome. It's almost inconceivable that no California cities wanted one to display. Seeing this behemoth operate would be spectacular!