CPLT caboose relocated to Shingle Springs

The Camino, Placerville and Lake Tahoe caboose, which sat on a panel track in front of the El Dorado County Historical Museum for nearly 20 years, has been relocated to Shingle Springs. In recent months a renovation crew dismantled the caboose and moved timbers and hardware components to a storage container.

The panel track at the county museum will be moved to Shingle Springs and re-assembled for the CP and LT caboose re-build. 

The next step for the county museum is to look at options for the newly vacated space, according to museum administrator Mary Cory. She said the Museum Commission will "dust off" the development plan for museum yard as they look for an appropriate use of the space.

Two crews of craftsmen have begun the slow process of rebuilding the caboose next to the Southern Pacific freight shed at Shingle Springs. The center sills and wheel trucks were moved to Shingle Springs last week. A group of metal workers began preparing the sills for painting. They will fabricate the missing handrails, cut lever and ladder. The five members of the expert woodworking crew are preparing new wood beams for instillation.

Restoration has begun!

New website for El Dorado Western Railroad

The El Dorado Western Railroad introduces its new website at http://museum.edcgov.us/el-dorado-western-railroad. It's a component of the newly revamped El Dorado County Historical Museum website.

Please click for the schedule, information on volunteering and directions to train stations at El Dorado and Shingle Springs. You can print a Adobe potable document file (PDF) copy of the 2013 ride schedule and post it in the window of your business or place of employment.

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.

Tailgate

El Dorado Western Railway President Keith Berry (center in blue t-shirt) leads a tailgate safety session before the crew begins work today at Hagen's Crossing, near the site of the El Dorado County Historical Railroad Park. The crew accomplished several important tasks on the Placerville Branch rail line. Volunteers learned how to operated the CP& No. 4 speeder, cleaned out four culverts, cut brush and lubricated rail joiner bolts. Most work was accomplished between El Dorado and Blanchard roads.

Why do we do this?

President Keith Berry wrote this piece last month as we geared up for the summer issue of The Dispatch, the official newsletter of the El Dorado Western Railway Foundation. Since I didn't have room for the article in the newsletter, I'll share Keith's thoughts on volunteerism over the next several weeks here.

The El Dorado Western Railway engine house and machine shops are located in Placerville, on the grounds of the El Dorado County History Museum. Several locomotives, a railbus and various other railroad cars are scattered about, all creating the look of an over sized model railroad. All of us are museum volunteers, our objective being to interpret and explain the work going on toward operating restoration of these community artifacts.

Frequently, we are asked, "Why do you choose to do this work, especially as a volunteer?"

Well, that is a good question, one which we ponder deeply, search for the best explanation and then get right back to the work. Being volunteers, we take breaks, called "standing around," and discuss just why we do volunteer for this work, donating time and expense to keep the work progressing toward a distant conclusion. Usually, we all reach the same answer, we don’t quite know! However, here are the most frequent opinions.

REASON #1: We are attracted to rusting junk! Now, seriously, we don’t like rust. It only serves to entice us to look beneath it for the original pieces and parts which offer recovery to their original beauty. Getting to the item through decades of rust is the attraction to find, save and restore to operational level something 100 years old. We are on a treasure hunt -- a hunt for old trains, steam trains, logging trains, trains of long ago.

To be continued ...

Support the El Dorado County Historical Railroad Park

The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors will vote on an important resolution (item #10-0682 on the agenda) this Tuesday. You can access the Board of Supervisor's agenda item by clicking here. It's Item 57 on the consent calendar.

The resolution authorizes the "El Dorado County Museum to pursue development and operation of the El Dorado Western Railway, as a living history program of the El Dorado County Historical Museum."

Please attend the meeting to show your support for the railroad park. The Supervisor's chambers are located at 330 Fair Lane, Placerville, California. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, June 29, 2010.

In addition, please forward a letter of support to Supervisor James "Jack" R. Sweeney, the supervisor for the 3rd Supervisorial District in El Dorado County. Mr. Sweeney must receive this letter by Monday, June 28, 2010. You can hand-carry the letter to his office at the address above or respond by email at bosthree@edcgov.us.

