The Redwood Valley Railway is a gauge

miniature railway A ridable miniature railway (US: riding railroad or grand scale railroad) is a large scale, usually ground-level railway that hauls passengers using locomotives that are often models of full-sized railway locomotives (powered by diesel or petrol ...

Tilden Regional Park Charles Lee Tilden Regional Park, also known as Tilden Park or Tilden, [], is a regional park in the East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area in California. It is between the Berkeley Hills and San Pablo R ...

near

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...

History

It was established in 1952 by Erich Thomsen as the Tilden South Gate and Pacific Railway, on a gauge, and has since expanded to of track and carries over 160,000 passengers a year. Thomsen worked in the engineering department for the

Western Pacific Railroad The Western Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was formed in 1903 as an attempt to break the near-monopoly the Southern Pacific Railroad had on rail service into northern California. WP's Feather River Route dire ...

and received at least three patents for his work. The railway occupies land near the base of Vollmer Peak that was previously used as an anti-aircraft gun emplacement. 800 now-mature redwood trees were planted when the railroad was initially laid out. In 1968, the railroad was re-gauged to in. The new 15" gauge, 5" scale equipment allowed two adults to ride side by side and is representative of American

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

railroads. Two of Redwood Valley's locomotives have made trips to England, run on several English 15 in gauge railways, including the Ravenglass and Eskdale. After Thomsen died in 1995, his daughter Ellen assumed operations of the Redwood Valley Railway.

Operations

Rides last approximately 12 minutes. As of January 2023, tickets for adults and children are $4.00 (children under 2 years old ride free). A five-ride ticket costs $16.

Schedule

The Redwood Valley Railway operates Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm year-round (11am to sundown in winter - weather permitting). During the summer (from mid June to Labor Day) the railway operates 7 days a week from 11 am to 5 pm weekdays and 11 am to 6 pm weekends.

Special events

The first full weekend in June is the Anniversary Meet, which is open to the public from 11am to 6pm. Most of the RVRy's locomotives are under steam, and often visiting locomotives and rolling stock appear for the occasion. RVRy celebrates "Winterfest", usually during the first and second weekends of December. During this time, the railway opens at its normal hours but closes after dark at 7pm. Guests experience the magic of the winter forest after dark complete with Father Solstice on his own train, illuminated themed areas of the railroad pertaining to the stages of water and a warm, holiday atmosphere. Ticket prices are the same as normal operating days.

Rolling stock

Locomotives

The railroad has four 15-inch scale

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 ...

s, designed by Erich Thomsen and built on location by the railroad's Redwood Valley Shops. Each is designed for service on the RVRy and while they are not based on any full-size prototypes, they share many details with engines built 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 ...

built between 1875 and 1910 In addition, RVRy owns a single diesel-hydraulic locomotive, number 2, which only is used for maintenance-of-way.

Cars and other stock

The Redwood Valley Railway maintains a dozen or so wooden gondolas, built similar to those found on 36" narrow-gauge lines in the American West. The gondolas, equipped with seating for up to eight adults, are the mainstay passenger rolling stock for this operation. The RVRy also owns three stock cars which have been specifically built to carry passengers as well. These are often favorites with small children, although a full-sized adult can comfortably fit inside. Other equipment includes a boxcar, extra convertible gondolas, which can either haul passengers or satisfy maintenance-of-way needs. The RVRy owns numerous four-wheel maintenance-of-way cars known as "jimmies", which have specialized uses such as welding, tie replacement, or carrying ballast. The RVRy also rosters a single flatcar, built as a high school shop project by one of the crew in the 1970s. This rugged flatcar has seen thousands of uses, and is one of the most versatile cars on the railroad. Unique among the roster of cars is a coal gondola, once used to carry extra coal for number 4. Coal was used up until the mid-1970s when number 4 was converted to fuel oil. The coal gondola, with its higher sides, is infrequently used. It currently carries a few dozen metal folding chairs for the annual meet. The caboose! (58883845)

A favorite with both young and old is the caboose. Based on a D&RGW 36" gauge prototype, this "short" center cupola caboose has graced the end of most revenue trains for over 30 years.

Future projects

Parts for a 2-4-4 Forney and a

2-6-0 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, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and no trailing wheels. ...

exist, but currently remain unassembled. Plans for a second caboose and a lavish, scale (down to the furniture, wallpaper, and bar with tiny glasses) business car are in the works. As of mid-2010 the boiler for number 13, the aforementioned 2-6-0 has been manufactured. Not to be confused with a visiting GSP&P 13 from the Glenwood Southpark and Pacific.

Former

Number 1 ''Cricket'', the -gauge

4-4-0 4-4-0 is a locomotive type with a classification that uses the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement and represents the arrangement: four leading wheels on two axles (usually in a leading bogie), four po ...

steam locomotive that was first used when service started in 1952, along with a few 12" gauge cars were sold to the Folsom Valley Ry. in

Folsom, California Folsom is a city in Sacramento County, California, United States. It is commonly known for Folsom State Prison, the song "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash, as well as for Folsom Lake. The population was 80,454 at the 2020 census. Folsom is pa ...

References

External links

**As of May 27, 2018, their official website is being rerouted to some spam web site**
The railway's official website
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Redwood Valley Railway Heritage railroads in California Railroad museums in California Transportation in Contra Costa County, California Tourist attractions in Contra Costa County, California 15 in gauge railways in the United States Tilden Regional Park Miniature railroads in the United States