SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Railtown 1897 State Historic Park and the California State Railroad Museum Foundation have acquired historic Sierra Railway No. 34, the only surviving Sierra steam locomotive never to have been in service on another railroad.
A ceremony to mark the acquisition, made possible through a donation by railroad enthusiasts Chris Baldo and Marion Hatch, will be held Saturday, April 2, at the Railtown 1897 park in Jamestown, Calif. The 10 a.m. ceremony will come on the opening day of weekend excursion rides at the park.
Built in 1925 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia for the Sierra, the locomotive starred in the movie “Bound for Glory” (as Santa Fe No. 1496) in 1976. It last operated in 1980; since then, it has been been housed at the Railtown 1897 roundhouse.
Extensive restoration efforts are needed before No. 34 can join two other other Sierra locomotives — No. 3, the 4-6-0 known as the “Movie Star Locomotive,” and 2-8-0 No. 28 — in weekend excursion trains.
“We are incredibly grateful to Mr. Baldo and Mr. Hatch in helping the Foundation acquire this locomotive,” Tim Schroepfer, president and CEO of the California State Railroad Museum Foundation, said in a press release. “The Foundation is thrilled that this historic locomotive will be preserved at Railtown 1897 in perpetuity, and we look forward to the day it will once again run on this historic railroad for the enjoyment of families and rail enthusiasts for generations to come.”
More information about Railtown 1897 State Historic Park is available here, while more on the California State Railroad Museum foundation is available here.
OK. Thanks for the info. EBT on steroids.
This locomotive is a standard gauge locomotive.
This locomotive looks an awful lot like the East Broad Top engines. Looks to be 3 Foot narrow gauge. Is that correct?