The resolution supports these critical milestones:

• Gives the El Dorado County Historical Museum and its operating partner, the El Dorado Western Railway, permission to start work on railroad park right-of-way, track rehabilitation, laying the third rail for combined standard/narrow gauge operation, etc. This work will be accomplished primarily through volunteer labor and donations.
• Set the boundaries of the railroad park as the Mother Lode Road grade crossing to the west and end-of-track at Missouri Flat Road to the east.
• Reserves the one spur on the eastern portion of the right-of-way for use by the railroad park.
• Maintains the Placerville Branch as a regional multi-use recreational corridor. The railroad park will not be the exclusive user of the right-of-way.

It is very important that you show your support for the El Dorado County Historical Railroad Park. The Friends of the El Dorado Trail are demanding the removal of all track west of Missouri Flat Road. They believe that they should be given the exclusive right to use the existing road bed for their own personal in interest, at the expense of members of the community who wish to enjoy the living history railroad program and equestrian trails.

The county museum, with the El Dorado Western Railway Foundation, is working to create a viable living history program that honors the contribution the railroad and those who made their living on it to El Dorado County.

El Dorado County Historical Railroad Park to county supervisors today

Today is a significant day for the El Dorado Western Railway and the El Dorado County Historical Museum. Our proposal to build the El Dorado County Historical Railroad Park is going before the county Board of Supervisors today for approval.

The project is being recommended by Supervisor Jack Sweeney and Library Director Jeanie Amos. (The museum falls under the County Library.)

The full text of the proposal can be viewed on the El Dorado County Board of Supervisor's website.

Workin' on the railroad

I've twice had opportunity to lay and remove railroad track. The first came in 1983 when my reserve unit, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 2's Detachment 0402, built a 880-foot rail spur at McClellen Air Force Base in Sacramento.

I should've come away from the five-month project with a new found appreciation for the heavy physical labor required by track workers. But it didn't happen that way.

I worked a desk job during the years that I drilled with Det. 0402. As the detachment career counselor, it was my job to convince the young Seabees to stay in the Naval Reserves when their first enlistment came to an end.

During those years, I often held counseling sessions on the tailgate of my pick up truck at the job site. While I spent many hours at McClellen as the Seabees removed the old spur, built a new loading dock and lay the ties and rail, I pushed paper instead of driving spikes.

I did drive several spikes at the insistence of some of the Seabees on the project. As a life-long rail enthusiast, I eagerly joined in. I can say that driving a spike with the long, pointed spike maul is not easy. It takes years of experience to hit the spike square on its head.

My newest experience started Saturday. The crew of the El Dorado Western Railway is removing the track on the old Southern Pacific Placerville Branch right-of-way east of Missouri Flat Road in Placerville, California.

The crew is relocating the track, along with the switches, joiners, joiner bolts, spikes and tie plates from the old Diamond Springs yard to the site of the proposed El Dorado County Railroad Park in the town of El Dorado. A contractor is currently expending the El Dorado Trail a long the old right-of-way from Placerville to Missouri Flat Road.

I have a new found appreciation for the work of the old section gangs. It took two four-hour days for the crew to remove the joiner bolts on approximately 1,000-feet of mainline and siding track.

Using early twentieth century track tools, our crew of six unbolted the joiners that were spaced every 30 feet on Friday and Saturday. A four-man crew removed spikes on 300 feet of track on Sunday afternoon.

I realized Sunday that track work gives you a good, healthy cardio workout. My pulse approached 130 beats per minute after I had pulled spikes for an hour. I felt good despite a few aches and pains Sunday night. I belive my evening walks helped.

The track relocation is a project of the El Dorado County Historical Museum. As volunteers of the museum, the El Dorado Western Railway is providing labor and technical assistance to the museum as it moves forward with the railroad park in El Dorado.

A visit from an out-of-town volunteer

Doug Youngberg and wife drove down from their home in Oregon the last two weekends. They're moving the last of their belongings from storage to their home along the Sprague River in southeastern Oregon.

When long-distant volunteers come to Placerville, it gives the crew a chance to catch up on what's happening in their lives. These volunteers, like Doug and Richard Wright in Kentucky, get to interact with the crew on a more personal level. And the visit helps to validate their involvement with the project.

In the photograph, Doug shows me how a ball governor works. The governor currently sits in from of one of the stamp mills at the El Dorado County Historical Museum.

Ottawa drag saw

Since last August, small engine expert Mark Bruto has steadily restored most of the hit-n-miss engines in collection of the El Dorado County Historical Museum. Here he works on the 4-horsepower Ottawa engine for the drag saw.

