El Dorado Western Railway

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

noreply@blogger.com (Steven C. Karoly) — Sat, 26 May 2012 18:34:00 +0000

"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

noreply@blogger.com (Steven C. Karoly) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 19:35:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Steven C. Karoly) — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 19:58:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Steven C. Karoly) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 15:26:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Steven C. Karoly) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:05:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Steven C. Karoly) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:54:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Steven C. Karoly) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:08:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Steven C. Karoly) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:54:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Steven C. Karoly) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 03:26:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Steven C. Karoly) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 03:36:00 +0000

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.

Train rides for winter 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Steven C. Karoly) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 04:32:00 +0000

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

Train rides for 2012

Beginning on Sunday, January 8, 2012, the railroad will offer train rides on the historic Southern Pacific Placerville Branch rail line, weather permitting. The railroad will operate two Sundays each month in January (8th and 15th), February (5th and 19th) and March (4th and 18th). Trains will operate from noon to 4 p.m. Trains leave the depot on the hour and half-hour.

To locate the train depot in El Dorado County, California, 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.

The video begins on the Placerville Branch from just west of the Forni Road grade crossing. The Camino, Placerville and Lake Tahoe No. 4 Kalamazoo track inspection car travels west across Blanchard Road toward the depot in historic El Dorado. The video was shot on a brisk fall day in the California Mother Lode on Saturday, December 3, 2011.

Thank you for a successful first year

noreply@blogger.com (Steven C. Karoly) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 19:13:00 +0000

The El Dorado Western Railroad extends a hearty thank you to our guests and riders. Since the railroad opened for weekly passenger runs on July 17, it has enjoyed a consistent and loyal following by a dedicated group of riders. It's interesting to note that our ticket agent said he is starting recognize familiar faces. Many passengers come out and ride the train each month.

Please come out and support California's newest county-run railroad. As residents and guests of El Dorado County, you have one more opportunity to ride the train in 2011. With your support, the railroad will continue to operate in 2012 and many years into the future. The railroad will run on Sunday, December 18, 2011, from noon to 4 p.m. Trains leave the depot on the hour and half-hour. See the yellow poster for directions to the railroad depot.

As an added bonus, you are all invited to attend The El Dorado Train Rider and Volunteer Appreciation Party at the El Dorado Community Center tomorrow noon to 4:00 p.m. We hope to see you there. This event is for all. You can visit the party, then walk down to the depot and ride the train.

Fairmont car operator and conductor Mark Bruto punches the ticket of a young mother and her daughter.

Mark directs passengers to their seat on the El Dorado Western Railroad No. 602 Fairmont A4D.

Donation of portable welder

noreply@blogger.com (Steven C. Karoly) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:31:00 +0000

The El Dorado Western Railroad thanks businessman George Turnboo for his donation of a portable welder to the railroad. The railroad has already placed the portable gas powered Miller welder in service.

George owns and operates George's Pit Stop in the town of El Dorado. The business is located at 6234 Pleasant Valley Road.

"This landmark auto repair business, owned and operated by George Turnboo for 35 years, is located at the intersection of Highway 49 and Pleasant Valley Road," states the description of his auto repair shop on the Historic Town of El Dorado website. "Services for foreign and domestic automobiles and trucks include brakes, tune-ups, electrical and diagnostic repairs. George's is an official licensed smog test & repair station. Need service? Call George: (530) 626-4845."

Train and stagecoach rides this weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Steven C. Karoly) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 21:11:00 +0000

Enjoy some holiday happenings on Saturday, December 3 in the historic town of El Dorado.

The El Dorado Western Railroad will give train rides from to noon 4 p.m. Trains depart on the hour and half-hour from the re-created depot on Oriental Street.

You can also ride Davey "Doc" Wiser's stagecoach from noon to 4 p.m.

While you're in El Dorado, stop by and enjoy what these shops have to offer:

Grab a tasty soup and bread (and Gingerbread Man cookies) at Allez! Good Food on the Go! from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Allez! is located at 6180 Pleasant Valley Rd.

Booksigning by local author Cindy Sample for her new book Dying For A Dance, the second book in a series, at Books n' Bears from 1 to 3 p.m. The bookstore is located at 6211-A Pleasant Valley Rd.

Annual favorites, the Suzuki Kids, will perform at 2:00 p.m. at Gallery El Dorado. The gallery is located at 6180 Pleasant Valley Rd.

Santa will be in town, so check to see if you're on the Naughty or Nice list!

The train will also run on Sunday, December 4 from Noon to 4 p.m. Two operating days reamin for 2011 if you can't ride the train this weekend. Come out and support the El Dorado Western Railroad on Sunday, December 11 and Sunday, December 18. We will post our 2012 operating schedule after the first of the year.

From now until Christmas, stroll and shop Historic El Dorado's local merchants for gifts and goodies!

Wind chill and train rides

noreply@blogger.com (Steven C. Karoly) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:12:00 +0000

We survived our first weekend with poor weather. Even though the ambient temperate hovered in the mid-40s, the wind cut right through the crew on Saturday. It felt like 32 degrees with the wind chill!

Then rain on Sunday morning almost shut down rail operations. With the right wind, the rain flies right through the open Faimount and Kalamazoo cars. After the crew decided to continue on, the rain passed. Grateful passengers enjoyed a nice ride up to Forni Road.

A cold wind or light rain won't stop the El Dorado Western Railroad from operating. We will continue to run each Sunday through December 18, 2011. Come out and enjoy the fall colors along the right of way. Bring a jacket and enjoy a ride in the cool fall air!.

