Modeling the Placerville Canal Street Southern Pacific train depot

George Mihal built this model of the Placerville Canal Street train depot by hand. He cut full-scale lumber down to half-inch scale. The model is suitible for a G-scale model railroad. As a collector and seller of vintage photographs, Mihal based his model on a glass negative of the depot that he once owned.



The video includes a number of photographs of the depot. Here's one from the El Dorado County Historical Museum collection:

Sacramento bound Train No. 61 is ready to leave the Canal Street depot. The depot was located at the modern day interesection of Canal Street and U.S. Hightway 50 in Placerville, California. The Coffee Depot can be found one block south at Canal and Main.

This and other historic photographs can be purchased from the collection of the El Dorado County Historical Museum. They are available for $10 each from the museum. Call (530) 621-5865 for additional information. Please consult museum staff for limitations to the use of the photographs.



Ready to begin CPLT caboose rebuild

The renovation crew for the Camino, Placerville and Lake Tahoe Railroad Caboose No. 2 last week took the last step before beginning the rebuild. The main beams were removed from the caboose frame and transported to the rebuild site in Shingle Springs. Once lumber and hardware is purchased, the rebuild phase of renovation will begin.


Here's a photograph of the caboose in its glory days on the CPLT. The eight-mile short line owned several cabooses, "one at a time," according to Steve Polkinghorn. "The short one, which was also the last one, was wrecked in 1950, after which one was leased from the Southern Pacific. The diesel locomotive was light enough so that no fireman was needed in the cab, unless a caboose was used." Once the CPLT No. 101 (a GE 44-tonner) was placed in service in July 1953, the railroad cancelled the SP lease and operated without a caboose until the railroad ceased operation.



The renovation crew loads one of the four main beans to the caboose into a trailer last Tuesday. They were transported to Shingle Springs and placed in storage until the lumber arrives for the rebuild. The caboose was located at the El Dorado County Historical Museum for almost 20 years.  Once it's rebuilt, the caboose will operate on the El Dorado Western Railroad, along with the Southern Pacific caboose No. 1094.

This picture was taken by Harry Critchfield. Harry is one of the photographers for  the El Dorado Western Railway Foundation.



Renovation of CPLT Caboose No. 2

Over the past several months, the crew of the El Dorado Western Railway Foundation began the renovation process on the Camino, Placerville and Lake Tahoe Railroad Caboose No. 2. Due to the poor condition of the wood structure on the caboose, it will be necessary to completely rebuild the caboose from the trucks up to the cupola. The hardware will be saved and reused where possible.

All the major pieces of the wood structure are being saved for the time being. They will be used as patterns to help the crew measure and cut timbers for the rebuilt caboose. Where possible, timbers in good condition will be used to build interior benches.

This picture shows the steel cupola frame on top of the caboose. Last Tuesday, November 6, 2012, the crew lowered the frame into the interior of the caboose. Volunteers first removed the walls and ceiling from the frame. Then they dislodged the frame from the roof of the caboose. The next step was to slide two 2x6 timbers under the frame to support it. The interior ceiling joists were next removed (one was completely rotted away on the right side).

Homer Rail steps onto the ladder after the crew positioned the cupola frame for the drop into the caboose interior.

It took five minutes to lower the cupola frame into the interior of the caboose. Two 4x4 pieces of timer were used as slides. Ron Sexton used come-a-long to pull the frame down the slice. Homer (out of the picture) and Bill Rodgers guided the frame from the roof.

Ron gives an enthusiastic thumbs up as the cupola frame comes to a rest on the inside of the caboose while Homer (standing next to Ron) and foundation president Keith Berry look on..

Bill coils a rope at the end of the work session last Tuesday. On Wednesday, the crew completely removed the caboose structure.

El Dorado Western Railroad Santa Run

Interior work on the Southern Pacific No. 1094 caboose

Crews from the El Dorado Western Railway Foundation are busy restoring the interior of the Southern Pacific No. 1094 caboose to its original condition. The current focus is to restore the interior color to the original paint scheme, a sea green green color. 

The railroad plans to use the caboose for its Santa Run on December 15, 2012.While the caboose won't be ready to run on the rails, Santa will "set up shop" in the caboose as he greets children. We will post information on the blog and on Facebook soon.


The main compartment of the caboose. The conductor's desk is located on the right side. The toilet is located in the tiny room to the left of the front door. The coal bin is located in the foreground.

The picture of the cupola shows the exposed grain of the redwood interior. The crew is currently applying primer to the interior walls and ceiling. We are evaluating how to treat the exposed wood grain.

