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| Photo: Bonnie Kamin Morrissey |
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| Conductor Brian gives us the goods (Photo: Bonnie Kamin Morrissey) |
My dad was a
railroad man—he worked for the Southern Pacific for many years, and loved
it. You can see that ardent love of the rails in all the volunteers who
populate the Railtown 1897 State Historic Park in Jamestown, one of only two
fully operational roundhouse complexes left in the country (the other is at
East Broad Top Railroad in Broad Top City, PA—yes, it’s in my book, Moon Travel Handbooks: Pennsylvania). A roundhouse is the shop facility that maintains and
repairs rail engines and cars; equipment that's being restored is on display. The roundhouse is open for tours year-round, but there’s far more here. Most of the repairmen and "rail personnel" are volunteers, many of them former rail employees like my dad.
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| Our engineer by his locomotive (Photo: Bonnie Kamin Morrissey) |
Hollywood saved this historic site from being scraped during the Great Depression. Starting in 1919, more than 200 movies and television programs were filmed using the former Sierra Railway's steam engines, buildings, and other equipment. This historic landmark hosts regular round trips on a three-mile long-track Saturday through Monday from
April through October: steam trains pull passenger cars on Saturdays, and
vintage diesel locomotives operate on Sundays, plus Wednesdays in July and
August (tickets $10-15, under 5 free). Each passenger car has a “conductor” that tells of
rail days gone by. There are multiple events held throughout the
year, and volunteers dressed as passengers during the hey-day of rail travel
wander through the park and answer questions. One of the most popular and fun
events is the Polar Express Train Ride in December; families can
enjoy hot chocolate and cookies with costumed characters from the animated
film, Polar Express.
When passengers reach the North Pole, Santa comes aboard and gives
each ticketholder a silver sleigh bell, “the first gift of Christmas.”
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| Photo: Bonnie Kamin Morrissey |
The singular
smell of the roundhouse—grease, dirt, steel and smoke—though rooted in a
long-distant past--brought back so many memories of my dad returning from work,
bearing a whiff of engines and rails on his clothes. The people who dress up
and give their time and energy to this bit of American history, engineers in their stripped caps and Victorian ladies with parasols alike, are equally dedicated
to the gritty romance of trains. This is a special place.
Railtown
1897 State Historic Park,
10501 Reservoir Road, Jamestown, CA 95327
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