On October 8th, 2023, one of our trains departed Sunol with a load of Boy Scouts on board to carry out an Eagle Scout project to help bring more blooms to our Niles Canyon. Here is the story from what became the Mudball Express as recounted by Niles Canyon Railway volunteer, Jason Pate.
On October 8th, 2023, one of our trains departed Sunol with a load of Boy Scouts on board to carry out an Eagle Scout project to help bring more blooms to our Niles Canyon. Here is the story from what became the Mudball Express as recounted by Niles Canyon Railway volunteer, Jason Pate.
Becoming an eagle scout is no small feat. After many years of climbing the ranks, a community service project must be completed by those desiring to become eagles. After completing the Railroading Merit Badge at Niles Canyon Railway, Alex Clayson (Troop 199, Warm Springs, Fremont) decided to do his project along the right of way. Alex has spread native seeds ,”in order to increase the robustness of our ecosystem”. Clayson started his research last spring when he boarded a train with 2 local biologists to survey the canyon. He did this to insure that the seeds being spread would be Bay Area native wildflower seeds. Alex then acquired 7lbs of native seeds!
Along with volunteers, they mixed a pinch of seeds with Sunol clay and compost to form small seed balls. There were many seed balling sessions with nearly 6000 seed balls being produced.
Seed balls all ready to be tossed from the train. Photo by Jason Pate – Used with permission
On October 8, the train left Sunol loaded with all 300lbs of seed balls. Troop 199 tossed out many seed balls along 84 in Sunol. When we got near Vallejo Mills, other volunteers of all ages tossed seedballs into the flatter areas which got good sunlight.
Ready, aim, fire! Seed balls are tossed from the train. Photos by Jason Pate – Used with permission
The train did a runaround in Niles and returned to Sunol. By the time we were back, all the balls had been spread containing 13 different species of native flowers like Lupines and Clarkias. In this project, about 413 service hours were worked. Now, Clayson will complete his paperwork and do a Board of Review to obtain his Eagle, which only 6.5% of scouts have ever done (Long Beach BSA).
Alex Clayson enjoys the ride after all of his hard work creating the “Mudball Express” Photo by Jason Pate – Used with permission
The Pacific Locomotive Association and our Niles Canyon Railway would like to thank Alex, Troop 199, and all volunteers involved for their efforts in this amazing ecological restoration project. Also, thanks to Bob Pratt for coordinating the event for NCRY.
The canyon is continuing to come into bloom, and we hope you will join us for one of our April and May second and third weekend rides. More information and links to purchase your tickets at the button below.
Taken on April 6, 2024 of our M200 railcar heading into Sunol, we can start to see blooms! We hope you will join us to hopefully see more of the results of the Mudball Express. Image by Christopher Hauf – Used with permission
Our recent collaboration with the Knight Foundry to have them cast some new brake shoes for our steam locomotive, Clover Valley Lumber Co. #4, along with some other parts for the restoration of Southern Pacific steam locomotive was recently featured on a piece by Joe Rosato Jr of NBC Bay Area.
Our recent collaboration with the Knight Foundry to have them cast some new brake shoes for our steam locomotive, Clover Valley Lumber Co. #4, along with some other parts for the restoration of Southern Pacific steam locomotive was recently featured on a piece by Joe Rosato Jr of NBC Bay Area.
You can also find more information on our collaboration with images taken by our own volunteer, Christopher Hauf, during the casting event at Knight Foundry on our blog.
We are excited about this collaboration with the first parts already on hand in our steam shop where our crews can work on final machining the rough castings so they can be ultimately installed on the #4 which turned 100 years old this March.
The Niles Canyon Railway (NCRy) will host a special birthday celebration to commemorate 100 years of service of its restored and operating steam locomotive, Clover Valley Lumber Co. #4 on Saturday March 2, 2024 starting at 10:30AM. The locomotive has served most of its life working in the state of California and has been part of the museum’s collection since 1973; just over one half of its life after being built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, PA in March of 1924.