The cupola corridor and rear door of the caboose. Several storage compartments under the cupola held the ice box, radio, generator and railroad tools.

Volunteer Steven Karoly removes the stretcher brackets from the ceiling in the caboose. The coal burning stove will be replaced with an authentic SP caboose stove in the future. Retired SP/UP conductor Davey "Doc" Wiser located the replacement stove last year. We don't know what happened to the original stove.

Anne's Caboose is located in the El Dorado County Historical Railroad Park at the town of El Dorado, California. It was build in 1940 to the railroad's C-40-3 specification for cabooses. Southern Pacific sold it to a Placerville family in 1973, where it was used an artist's studio. The family donated the caboose to the El Dorado Western Railway Foundation on Christmas Day 2010.

Ride the rails in El Dorado & Shingle Springs

Please come out to support California's newest county-run railroad. As residents and guests of El Dorado County, you have the opportunity to ride the train in 2012 and 2013. With your support, the El Dorado Western Railroad will continue to operate many years into the future.

The public is encouraged to support the county living history rail program. The railroad is giving train rides on the historic Southern Pacific Placerville Branch rail line, weather permitting, on Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.

We currently alternate between the El Dorado and Shingle Springs. The train operates from the El Dorado Station on the first, third and fifth Sundays of the month. The Shingle Springs Freight Shed will see the train on the second and fourth Sundays.

The suggested donation is $5 for adults and children nine and up. The donation for ages three to eight is $3.

Directions to El Dorado Station

To locate the train station in historic El Dorado, take Pleasant Valley Road (from the east or west) to Oriental Street. Turn north. Keep left at the Wye. Continue to the end of the road and left to the station.

Directions to Shingle Springs Freight Shed

The address is 4241 Mother Lode Dr, Shingle Springs, California, 95682. Take Highway 50 to the Ponderosa exit (Exit 37). Proceed east on Mother Lode Drive about one-half mile to the Shingle Springs train station. Watch for the caboose and diesel locomotive. The railroad tracks and station are on the south side of the freeway.

We’ll see you on the train!

Setting track guage at Red Hawk

The maintenance of way crew met in Shingle Springs yesterday for its monthly work day. We loaded tools and gauge bars on to two Fairmont A-cars. When the crew left the station at 8 a.m., the El Dorado Western Railroad No. 602 pushed the EDWR No. 603 up the hill to the job site.

With volunteer mechanic and motorman Jereme MacCormack at the controls, the crew soaked in the the last of the cool morning air on the 15-minute transit to the work site. The forecast called for 95- to 100-degree temperatures in the El Dorado County foothills. The track gang took advantage of the cooler morning hours to get the job done.

Once there, we dismounted and prepared to re-set the gauge of the 90-pound rail to standard gauge. Roadmaster Peter Shultze had previously marked three locations on the curve in the day lighted Tunnel No. 1 where the gauge had crept to 58 inches. Peter wanted to pull the outer rail back in to around 57 inches.

The seven-man track gang labored for the next four hours. We scraped the build-up of clay and dirt on to of the ties and dug trenches for the gauge bars. At two locations, pictured and 50 feet further inside the cut, two bars were used to hold the gauge. One bar was used at the third location. The crew will replace the ties at a later date.
 
The railroad is now calling this location Red Hawk since it is adjacent to Exit 40 (Red Hawk Parkway) on eastbound U.S. Highway 50. From our vantage point at the east terminus of the old tunnel, we watched a constant steam of traffic headed up the hill for the weekend. Red Hawk is the turn around point for Sunday train operations from Shingle Springs.

'This is a railroad; it's not a toy'

"This is a railroad; it's not a toy," emphasised retired train conductor Bill Schultz as he opened the segment on chapter one of the General Code of Operating Rules (or GCOR). "It's about safety and situational awareness."


Museum administrator Mary Cory, roadmaster Peter Shultze, road foreman of engines Dale Fowlar and Shultz presented the inaugural lesson to 23 volunteers of the El Dorado Western Railroad on Saturday, May 19. The recreated train station in the town of El Dorado served as the backdrop.

The two-hour training session laid the groundwork for more intense formal training to begin soon. Each volunteer employee received a binder with three important railroad documents.

Cory briefed volunteers on the museum volunteer handbook. "You are part of about 95 museum volunteers," said Cory. Volunteers donate their free time to the railroad, including some that give "almost full time hours."

The handbook gives the volunteer an overview of each function within the operation of the El Dorado County Historical Museum. The El Dorado Western Railroad falls under the museum. It's the museums major living history program.

