Trackmobile on You Tube

Here's a short video of the El Dorado Western Railway No. 601 Trackmobile running on the Placerville Branch in Folsom on Saturday, September 18, 2010. Yours truly in the guy that's playing with his cap at the end of the video.

PG&E No. 35 trolley car near White Rock Road

PG&E No. 35 trolley car near White Rock Road
Originally uploaded by SeabeeCook

The Pacific Gas & Electric Trolley No. 35 picked up railroad workers near the White Rock Road grade crossing as it prepared to return to Hampton Station on Sunday, September 19, 2010. The El Dorado Western Railway came close to putting its Whiting Trackmobile to work on the Placerville Branch line. Around 2:30 p.m., an official from the Folsom Rail and Transportation Festival stopped by our booth to ask if the Trackmobile was available to recover the trolley as it had stalled on the tracks just north of White Rock Road.

We were told that the trolley's power supply had failed and the vehicle that was going to tow it back, a Regional Transit Unimog hi-rail truck, had jumped the rails. Event organizers thought that the Trackmobile was the ideal recovery vehicle. To effect the recovery, plan was for Keith Berry to drive it south on Old Placerville Road to the site, mount the rails between the Unimog and the trolley and tow it to a point where crews could repair the generator.

In the end, our services weren't needed. But it would've been a photographer's dream to see the El Dorado Western No. 601 Trackmobile towing the PG&E No. 35 back to the northern terminus.

Like EDWR's Trackmobile, the trolley was one of unique artifacts at the Folsom Railfest. It required an alternate source of electricity for the event since the Placerville Branch doesn't have overhead power lines. Normally, the trolley is more at home on the Regional Transit rail lines, where it draws electricity from overhead power line through the trolley pole.

Photographer Philip S. Rose provided some insight into the operation of the trolley in the Village Life newspaper: "To power the vintage rail conveyance, Railfest organizers rented the huge generator being towed behind. (Folsom, El Dorado & Sacramento Historical Railroad Association) member Bob Morrison built a rectifier to convert the AC to DC power for the old streetcar."

The trolley was used throughout the weekend event to give paid rides to the public. The PG&E No. 35 was built in 1913 by the American Car Co. PG&E ran it on its Sacramento City Lines until 1934, when it was retired.

"In 1999, Sacramento Regional Transit purchased a beautifully restored trolley (PG&E 35) from the California Trolley & Railroad Corporation in San Jose," according to the Railway Preservation Resources (RPR Consulting) website page for Sacramento. "The car had been completely rebuilt in the late1980s as part of group of seven immaculately restored trolleys for operation in San Jose. Car 35 is operated on special occasions over a portion of the Light Rail system in the downtown area."

An interesting fact about the trolley is that it carries two road numbers. When restored, the car operated as the San Jose Railroad No. 129. The No. 35 wasn't available and it was renumbered 129, the next available number for the railroad. When Regional Transit purchased the car, a representative told us that the purchase agreement required them maintain the car's No. 129 identity.

Conductor Eric Olds of Folsom, punches a passenger's ticket on an afternoon trolley run on Saturday. Eric is a member of the Folsom, El Dorado & Sacramento Historical Railroad Association. He frequently operates their Skagit No. 30 speeder as the motorman.

How does a railroad refuel the Trackmobile?

Question: How does the El Dorado Western Railway refuel its Whiting Trackmobile?

Answer: The operator dismounts the tracks and drives it to the nearest Chevron station! He then pumps gasoline into the fuel tank, drives back to the tracks and re-mounts.

And yes, the Trackmobile is street legal in California.

Keith Berry pumps gas into the Trackmobile. The gasoline tank holds around 12 gallons topped off.

The El Dorado Western Railway Trackmobile No. 601 is located at the Chevron Station on Placerville Drive in Folsom, California. The Southern Pacific Placerville Branch is located at the base of the rock wall behind Starbucks.

Trackmobile rolls on the Placerville Branch

At 8:45 a.m. this morning, the El Dorado Western Railway mounted the Whiting Trackmobile on the Placerville Branch in Folsom for the first time. With El Dorado Western President Keith Berry at the operator controls, the crew ran it along a one-quarter mile section of the rail to the south of Mile Post 116.

"Well boys, we're on the tracks for the first time," said Keith. The break-in run gave time to evaluate the Trackmobile and make sure no mechanical issues surfaced.