A birthday party for Clover Valley Lumber Co. #4
The Niles Canyon Railway (NCRy) will host a special birthday celebration to commemorate 100 years of service of its restored and operating steam locomotive, Clover Valley Lumber Co. #4 on Saturday March 2, 2024 starting at 10:30AM. The locomotive has served most of its life working in the state of California and has been part of the museum’s collection since 1973; just over one half of its life after being built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, PA in March of 1924.
A ceremony will be held at 10:30 AM at the railroad’s restored Sunol railroad station and will include photo/video opportunities of operations of the locomotive and speeches commemorating the history and significance of the locomotive.
Starting around noon, the museum will host a series of short, open to the public rides on its passenger train from Sunol to the museum’s Brightside yard and return. These rides will allow the media and public to experience the #4 in operation. We hope riders will purchase a ticket and return to ride one of the museum’s regularly scheduled weekend train rides between Sunol, CA and Niles (City of Fremont), CA, held typically on the second and third weekend of each month from February through October. We have also added an extra Sunday ride day behind the #4 of March 3rd!
The Niles Canyon Railway is the only museum and tourist railroad that runs on the original and best-preserved alignment of the Transcontinental Railroad now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The NCRy is operated solely by a group of dedicated volunteers.
The event is open to the public.
Saturday, March 2, 2024 Ceremony 10:30-11:30 AM Free for all to attend Rides starting around noon and ending at 3:30PM
The short rides for this special day are free on a first come/first served basis, but a donation toward the Niles Canyon Railway’s Steam Department’s ongoing maintenance and restoration efforts is encouraged. The museum is currently restoring the 1901-built Southern Pacific Railroad steam locomotive #1744 to operation via an extensive multi-year restoration effort.
The event will be held at our Sunol Station located at 6 Kilkare Road. Our Sunol station has parking in our lot with additional parking across the street from the station. The event will take place rain or shine.
Interested media may view our press release available in our Media Center.
Can’t make it on the 2nd, we have plenty of Sundays across March, April and May to ride behind steam and Saturdays with diesel power. Please visit our 2024 Rides Page for more info and to buy your tickets to come ride with us.
Steam locomotive, Clover Valley Lumber Co. #4, pulls a Niles Canyon passenger train in February 2024 east across Farwell Bridge on its way to the museum’s Sunol, CA train station where passengers will disembark after the 1.5 hour round trip train ride through Niles Canyon. Locomotive #4 will turn 100 years old in March of 2024. Photograph by: Christopher Hauf – Niles Canyon Railway
Operating historical railroad equipment comes with many complications; one being the availability or lack thereof of spare and consumable parts like cast iron brake shoes for steam engines. With members that volunteer at both museums, a wonderful collaboration between our Niles Canyon Railway and the Knight Foundry in Sutter Creek, CA, came to being.
Operating historical railroad equipment comes with many complications; one being the availability or lack thereof of spare and consumable parts like cast iron brake shoes for steam engines. With members that volunteer at both museums, a wonderful collaboration between our Niles Canyon Railway and the Knight Foundry in Sutter Creek, CA, came to being.
The Knight Foundry is a preserved late 1800s foundry and machine shop. It is the last of its kind to be fully water powered. The foundry remains active in casting and offered to help cast new brakes shoes for our steam locomotive. This process took place on January 20, 2024 with members of our NCRy on site to watch and document the process from start to finish.
A great collaboration, and a place to put on your places to visit in CA. The Knight Foundry offer tours twice a month of this historical gem, and more info can be found on their website. Thanks to the members of the Knight Foundry for their collaboration!
Here is a gallery of images of the cast iron pouring event on January 24, 2024.
All images by Christopher R. Hauf. Used with permission.
