Roaring Camp & Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad (Johnsonverse)

The Roaring Camp & Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad is a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge tourist railroad in California that starts from the Roaring Camp depot in Felton, California and runs up steep grades through redwood forests to the top of nearby Bear Mountain, a distance of 3+1⁄4 miles (5.2 km). There is also a dual-gauge line from Felton to Los Gatos, shared with the standard-gauge Santa Cruz, Big Trees, and Pacific Railway.
Several steam engines date from the 1890s and are some of the oldest and most authentically preserved narrow-gauge steam engines still providing regular passenger service in the United States. (The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad in Colorado and New Mexico has the oldest steam engines, dating back to 1883.)
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers designated three engines at Roaring Camp and Big Trees Railroad as Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark #134 in 1988.
== History ==
Roaring Camp Railroads operations began in 1963 under the guidance of F. Norman Clark (1935–1985), who was the founder and owner. His purpose was to keep a family tradition of constructing railroads and to "bring the romance and color of steam railroading back to America". In 1958, Clark found the engine Dixiana abandoned near a coal mine in the Appalachian Mountains; he described it as looking like a " rusty pile of junk". Dixiana was reconditioned and began service in 1963 on rails that had been shipped around Cape Horn in 1881. The railway route was laid out so that as few trees as possible would have to be cut on the 170 acres (69 ha) Clark acquired with a 99-year lease of the larger Big Trees Ranch.
The Big Trees Ranch was bought in 1867 by San Francisco businessman Joseph Warren Welch to preserve the giant redwood trees from logging. It was the first property in the state acquired specifically for that purpose. In 1930, the Welch family sold part of the property to Santa Cruz County, which eventually became part of Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park.
The first scheduled train trip was on April 6, 1963 with 44 ticketed passengers.
Clark's wife, Georgiana, Vice President of Operations assumed the ownership and management responsibilities following his death on December 2, 1985.
Originally, two large trestles formed a "corkscrew" loop at Spring Canyon, but these were destroyed by a 1976 fire, the smoke from which could be seen from San Francisco. Within six months, a switchback was constructed to bypass the severed loop and the entire line was returned to service. The switchback has an estimated 9.5% grade, making it the steepest passenger grade still in use. The length of the tail tracks in the switchback restricts the trains that may be operated to six cars or fewer. Special events are held to raise funds for repair and reconstruction of the trestles and steam locomotives at Roaring Camp. In 2003, the first "Day Out with Thomas" special event was held. The event was the single largest in the 40-year history of Roaring Camp, with an estimated 25,000 participants over a three-day period.
In 2008, Roaring Camp became a subsidiary of Johnson Industries subsidiary Continental Rail, who had been reconstructing the old South Pacific Coast mainline from Olympia to Los Gatos. Among the improvements made by Continental Rail included rebuilding the corkscrew trestles, repatriating locomotive #4 from the Japanese Isles, restoring #5 and #6 to operation, and reconstructing the old South Pacific Coast branchline to Boulder Creek and beyond, terminating at Castle Rock State Park.
== Services ==
The railroad operates two services.
* Bear Mountain Express - The original train, the Bear Mountain Express originates from the Roaring Camp depot, and climbs up Bear Mountain on grades in excess of 6%, with the switchback being 9.5%. This service is run by the gear locomotives Dixiana, Tuolumne, Bloomberg, Daisy, Sonora, and Yosemite.
* Castle Rock Special - Commencing service in 2013, the Castle Rock Special also originates from the Roaring Camp depot, and follows the route of the South Pacific Coast Railroad's Boulder Creek Branch. Beyond Boulder Creek, it retraces the Santa Clara Valley Mill & Lumber Company Railway (also known as the Dougherty Extension Railroad), terminating just outside of Castle Rock State Park. This is a seasonal train that only runs during the summer. This service is run by the conventional locomotives Kahuku and Waipahu, and the diesels #40 and #60. The Boulder Creek line is also used by visiting non-geared locomotives, as they cannot handle the grades up Bear Mountain without a helper.
* Boulder Creek Flyer - Also commencing service in 2013, the Boulder Creek Flyer is a shorter version of the Castle Rock Special that only goes as far as Boulder Creek before turning back.
== Accidents and incidents ==
On December 28, 2015, a train collided with a stop block on part of the switchback. Six people were injured. The cause was driver error.
== Locomotives ==
The railroad owns several locomotives. Trains up Bear Mountain usually use one of four Shays or the Climax, with the Heisler making occasional appearances. Trains to Boulder Creek and Castle Rock, meanwhile, use either one of the conventional Baldwin steam locomotives or a diesel.
Number 	Name 	Builder 	Type 	Works
number	Built	Acquired 	Notes 	Whistle/Horn
1 	Dixiana 	Lima Locomotive Works 	2-truck Shay 	#2593 	1912 	October 1962	Ex-Coal Processing Corp. #3 at Dixiana, Virginia. Operable and in regular service. Used on the Bear Mountain Express. 	Crosby 3 Chime
2 	Tuolemne 	Stearns Manufacturing Company 	2-truck Heisler 	#1041 	1899 	1963 	ex-West Side Lumber Company #3. Operable. Used on the Bear Mountain Express.