Mark Bruto (kneeling) guides Keith as he mounts the Trackmobile on the tracks as Ed Cunha watches. The process was surprisingly easy. It only took about 5 to 10 minutes.

Ed takes his turn at the controls of the Trackmobile. After Keith's initial 30-minute run, each volunteer took turns learning how to operate the Trackmobile.

Lights on the Whiting Trackmobile

This morning the mechanics wired trailing lights on the Whiting Trackmobile. Trailing lights differ from tail lights in that they signify the end of train when the Trackmobile is running on the track alone. Since the Trackmobile is designed for combination road and track work, it also features a tail light.

Mechanics Mark Bruto (on the hood) and Larry Nygard wire the newly installed trailing lights.

Only one light will be on at a time on each side. The headlight will shine on the side of the Trackmobile that's making forward movement. The training light will shine on the oposite side. I took this photograph before Mark and Larry worked out a wiring issue.

Diamond Springs Labor Day parade

The El Dorado Western Railway featured the Whiting Trackmobile in the Diamond Springs Labor Day parade. With the loan of a flatbed truck by from Tom Anderson at Diamond Crane, the team hauled the Trackmobile down Main Street at 1 p.m. under leadership of railway Vice President Ed Cunha.

Ben Cunha and Steve Karoly rode in the cab of the Trackmobile. Since the Trackmobile was mounted on the bed of the track, Ben and Steve devoted their full attention to waving and greeting the crowds on Main Street.

Ben blew pulled the lanyard and blew whistle very minute or so. We ran the air compressor for the full length of the parade (about 20 minutes) to supply air to the whistle. Unfortunately, we weren't able to blow regulation signals, like the grade crossing alert (two longs, one short, one long). The mechanics need to install a three-quarter-inch supply line to the horn so there's sufficient air to warn of the approaching train.

Ed guides the Trackmobile past the Diamond and Caldor flatcar (up on jacks) as Ben drives it into the Veterans Memorial Building parking lot. The railway has completely refurbished the Trackmobile since it took delivery in mid-June. Railway President Keith Berry said that Breaker Glass will install a set of new windows next week. The painters also need to finish the interior.

Ben watches the Trackmobile as it's loading onto the flatbed. The crew washed the Trackmobile in the parking lot. The unit looked great with a fresh coat of paint and lettering as the EDWR No. 601.

First locomotive lettered for El Dorado Western

The Whiting Trackmobile was lettered at the engine house as the El Dorado Western Railway Trackmobile No. 601 today. This marks a significant achievement for the railway as it is the first piece of rail equipment that has been lettered for the EDWR.

As a rule, assets that don't have historical significance to El Dorado County will be lettered for the railway. Locomotives and rolling stock with a historical attachment to the county retain its original identification. For instance, the Shay locomotive will retain its identity as the Diamond and Caldor No. 4 because it operated within the county for 47 years.

Kelly Roberts of Placerville removes the backing from the El Dorado Western sticker on the door to the Trackmobile. Kelly operates HKR Promotions with his wife Heather.

EDWRF Vice President Ed Cuhna (left) poses with Kelly at the completion of the job.

Progress on the Trackmobile

Here are three photographs from Saturday, August 14, 2010:

In the past two weeks, our father and son painting team have made significant progress painting the Whiting Model 3TM Trackmobile.

Ed Cuhna, the new vice president of the El Dorado Western Railway, paints the roof.

Ben Cuhna preps the roof for painting as Ed gets the paint ready.

Trackmobile wiring issues

Mark Littlejohn of Newport Richey, Florida, chases wiring issues in the 3TM Whiting Trackmobile. As an appliance repair technician, he is the perfect fit for the job.

Mark joined the El Dorado Western Railway this week while on a two-month vacation in the Placerville area. He will work with the railway on various projects through the Labor Day holiday. He then returns home to run his used appliance store.

New acquisition

The El Dorado Western Railway is the proud owner of a 1964 Whiting Trackmobile mobile railcar mover. The generous donation was made by the Areojet Corporation in Folsom to the railway.

Keith Berry and Ed Cuhna took delivery on Monday, June 14, 2010. We'd like to thank Tom Anderson of Diamond Crane for assisting the railway move the unit to the El Doado County Historical Museum.