The view from the blast furnace charging deck of the Knight Foundry as their team of volunteers was getting ready to do a cast iron pour that included brake shoes for our Niles Canyon Railway and other shoes for Railtown among other items for their museum.The view from the blast furnace charging deck of the Knight Foundry as their team of volunteers was getting ready to do a cast iron pour that included brake shoes for our Niles Canyon Railway and other shoes for Railtown among other items for their museum.The sand cast molds for our brake shoes are ready and waiting for the iron to be melted and poured as visitors look on.The Knight Foundry buildings. The first building is the foundry and the buildings connected to it are the historic machine shop.The blast furnace charging deck where coke and iron materials are loaded through the door in the furnace chimney near the floor. On this day, the iron was coming from recycled brake rotors.With “suitcase weights” placed on the and collars around them to hold the two-part molds together, the brake shoes molds wait for the pour.Along with our brake shoes, the foundry was also casting different items needed by the museum and of interest to their volunteers like these small Knight Foundry anvils seen as the two-part mold or cast flask where the bottom is called the drag and the top is called the cope. Pots and other cookware were also being cast among some of the items.The coke is the blast furnace is getting to the point where the iron could soon be put into the furnace.The charging team works on the charge deck to make sure the levels inside the blast furnace are at the proper height. The “charges” which were cut up brake rotors were all measured on out on the floor, so they knew exactly how much to put in each time to get a proper amount of molten iron out to fill the ladle for pouring.Pouring the brake shoe molds. Two people handle the ladle while a third holds back the slag from coming out of the ladle on to the mold.More items are poured by the three-person team while the fourth member has a shovel with sand to cover any spills.Pouring the brake shoe molds. Two people handle the ladle while a third holds back the slag from coming out of the ladle on to the mold.Liquid cast iron leaves the blast furnace and is poured to the ladle which is the transferred by a hand operated crane to be poured.Breaking the plug… The exit path for the molten iron is formed in clay and is also plugged with clay to stop the flow. Here the clay plug is broken to allow for the molten metal to flow. A new plug will be placed when enough material has left the furnace.Pouring the brake shoe molds. Two people handle the ladle while a third holds back the slag from coming out of the ladle on to the mold.More molds are poured.Pouring the brake shoe molds. Two people handle the ladle while a third holds back the slag from coming out of the ladle on to the mold.After the pour, the foundry is full of wood smoke from burnt forms and supports.After the pour, the foundry is full of wood smoke from burnt forms and supports.The steam locomotive brake shoe pattern that the Knight Foundry made for our shoes. These are using the sand cast process to form the cavity for the material.
Update 3/26/2024
Learn even more about this collaboration in the great piece from Joe Rosato Jr. of NBC Bay Area.
Typically you find that many parts of restoring steam locomotives are never easy or simple. Take the task of re-drilling just one hole in Southern Pacific #1744’s frame. What sounds quite simple was just the opposite.
Typically you find that many parts of restoring steam locomotives are never easy or simple. Take the task of re-drilling just one hole in Southern Pacific #1744’s frame. What sounds quite simple was just the opposite.
With most of the suspension for the main drivers removed from the locomotive’s frame, it was determined that one of the mounting points that would hold a pin to hold a spring pack for the drivers had become worn and oval over the locomotive’s 100+ years of service. It was decided this needed to be repaired.
So… Our welder, John B., completed the process of filling the oval hole back up with weld to the point where there would be enough new metal to drill a round hole of the proper diameter out again. You can see him here starting the process of filling in the oblong hole which is about 4 inches wide as it is the same width as the 1744’s frame.
With the hole welded up, the next challenge was creating a mobile machining rig capable of drilling the hole. Our machinist, Art R., jumped in and over several weeks developed, testing and refined a drilling rig to handle the job.
On Saturday, January 13th, everyone was ready, the rig was mounted and even in part welded to the frame, and the hole cutting process was successfully undertaken over the course of a few hours. Here is a gallery of images of the work.