Shutlze's presentation of the railroad track worker safety plan followed. "Whether you're a volunteer or paid staff, it all comes out the same," said Shultze. Volunteers bring "lots of energy and drive" to the railroad.

As a professional track inspector, he emphasised the need for all railway workers to learn how to safety work in an environment with heavy moving equipment.

The GCOR lays the foundation for railroad operations in the United States, said Schultz. As a retired Southern Pacific/Union Pacific train conductor, he used the GCOR daily. EDWR's GCOR is patterned after the one used by the Union Pacific and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroads.

All raiload volunteer will become familiar with the GCOR, including shop and office workers. "Most of the same safety rules apply to everyone on the property," explained Schultz.

Fowlar closed the session with an overview of the locomotive engineer training program. As a retired Southern Pacific/Union Pacific locomotive engineer, Fowlar will direct the program for selected volunteers.

Trains of the El Dorado Western Railroad run every Sunday through December. The timetable calls for 1st, 3rd & 5th Sundays from El Dorado Station. We run from Shingle Springs Freight Shed on the 2nd & 4th Sundays each month. Updates to the timetable are posted on our Facebook page each Thursday and Friday.

Suggested donation is $5 for adults (age 8 and up); $3 for ages 3 to 7; and 2 and under ride free. Donations help keep the living history program of the El Dorado County Historical Railroad Park and EDWR alive.

Train rides on the El Dorado Western Railroad

Please come out to support California's newest county-run railroad. As residents and guests of El Dorado County, you have the opportunity to ride the train in 2012. With your support, the El Dorado Western Railroad will continue to operate many years into the future.



The El Dorado Western Railroad No. 602 Fairmont A4D gang car glides through California poppies near Mile Post 138. The county is enjoying a banner crop of poppies and lupins along the right-of-way this year. To enjoy the wildflowers, catch the train at the Shingle Springs Freight Shed on the second and fourth Sundays of the month.

Train rides for 2012

All El Dorado County residents and visitors are encouraged to support the county living history rail program. The railroad is giving train rides on the historic Southern Pacific Placerville Branch rail line, weather permitting, on Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.

We currently alternate between the El Dorado and Shingle Springs. The train operates from the El Dorado Station on the first, third and fifth Sundays of the month. The Shingle Springs Freight Shed will see the train on the second and fourth Sundays.

The suggested donation is $5 for adults and children nine and up. The donation for ages three to eight is $3.

Directions to El Dorado Station
To locate the train station in historic El Dorado, take Pleasant Valley Road (from the east or west) to Oriental Street. Turn north. Keep left at the Wye. Continue to the end of the road and left to the station.

Directions to Shingle Springs Freight Shed

The address is 4241 Mother Lode Dr, Shingle Springs, California, 95682. Take Highway 50 to the Ponderosa exit

(Exit 37). Proceed east on Mother Lode Drive about one-half mile to the Shingle Springs train station. Watch for the caboose and diesel locomotive. The railroad tracks and station are on the south side of the freeway.

MOW work day

The El Dorado Western Railroad is preparing to reset the west turnout in El Dorado. The switch will be installed on a straight section of track before the depot curve. The railroad will use the spur to store equipment and leave the mainline clear.

The maintenance of way crew built a retaining wall in El Dorado today over an existing culvert. This will hold back fill dirt as we prepare the ground for the spur track. It also protects the oak tree, which is growing in the area of the culvert.

The series of cell phone photographs show the progress made by the crew this morning. In four hours, Brian Hogan (yellow hard hat), Bob McCormack (on backhoe), Peter Schutze (white hard hat) and Steven Karoly (not pictured) built the retaining wall from old railroad ties.

Loading ties at Blanchard

The El Dorado Western MOW crew is working on the west turnout today at the depot curve in El Dorado. We're getting ready to re-install the switch which historically serviced the siding at El Dorado. The crew won't install the turnout today, but will replace several joint ties and correct the gauge.

Volunteer track workers Larry Howe (left) and Ben Cunha load railroad ties onto the Southern Pacific push car. The Camino, Placerville and Lake Tahoe No. 4 track inspection car then towed the push car to the work site east of the Blanchard Road grade crossing. In late January, the MOW crew replaced ties and re-tamped ballast at two sites east of Blanchard.

Driving spikes

Driving spikes on the El Dorado Western Railroad has changed little over the last 100 years. Track workers used the spike maul to manually hammer spikes into solid railroad ties when this section were laid in the 1880s.

