Railtown 1897 to Celebrate as Historic Steam Locomotive Baldwin No. 28 Returns to Service

Date/Time
Date(s) - 06/01/2019
9:30 am - 4:30 pm

Categories No Categories

Railtown 1897 State Historic Park, California State Parks and the California State Railroad Museum Foundation proudly invite families, friends and rail fans of all ages to celebrate the return to service for the historic steam locomotive Baldwin No. 28 on Saturday, June 1, 2019. To mark the special occasion, guests to Railtown 1897 State Historic Park will enjoy complimentary Speeder rides, live musical entertainment performed by Dave Rainwater, fun giveaways, historic Roundhouse tours, and food available for purchase from the Kiwanis Club of Sonora. As a highlight, excursion train rides behind Baldwin No. 28 will be the main attraction, departing at 10:30 a.m., noon, 1:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.

As background, the Sierra Railway first purchased Baldwin No. 28 in 1922. Weighing a whopping 71 tons, the massive steam locomotive was recently rebuilt in the historic Roundhouse and Shops in Jamestown. While not as famous as Sierra No. 3® (the “Movie Star Locomotive”), Baldwin No. 28 has been a loyal, hard-working hauler of all types of freight, and has also been featured in several films and television shows. The powerful locomotive was once used to haul construction materials to dam construction projects around Tuolumne County, delivering gravel from the Atlas Quarry in Oakdale to several transfer sites. The cars of material were transferred to the rail lines that went to construction sites for the Don Pedro and Melones Dams. Box carloads of concrete were hauled for the building of the O’Shaughnessy Dam, and historic photos show the train hauling huge turbines on flat cars to the Melones site.

Excursion train ride guests on June 1 will enjoy a memorable six-mile, 45-minute round trip ride behind Baldwin No. 28 along the rails of the famous “Movie Railroad.” Online reservations in advance are encouraged and on-site tickets can be purchased at the Depot Store on a first-come, first-served basis if still available. All train ride tickets include Park admission and cost $15 for adults, $10 for youth ages 6-17 and are free for children five and under. Additionally, a variety of newly designed Baldwin No. 28 merchandise is available in the Depot Store. For more information about the Park, merchandise and/or excursion train rides at Railtown 1897 SHP, please call 209-984-3953 or visit www.railtown1897.org.