Sierra Railway 28 is a

2-8-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels. ...

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 ...

owned and operated by the

Sierra Railway 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 ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

History

2-8-0 Consolidation number 28 was built in January 1922 for the Sierra Railway Company of California by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was built in response to the increase of freight traffic on the Sierra with the construction of the Don Pedro and O'Shaughnessy Dams requiring carloads of rock and cement. After the dam projects were finished, the 28 was assigned to freight traffic on the Sierra's lower division between Oakdale and

Jamestown, California Jamestown is a census-designated place (CDP) in Tuolumne County, California, United States. The population was 3,433 at the 2010 census, up from 3,017 at the 2000 census. Formerly a California Gold Rush town, Jamestown is now a California Hist ...

. In the mid 1930s, No. 28 also hauled mixed trains between Oakdale and Tuolumne until September 1st, 1938, when all scheduled rail passenger service on the Sierra Railway was discontinued. By the 1940s, the 28 was one of only six remaining locomotives on the Sierra's roster and continued to handle freight and railfan excursions until 1955 when the Sierra purchased two diesel-electric locomotives to replace the steam engines in freight service. However, the Sierra retained the 28, along with 4-6-0 number 3, 2-8-0 number 18, 2-8-2 number 34 and 2-8-2 number 36 for occasional railfan trips and movie work. All railfan excursions ended on October 19th, 1963 after Sierra No. 28 derailed in the Jamestown yard during an excursion outing. During this time, Sierra No. 28 made several appearances in movies and television shows, including

Overland Trail The Overland Trail (also known as the Overland Stage Line) was a stagecoach and wagon trail in the American West during the 19th century. While portions of the route had been used by explorers and trappers since the 1820s, the Overland Trail w ...

Nichols Nichols may refer to: People *Nichols (surname) *Nichol, a surname Places Canada * Nichols Islands, Nunavut United States * Nichols, California, an unincorporated community * Nichols Canyon, Los Angeles, California * Nichols, Connecticut * Nich ...

Little House on the Prairie The ''Little House on the Prairie'' books is a series of American children's novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (b. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls). The stories are based on her childhood and adolescence in the Midwestern United States, American M ...

, Bound for Glory and

The World's Greatest Lover ''The World's Greatest Lover'' is a 1977 American comedy film directed, written by and starring Gene Wilder, and co-starring Carol Kane and Dom DeLuise. It is a tribute/spoof of classic silent comedies and "old Hollywood" of the 1920s, specifica ...

. In May 1971, the Sierra Railroad opened its historic railroad facilities at Jamestown to the public as a tourist attraction called Rail Town 1897. Sierra No. 28 became the workhorse of this new tourist operation. In 1979, Crocker & Associates, which owned the Sierra Railroad and Rail Town 1897, decided to sell the Jamestown complex and all of its historic rail equipment, including engine No. 28, to the

State of California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, which reorganized Rail Town 1897 as

Railtown 1897 State Historic Park Railtown 1897 State Historic Park, and its operating entity, the Sierra Railway, is known as "The Movie Railroad." Both entities are a heritage railway and are a unit of the California State Park System. Railtown 1897 is located in Jamestown, C ...

. After the State of California took over Railtown's operations, 28 continued to serve as its primary excursion locomotive, operating seasonally from April through October. In early 2009, Sierra No. 28 was taken out of service after its crown sheet and other areas of the firebox were found to be too thin for continued operation. Sierra No. 28 remained stored in the Jamestown roundhouse awaiting restoration funds until August, 2013, when it was torn down for repairs to its firebox. After being out of service for more than ten years, the 28 returned to operation on June 1st, 2019.

References

{{Reflist 2-8-0 locomotives Individual locomotives of the United States Baldwin locomotives Preserved steam locomotives of California Railway locomotives introduced in 1922 Standard gauge locomotives of the United States

History

See also

References