Trains will run to the west for the coming two Sundays (November 13 and 20, 2011). After boarding at the El Dorado depot, the motorman will guide the two cars across El Dorado Road and past the Cascades onto Greenstone Road. In our opinion, this is the most beautiful section on the old Southern Pacific Placerville Branch rail line.

Trains leave the depot on the hour and half-hour. The first train departs at noon. The last departs at 4 p.m. The suggested donation is $5 for adults and children age 9 and above. The suggested donation is $3 for ages 3 to 8. He worked in the Southern Pacific No. 1094 caboose in 1964 as a young brakeman.

Volunteer motor car operator Davey "Doc" Wiser enjoys a hamburger during a break between trains. Of the four professional railroad crewmen on the project, Doc has the longest tenure. He worked for the Southern Pacific and Union Pacific railroads for 50 years!

The train returns to the depot after a late run on Sunday, November 6, 2011.

Train rides Saturday and Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Steven C. Karoly) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:43:00 +0000

Come ride the train this fall

noreply@blogger.com (Steven C. Karoly) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 03:56:00 +0000

The weatherman has spoken. Temperatures will be in the mid-70s this weekend! If you're looking for something to do on a fine fall day, come out to the historic town of El Dorado and ride the train.

New locomotive for the railroad

noreply@blogger.com (Steven C. Karoly) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 02:37:00 +0000

The El Dorado Western Railway Foundation accepted donation of a General Electric 45-ton center cab Diesel-electric locomotive from CemexUSA plant in Pleasanton, California. The engine was built in September 1943. It was originally purchased by Pacific Coast Aggregates. We believe that it worked at the Pleasanton plant its entire working life.

Rail spreader

noreply@blogger.com (Steven C. Karoly) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 04:03:00 +0000

The maintenance of way crew uses a make-shift rail spreader to adjust the gauge of the rail on the El Dorado Western Railroad. For the past month the crew has been re-ballasting the curve and replacing ties at the private rail crossing in front of The Barn antique shop.

In the photo, project lead Garrett Augustus sets the gauge bar as Billy Bellas puts pressure on the rail jack. Once the track was properly gauged, Jeremy McCormack drove several spikes into the tie to hold the gauge.

Come ride the El Dorado Western Railroad this fall

noreply@blogger.com (Steven C. Karoly) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:53:00 +0000

Burlington Northern Railroad speeder at work in 1982

noreply@blogger.com (Steven C. Karoly) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 19:11:00 +0000

Here's a frosty video of Burlington Northern Railroad employee Gary Meek from around 1982. At the time this news report was filmed, Gary was a track inspector for the railroad. His territory spanned some 60 miles from St. Paul to Hastings, Minnesota.

Riding the rails year-round, Gary rode a speeder over his area of responsibility each workday. Inspections were critical in winter because the rail contracted in the extreme cold, which caused the track bolts to snap. He certainly served a critical safety function.

I enjoyed the video because it shows the railroad speeder in action. Note the use of the setout at the beginning of the video. Gary turned the speeder 90 degrees with a pair of lifting bars. The El Dorado Western will build a similar setout in due time.

Kalamazoo Model 57A speeder

noreply@blogger.com (Steven C. Karoly) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 00:32:00 +0000

Here's a video of the Camino, Placerville and Lake Tahoe Railroad Speeder No. 4 that I uploaded to YouTube this afternoon.

The Camino, Placerville and Lake Tahoe Speeder No. 4 is one of the most useful artifacts on the El Dorado Western Railroad. Originally purchased by the CP and LT Railroad, which ran from Placerville to Camino, California, today the EDWR uses to shuttle railroad volunteers from the depot in the town of El Dorado to the work site. It frequently pulls a Southern Pacific push car to and from the work site. And since July 2011, the railroad has coupled it to the former Richmond Pacific Railroad Fairmont A-4D gang car on Sunday afternoons.

Work day on the El Dorado Western

noreply@blogger.com (Steven C. Karoly) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 20:02:00 +0000

Yes, we were working on the railroad this morning. With Bob McCormack's backhoe, the crew is continuing to replace ties on the curve at the depot in the town of El Dorado. While the work is hot and dusty, we enjoy the outcome.

Come out and support your local home grown railroad. El Dorado County's own railroad has extended its operating schedule through December. Trains will operate from the El Dorado depot every Sunday, weather permiting.

Trail rides begin at noon and continue to leave the depot every half hour until 4 p.m. You may ride the rails for a $5 donation (age 9 and above).

DIRECTIONS: Take Pleasant Valley Road (west- or eastbound) to Oriental Street (across from the El Dorado Post Office). Turn onto Oriental Street and follow the signs. There is plenty of free parking at the Community Center. The ticket booth is located at the recreated train depot.

See you there ... highball!

Track work

noreply@blogger.com (Steven C. Karoly) — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 20:59:00 +0000

Volunteer track workers Garrett Agustus and Jeremy McCormack excavate soil from under the rails in the El Dorado County Historical Railroad Park on Saturday, August 20. The maintenance of way crew is preparing the site of a trail crossing adjacent to The Barn.

Horses at the depot

noreply@blogger.com (Steven C. Karoly) — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 15:16:00 +0000

The train runs today from noon to 4 p.m. in historic El Dorado. Come to the depot and support the El Dorado County Historical Railroad Park. Trains leave the depot on the hour and half-hour. Rides are $5 for adults, $3 for children 3 to 8 and free under 2.

Last Sunday the railroad crew spotted three young ladies riding their horses along the El Dorado Trail. As they rode east toward home, the riders guided Harley (from the left), Sassy and Skippy down to the tracks, where they enjoyed attention from visitors.

Harley enjoys attention from railroad volunteer Larry Howe.