Here volunteer track worker Bill Rogers drives a spike just east of Blanchard Road. The rail jack is being used to hold the ties firmly against the rail.

Fill dirt

El Dorado Western Railroad roadmaster Peter Schultze guides backhoe operator Bob McCormack as he dumps a bucket of fill dirt onto the track. Working just east of the Blanchard Road grade crossing, the maintenance-of-way crew built up the fill over an existing culvert. The crew first constructed cribbing out of discarded ties (visible in the foreground). Bob them shuttled four or five buckets of fill dirt from Blanchard Road to the work location. Next the crew compacted the dirt under the ties.

The railroad can accomplish much with the backhoe. Peter said that it's the best tool we have for MOW work. Over the past 18 months, Bob has skillfully replaced approximately 300 ties with the backhoe.

New roadmaster

On a recent brisk Saturday morning, Peter Schulze introduced himself to the crew at the train station in El Dorado. As the newly appointed roadmaster for the El Dorado Western Railroad, he will oversee track maintenance and construction on the right-of-way.

Peter brings 35 years in the railroad business to the railroad. As an independent contractor, he inspects and supervises construction on industrial railroad leads throughout the state.

"What we really need is direction," said Ed Cunha, vice president of the El Dorado Western Railway Foundation. A diverse set of workers volunteer for the railroad. Mechanics, equipment operators, conductors, engineers and general laborers provide capable support. Peter's leadership will accomplish this goal.

Over a dozen volunteer maintenance-of-way workers attended the meeting. At 10 p.m. the crew adjourned to the Blanchard Road grade crossing, where it repaired two locations on the line.

Pouring Babbitt in the engine house

For the past year stories and photographs on this blog have focused on the El Dorado County Historical Railroad Park. Long time readers have seen activity shift from weekly renovation reports on the Diamond and Caldor No. 4 Shay locomotive to tie replacement, speeders and train rides on the Placerville Branch rail line.

That doesn't mean work has stopped at the engine house. During this time two dedicated members of the Shay team have continued work in the shops at the El Dorado County Historical Museum.

Lead machinist Sam Thompson continues to make the weekly drive to Placerville from his Bay Area home. He has focused on rehabilitating the Shay's three engines. The second member, Mark Bruto, has divided his time between the engine house and railroad park.

The team has focused on the bearings for the eccentrics on the crankshaft. Using Babbitt donated to the railroad by the CemexUSA plan in Pleasanton, California, Sam and Mark devised a simple process to form the bearings.

The photographs show the process Sam and Mark used yesterday to form the third of six bearings:

Sam tightens the bolts after placing shims between the halves of the eccentric strap. The shims act as dams. They form two distinct halves as the bearing is molded. The round fixture at the bottom of the picture is used to form the inside diameter of the bearing.

Sam makes final adjustments as he centers the eccentric strap around the ring mold. Sam and Mark next clamped the strap to the ring mold to immobilize it.

A little after 10 a.m., Mark began melting the Babbitt. Babbitt is the soft white metal that's used to make the bearing. According to Sam, the material consists of approximately 92 percent tin. Antimony and copper make up the rest of the alloy.

Sam drops a handful of Babbitt shavings into the molten Babbitt. The shavings melted as soon as they fell into the pool. The Babbitt is heated to 460 to 470 degrees. Mark said the Babbitt it ready to pour when it takes on a straw color.

Mark pours the molten Babbitt into the mold around 11:15 a.m. Although difficult to see, Mark and Sam used duct seal, a clay-like material, to keep the molten Babbitt inside the mold. A second line of duct seal formed a gasket under the eccentric strap.

Sam said that he would cool the bearing for an hour or more before splitting it into halves. He heated the mold in an oven to 250 degrees before pouring the Babbitt. This prevented the Babbitt from prematurely solidifying as it spread in the mold.

Sam is currently machining the second bearing on the mill in the machine shop. Mark and Sam try to mold a bearing every other Saturday. Sam uses the middle Saturday between pours to machine the bearing to specifications.

1933 Ford truck at depot

Sharon and Ron Evans of Crystal Hill Ranch in Placerville stopped by the depot with their 1933 Ford truck last week. The couple recently donated a Southern Pacific baggage cart to the El Dorado County Historical Museum for use on the railroad. We'll feature the cart on the blog once it's restored.

New Fairmont A4 car

Last month the El Dorado Western Railroad acquired a second Fairmont A4 car. The car will be lettered as the El Dorado Western Railroad No. 603. The 603 will be used to expand rider capacity this summer.