Restored 2001 and 2010. 	West Side Hooter
3 	Kahuku 	Baldwin Locomotive Works 	0-4-2T 	#10756	1890 	1966 	ex-Kahuku Plantation #1 "Keana." Operable. Used on the Castle Rock Special and Boulder Creek Flyer, as well as parking lot shuttle trains during Day Out with Thomas events 	Unknown hooter
4 	Waipahu 	Baldwin Locomotive Works 	0-6-2T 	15321 	1897 	1977 	sold to Western Village theme park, Nikkō, Kanto, in 1988. Returned to Roaring Camp and restored in 2011. Ex-Oahu Sugar #1. Used on the Castle Rock Special and Boulder Creek Flyer. 	Unknown 3-chime
5 	Bloomberg	Climax Locomotive Works 	2-truck Climax 	#1692 	1928 	1975 	Ex-Elk River Coal & Lumber Company #3. Acquired from Carroll Park & Western Railroad, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. Restored to operation in 2010. Operable and in regular service. Used on the Bear Mountain Express, with occasional appearances on the Castle Rock Special and Boulder Creek Flyer.	Star Brass 5 Chime
6 	Daisy 	Lima Locomotive Corp 	2-truck Shay 	#2519 	1912 	1988 	Ex-WM Ritter #7. Restored to operation in 2012. Operable and in regular service. Used on the Bear Mountain Express. 	Crosby 3 Chime
7 	Sonora 	Lima Locomotive Corp 	3-truck Shay 	#2465 	1911 	1986 	ex-West Side Lumber Company #7
Operable and in regular service. Restored 2007–2009. Used on the Bear Mountain Express. 	D&RGW 5 Chime
8 	Yosemite 	Lima Locomotive Corp 	3-truck Shay 	#3176 	1922 	2015 	ex-West Side Lumber Company #8. Acquired from Royal Gorge Route. Returned to steam in June 2016.
Operable and in regular service. Used on the Bear Mountain Express. 	SP 6 Chime
40 	 	Plymouth Locomotive Works 	14-ton Diesel(model DDT) 	 	 	 	ex-Kaiser Steel, Fontana, California
Operable, used for switching and as a helper for Tuolumne, Kahuku, Waipahu, and any train too long for the switchback. Also runs the Castle Rock Special and Boulder Creek Flyer, as well as the Bear Mountain Express during the offseason. 	Nathan P3 (old-cast)
50 	 	Davenport Locomotive Works 	Diesel 	 	 	 	ex-D&RGW #50
Operable sold, now at Colorado Railroad Museum, Golden CO 	unknown
50 (2nd)	 	General Electric 	25-ton Diesel Electric 	#15816	 	 	ex-Bethlehem Steel #14, Los Angeles, California
Operable, used for switching 	Unknown Air Whistle
60 	 	General Electric 	56-ton Diesel Electric 	#33250	 	 	ex-Bethlehem Steel #12, Los Angeles, California
Restored to operation in 2009, used on the Boulder Creek line 	Nathan P3 (old-cast)
??
(30?)	 	Whitcomb Locomotive Works 	 	 	 	 	ex-Kauai Plantation Railway #10, Kauai, HI
Obtained 2010, sold March 2013 to Redwood Gulch Shortline 	unknown
10 	 	Milwaukee Locomotive Manufacturing Company	Motorcar (formerly "Critter")	 	 	 	ex-West Side Lumber Company.
Operable, used by track maintenance crews and on the lightest days 	unknown
== Historic mechanical engineering landmark ==
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers collectively designated Roaring Camp's Shay, Climax and Heisler engines National Mechanical Engineering Historical Landmark (#134) on August 1988, as examples of small, slow-speed 19th century geared locomotives.
=== Dixiana Shay #1 ===
Built in 1912, this engine was originally owned by the Alaculsy Lumber Company, and was used on the Smokey Mountain Railroad in Tennessee. The Dixiana is named for a small narrow-gauge mining railroad, now abandoned, out of Dixiana, Virginia. Notable characteristics include the boiler, which was set left of centerline to compensate for the weight and position of the engine – giving it a lopsided appearance – and the engine design of a three-cylinder exhaust system.
=== Bloomsburg Climax #5 ===
The Bloomsburg was built in 1928 for the Elk River Coal and Lumber Company in Swandale, West Virginia. Previous owners include W.M. Ritter Lumber Company, Georgia Pacific Railroad, and the Carroll Park and Western Railroad in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania until bought for Roaring Camp in 1975. It is the last locomotive of its type manufactured by Climax that operated for logging in the west.
=== Tuolumne Heisler #2 ===
Built in 1899 for the Hetch Hetchy Valley and Yosemite Railroad for use at the sawmill of West Side Flume and Lumber Company near Tuolumne City. First named Thomas S. Bullock after the first general manager of the West Side Flume and Lumber Company, the locomotive was purchased for Roaring Camp in 1962 for $7,000. It is the last steam engine used in the commercial lumber business in Tuolumne, California, and the oldest Heisler still in operation. When acquired by Roaring Camp, the locomotive was originally referred to as Big Trees Fluming Co. #1, intended to tie in with a log flume ride down Bear Mountain that never materalized.
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