All photos and videos except as noted by Christopher Hauf – Used with permission
The rig in mounted through the engineer’s spring hanger hole and runs to the other side of the frame where the new hole is to be cut.The cutter, the drive shaft and the mount which was both clamped and welded.Machinist, Art R., who developed this machining setup watches carefully as he controls the mag drill providing the power.Mag drill being used as the power source for this drilling rig.The drilling continues carefully…The drilling shaft supported by two ball bearing pillow blocks on custom mounts.The cutter working through the weld filled hole.Art checks the progress to insure the hole is machining properly. It was…Welder, John B., keeps an eye as the cutter is about to be reinserted to continue the multi-inch hole as evidenced by the width of the frame member.More inspection…And more inspection…Cutting away…John keeps a close eye on things; supplying lubrication as needed.John keeps a close eye on things; supplying lubrication as needed.Art controls the mag drill which has an electromagnetic base to help it grip to the 1744’s frame.The final cut hole!The new fireman’s side hole perfectly lined up with the engineer’s side hole on the other side of the frame. Mission accomplished!The cutter breaking through… Success! Video courtesy of John Blaine – Used with permission
See the drilling rig in action in this short video…
With the hole complete, the team can look at starting the process of re-installing some of the 1744’s spring packs so ultimately its rebuild drivers can be placed back under the locomotive.
Please consider a donation today to help us keep this work moving forward.
After 28 operating nights, 25,000+ riders and the contributions of over 150 different volunteers giving thousands of hours of volunteer time, the 2023 Train of Lights season has come to an end. As we head into the New Year and our 2024 operating season, we wanted to take a chance to thank everyone for their support of our largest annual fundraiser.
After 28 operating nights, 25,000+ riders and the contributions of over 150 different volunteers giving thousands of hours of volunteer time, the 2023 Train of Lights season has come to an end. As we head into the New Year and our 2024 operating season, we wanted to take a chance to thank everyone for their support of our largest annual fundraiser.
We thought we would share some images of the train, our riders and our volunteers along with a video of the train running through the canyon at different locations. We did not do another walk through video this year, but we are also sharing last year’s walk-through in case people are interested.
See the 2023 Train of Lights in action…
See the 2023 Train of Lights as it traverses up and down Niles Canyon.
Images from the 2023 Train of Lights
All images by Christopher Hauf – Used with permission
Walk through the Train of Lights…
Walk through the 2022 Train of Lights.
Thanks for the incredible support! Did not get to ride the Train of Lights or want to experience one of our regular train rides between diesel and even a steam locomotive, please check out our 2024 Train Rides.
How quickly time flies! We find ourselves in the midst of yet another Sold Out Train of Lights season, having concluded what feels like the first “normal” year in a long time. Thanks to our tireless volunteer efforts, we’ve continued to run both steam and diesel trains, with many being sold out during the year; we’ve resumed our popular Beer Trains, we’ve hosted a variety of special events, including charters, M-200 runs, and Speeder Runs, made continued progress in our efforts to build East, and have continued to make steady progress on our many restoration projects. As with last year, we’d like to continue to highlight the Southern Pacific #1744 restoration.
‘Tis the Season
How quickly time flies! We find ourselves in the midst of yet another Sold Out Train of Lights season, having concluded what feels like the first “normal” year in a long time. Thanks to our tireless volunteer efforts, we’ve continued to run both steam and diesel trains, with many being sold out during the year; we’ve resumed our popular Beer Trains, we’ve hosted a variety of special events, including charters, M-200 runs, and Speeder Runs, made continued progress in our efforts to build East, and have continued to make steady progress on our many restoration projects. As with last year, we’d like to continue to highlight the Southern Pacific #1744 restoration.
This Southern Pacific #1744 project continues to be a priority for the organization as it gives us a period appropriate, regionally appropriate, and operationally appropriate locomotive for future steam operations in Niles Canyon. The SP 1744 will be one of the few locomotives operating on its original railway, with that railway’s original equipment, on a regular basis. It will also help ease the burden on our volunteers of prepping articulated locomotives for service. Although the mallets are fascinating and historic in their own rights, they require twice the amount of prep work and maintenance on account of their second engine units.
General history of the SP #1744 can be found here on Niles Canyon Railway’s website. You can also find an ongoing video documentary of the locomotive restoration is on TSG Multimedia’s Youtube channel – be sure to watch them as they are extremely well done and informative, and highlight the progress of the restoration to date. The latest is available below and many thanks to TSG for their help with these videos).