Mark originally came to the museum last August to peruse the yard sale. He now heads the small engine department for the museum as a volunteer. Since that time, he has rebuilt seven engines in the museum collection.

Local contractor John Rodgers rips a beam from a larger timber. The Ottawa engine is mounted between two such beams. They also support the drag saw mechanism and form a set of handles on the forward end.

John's next task was to notch out a pocket for the engine (not visible), fashion handles and mount the hardware for the saw. Here John measures the location for the mounting bolts with guidance from Mark. Jacob Karoly then helped John paint linseed oil on the beams.

Official photographer ...

Mountain Democrat photographer Pat Dollins aims his camera at the open boiler on the Diamond and Caldor No. 4 Shay locomotive. Dollins stopped by this morning to cover the museum yard sale. We grabbed him and asked if he could take a few shots of the locomotive. We should be one or two photos in the paper in a few days.

Through the eyes of a steam dome

Through the eyes of a steam dome, originally uploaded by SeabeeCook.

The engine house and museum yard reflect back into the polished steam dome cover from the Diamond and Caldor No. 4 as I take the picture. The Shay geared locomotive is being restored to full operation by the El Dorado Western Railway. It's located at the El Dorado County Historical Museum in Placerville, California.

Yard cleanup day

Saturday the crew of the El Dorado Western Railway cleaned the engine house yard. Our main purpose was to help the museum get ready for its sale of excess museum property, which is being help on Saturday, March 29, 2008 (see the link for more information on the sale).

Like many short lines, including the Diamond and Caldor Railway, we have collected an odd assortment of scrap iron and old parts in 15 years of existence. To facilitate the sale, the crew had to move railway property to a secure area. Since railway property is not for sale, we wanted to ensure that museum staff and volunteers only tag appropriate items for the sale.

All went well until about 11 a.m. when the transmission in the forklift became extremely hot. Eric Stohl, EDWRF president and forklift driver parked it and shut her down for the day.


Keith Berry, left, Steve Karoly and Bill Rodgers wrestled the three rusted drive chains to Arnold Z, the Plymouth locomotive, into a steel barrel. Keith plans to give the chains a Diesel-fuel bath. This will help break the rusted links to the point where we can clean and lubricate.

Eric prepares to move a pallet of parts for the Michigan-California Lumber Co. bobbie car. We believe the bobbie car, which the Mich-Cal once used to transport rough cut lumber across the American River gorge is the only one remaining.

Doug Youngberg, left, and Bill catch up on news on the railroad front while Eric loads the bobbie car parks on Doug's trailer. Since Doug's move to Oregon last year, he had become one of a handful of long distance volunteers. Doug plans to rebuild the bobbie car in his new machine shop.

Keith, left, and Doug discuss possible problems with the forklift. At first they though it may be a hydraulic leak. They later determined that the cause of excessive smoking and fluid loss could be a transmission seal.

One museum's junk is another man's treasure

One museum's junk is another man's treasure, originally uploaded by SeabeeCook.

On March 29, 2008, the El Dorado County Historical Museum will be holding a walk-through of surplus items on sale. Offers can be made by sealed bid due by 4:00 PM that day. Photographs and descriptions of the items to be sold are posted on the county's Purchasing Department website.

All items on sale have been reviewed by the Museum Commission and do not fit into the museum mission because of condition or history. Items will be, for the most part, sold in lots. Individual items on sale of note are the 1954 Willys, an upright George Steck and Co. piano, antique oil dispensers, an antique lathe, and antique washing machines. Please see the website for the complete listing.

Rain date for the sale will be April 5, 2008. Please call Mary at (530) 621-5828 for more information.

Mary Cory
El Dorado County Historical Museum

Ed. note: The lumber wagon is not for sale.

Wigwag donation

Wigwag donation
Originally uploaded by SeabeeCook

Keith Berry, left, accepts the donation of a one-of-a-kind railroad crossing wigwag to the El Dorado County Historic Museum by Frank Morse. A self-described "ferroequinologist," Morse purchased the signal at the Diamond Springs flee market in 2006.

The signal was probably built in the shops of the Diamond and Caldor Railway in the early 1920s, according to Morse. It warned motorists of approaching logging trains at the Grizzly Flat Road grade crossing near Coles Station.

Berry represented the museum as a commissioner of the museum's five-member advisory commission. He also serves as vice-president of the El Dorado Western Railway Foundation.