California Western Railroad No. 45 is an operating logging "Mikado" type

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

, located at the

California Western Railroad The California Western Railroad , AKA Mendocino Railway popularly called the Skunk Train, is a rail freight and heritage railroad transport railway in Mendocino County, California, United States, running from the railroad's headquarters in the ...

, a.k.a. the world-famous

Skunk Train The California Western Railroad , AKA Mendocino Railway popularly called the Skunk Train, is a rail freight and heritage railway, heritage railroad transport railway in Mendocino County, California, United States, running from the railroad's he ...

, in

Fort Bragg, California Fort Bragg, officially the City of Fort Bragg, is a city along the Pacific Coast of California along Shoreline Highway in Mendocino County. The city is west of Willits, at an elevation of . Its population was 6,983 at the 2020 census. Fort ...

. The locomotive was built in 1924, by the

Baldwin Locomotive Works The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railroad locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, in the early 20th century. The company was for decades t ...

for the Owen-Oregon Lumber Company, (Brownlee-Olds Lumber Co., later the Medford Corporation) where it hauled lumber until its retirement in 1964. The Medford Corporation sold No. 45 to the California Western Railroad in 1965. The Mendocino Railway, a subsidiary of Sierra Northern, purchased the railroad in 2003 after the California Western filed for bankruptcy. Between 1965 and 1980, No. 45, along with stablemate No. 46, (a Mallet), pulled the railroad's Fort Bragg - Willits summer steam excursion train, the "Super Skunk". The California Western discontinued steam service in 1981. In 1984, No. 46 was donated to the

Pacific Southwest Railway Museum The Pacific Southwest Railway Museum is a railroad museum located in Campo, California, on the San Diego & Arizona Eastern Railway line. The museum also owns and manages a railroad depot located in La Mesa, California. Facilities Campo Sinc ...

, as a result of high maintenance costs, and the opinion that the locomotive was too light on its feet. (No. 46 was a saddle-tank locomotive, before California Western added a tender and removed the aforementioned tank.) In 1983, after two-year operational hiatus, the locomotive briefly returned to service, and was renumbered No. 44 for a role in ''

Racing with the Moon ''Racing with the Moon'' is a 1984 American drama film starring Sean Penn, Elizabeth McGovern, and Nicolas Cage. It was directed by Richard Benjamin and written by Steve Kloves. The original music score was composed by Dave Grusin. The film's t ...

''. The locomotive retained this number for several months. In 2001, the locomotive was removed from service for an overhaul. The locomotive returned to service in May 2004, and currently operates regular "Skunk Train" service to Northspur Wednesday through Saturday, May through October. No. 45 began to show its age, and, as a result, the

Sierra Railroad The Sierra Railroad Corporation is a privately owned common carrier. Its Sierra Northern Railway freight division handles all freight operations for all branches owned by the Sierra Railroad. The company's Mendocino Railway group operates the ...

discontinued the ''Super Skunk'' service to Willits. No. 45 occasionally travels to Willits for special events, although a diesel helper is required for additional power and dynamic braking. In fact, there are currently no trains that traverse the entire route; passengers must transfer at Northspur. In 2015, the locomotive was removed from service once again for a mandated rebuild.

References

Baldwin locomotives 2-8-2 locomotives Preserved steam locomotives of California Transportation in Mendocino County, California Individual locomotives of the United States Standard gauge locomotives of the United States {{California-transport-stub