Throughout 2023, our volunteers have continued to make steady progress on the restoration, thanks to the generosity of our donors. That work included:
Installation of all new tires for the drive wheels (tires funded by a generous donation from the Candelaria Fund)
Painting of the drive wheels by our volunteers
Continued repairs to the driving boxes by our contractor
Fabrication of all staybolts for the boiler, including flexible caps and sleeves (partially funded by our generous donors and the Emery Rail Heritage Trust)
Finishing pad welding and repairs to the furnace bearing surfaces on the frame
Rebuilding of spring rigging equalizer packs
Continued cleaning, priming, and painting of the frame
Two of three sets of SP #1744’s with new tires and new painting waiting their time to be reinstalled under the locomotive. Photo by Chris Hauf – Used with permission.
Going into 2024, we will start to see some major visible progress as our volunteer crew will start re-assembly of the running gear, with the re-installation of the drivers and rebuilding of the pilot truck. We will also see the next critical phase of the boiler repairs – the installation of the newly fabricated Staybolts. This is where we’ll need your help for this coming year.
In the December 2022 Club Car, we discussed what staybolts are and how they contain the immense boiler pressure between the flat surfaces of the firebox. The installation of staybolts is a time-consuming and labor-intensive process with each one taking several hours to install (if you have more interest, search for steam locomotive staybolt installation on Youtube to see the process). The installation process can be summed up roughly as follows:
The holes in the firebox and boiler wrapper are reamed to be precisely aligned.
A specialized “staybolt tap” is run through the holes, which cuts threads to match the threads machined on the staybolts themselves
The staybolt is then threaded all the way through, securing the outer sheet to the inside sheet
The excess threads are cut-off, and the ends are peaned over with a large air hammer to make a rounded end which seals the end of the bolt to the sheet.
Considering the SP #1744 has over 1400 staybolts – this adds up to a HUGE amount of time and labor. In addition, the SP #1744 has over 700 flexible staybolts that require additional work, as each one has sleeve that needs to welded to the exterior of the boiler shell.
So while there is plenty of work to be done, we need funding to get it done – That is where you come in! Last year the PLA raised over $68,000 for the SP #1744 project, thanks in part to a generous grant by the Emery Rail Heritage Trust and a generous gift by the Farwell Family. This year we want to keep the donations coming so the restoration work can continue.
The Pacific Locomotive Association and their hard working volunteers would like to ask for your support to continue with the boiler work and help us install those 1400 staybolts. You may donate on-line here:
or via mail by jumping over to our Donate page where the all of the mail in information is.
You may also download this flyer to print and mail should you choose. The flyer was graciously designed by our friends at Gossamer Admin & Design.
Any amount is appreciated. Your continued support will help us in bring this historic locomotive back to life and preserve steam railroading for future generations.
Respectfully,
The Pacific Locomotive Association
Lead photo caption SP 1744 Running Light in 1958, photo courtesy John West
Recently our President, Henry Baum, joined The Cast of Niles podcast to talk about railroad history, our railroad and our museum’s future plans. From their website, “In this second episode …
Recently our President, Henry Baum, joined The Cast of Niles podcast to talk about railroad history, our railroad and our museum’s future plans.
From their website, “In this second episode of the Cast of Niles, we sit down and talk with the president of the Pacific Locomotive Association that runs the Niles Canyon Railway, Henry Baum. Not only does Henry share with us the opportunities and progress made on the existing railway and future railroad museum, but he takes us back in time to the very beginning of the story of the railway in Niles Canyon almost a century and a half ago. Little do people realize that Niles Canyon played in significant part in the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad.”
Please visit them here to listen or to find links to the podcast on all of the major podcast channels including Spotify and Apple.
On Saturday, May 6, 2023, our Niles Canyon Railway Build East Track Construction Crew reached another major milestone as they completed the ballasting, leveling and tamping of all of the current installed track which now ends just on the east side of Happy Valley Bridge. This is a major milestone for the team who has been working for many months methodically working their way toward this goal; insuring the railroad was properly leveled and hardened to allow trains to now pass all the way to Happy Valley.
On Saturday, May 6, 2023, our Niles Canyon Railway Build East Track Construction Crew reached another major milestone as they completed the ballasting, leveling and tamping of all of the current installed track which now ends just on the east side of Happy Valley Bridge. This is a major milestone for the team who has been working for many months methodically working their way toward this goal; insuring the railroad was properly leveled and hardened to allow trains to now pass all the way to Happy Valley.
With this milestone accomplished, the team will shift their first Saturday of the month efforts towards being to extend the railroad east of Happy Valley Bridge. New volunteers are always welcome and more details can be found here on our Construction Volunteer page.
Here are a series of photos across the day leading up to the final tie being tamped and a group photo being taken at Happy Valley Bridge.
All photos by Christopher Hauf – Used with permission
Starting the day in the final straight away. The stacked rail and track panels will be used for the extension of the railroad east of Happy Valley Bridge.The jacks are set and the tamper is busy at work forcing stone under the ties.Dressing the ballast to insure the tamper has the right amount of rock to to work with.The goal… Happy Valley Bridge!Tamping and insuring the level is correct.NCRy volunteer and Treasurer, Pat Stratton, runs the tamper.Jacking to level…A little more…That will do!Waiting on the level to be set to decide if further jacking is needed.Jacking and resetting…Making progress toward the bridge.Build East leader and NCRy Vice President, Mike Strider (right) discusses the plan with NCRy General Manager, Steve Barkkarie.Jacking to the proper elevation as the railroad is still on a curve here so the proper super-elevation needs to be set keeping in mind the elevation must work toward level for the bridge.Project leader, Steve Hill, sights down the rail to look at level and position.Checking level and elevation…Checking level and elevation…Getting close to the bridge!One last level check!Getting closer as see from the east side of Happy Valley Bridge. The rail on the bridge is just lightly spiked to hold it in place, but allow to to be moved if needed to adjust alignment once contruction restarts on the east side of the bridge.Tamping the final few ties!Getting closer…One last tie!That will do!Success and a team photo for those who were still with us on this momentous afternoon! Great work Build East!Now on To Pleasanton…
On May 30, 1968, the PLA operated the first of its Truckee Limiteds over the Southern Pacific. The trip was a round trip one day adventure from Oakland to Truckee, California and return. This was one and only time one of the three unique SP DH643 hydraulics pulled a passenger train. In this follow up blog post to an earlier post, we share some new images and info.
The Pacific Locomotive Association (PLA), the owner and operator of our Niles Canyon Railway, was initially founded as a group to be able to organize and run trips behind the then disappearing steam locomotive. While the group quickly shifted into railway preservation in the late 1960s, it never lost its trip operating roots.
On May 30, 1968, the PLA operated the first of its Truckee Limiteds over the Southern Pacific. The trip was a round trip one day adventure from Oakland to Truckee, California and return. This was one and only time one of the three unique SP DH643 hydraulics pulled a passenger train.
We already published one blog post in early 2023, available below, with one set of images from one of our PLA/NCRy members. If you have not seen it, please check it out.
First blog post covering the 1968 Truckee Limited.
Here are several more photos by T. O. Repp of the special train that day running from Oakland over Donner Pass that have been shared with us to share with you. Thanks to Mr. Repp for sending us and allowing to share his images.
16th Street Oakland – T. O. Repp photo – Used with permission16th Street Oakland – T. O. Repp photo – Used with permissionTruckee Limited at Colfax – T. O. Repp photo – Used with permissionTruckee Limited meet on Donner Pass – T. O. Repp photo – Used with permissionTruckee Limited – T. O. Repp photo – Used with permission
While from a later Truckee Limited, PLA/NCRy member, Brian Wise, recently shared an advertising brochure for the 1970 version of the PLA’s Truckee Limited. He was kind enough to let us share it here.
April 26, 1970 Truckee Limited brochure – Brian Wise Collection – Used with permissionApril 26, 1970 Truckee Limited brochure – Brian Wise Collection – Used with permission
Did you ride this trip? Do you have anything else interesting about the trip you could share with us as we continue to document our history? Please contact us if you do.
