Daily Archives: May 26, 2011
Sugar Pine Choo Choo . . .
We were up early this morning (well, 9 am is early for me) because I was going to get to play choo choo.
Well, they probably won’t let me play with it, so I’ll just have to settle for riding on it.
We headed out with Nick and Terry about 10 am to ride the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad located about 25 miles north of the park, on the way to Yosemite National Park.
The YMSP railroad is laid out on some of the old routes of the Madera Sugar Pine Lumber Company that ran from 1899 to 1931. When the company closed down, they pulled up all the track and sold off the rolling stock.
But then in 1961 Rudy Stauffer started rebuilding the railroad, laying down some of the old track along a 4 mile loop following the old roadbed, to create an excursion railroad.
The reconstituted railroad began service with the purchase of a Shay locomotive from the West Side Lumber Company railway of Tuolumne, California. Built in 1928, No. 10 is recognized as the largest ‘narrow gauge’ Shay locomotive ever constructed.
Narrow gauge means that the tracks are closer together than on a standard gauge railroad, in this case 3 feet vs. 4 feet, 8 1/2 inches. Narrow gauge track was used in locations like this because it was cheaper to build where the clearances and the curves are tighter.
Shays were known for their pulling power and were used in many logging and mining situations. What gave them their strength was their unique way of getting power to the driving wheels.
Unlike conventional steam locomotives like this 4-8-4 below that uses side rods that only power the large center wheels,
the Shays have gears and drive shafts that power all 12 wheels giving superior traction and power
They also had on display this center cab yard switcher that I think is a GE 50 or 55 ton model from the late 1950’s, but I’m not sure. It is apparently not operational.
In the engine house I also found Shay No. 15, the second engine on the railroad, though it looks like it’s under repair.
The rolling stock consists of two types of cars, a covered coach,
and these open-air versions, made from very large logs.
About 11:15 the conductor called “All Aboard” and we headed out on our 1 hour trip.
Here’s Nick and Terry enjoying the fresh air.
At the half-way point the train stopped to take on water and give the passengers a chance to stretch their legs.
It also gave Nick and I a chance to check out the cab of the locomotive. That mess looks worse than working on Nick’s RV.
Here you can see the firebox that makes the 200 psi of superheated steam that powers No. 10. The locomotive originally burned wood, but was later converted to burn fuel oil, also known as bunker oil. However now, they burn used motor oil, which doesn’t give them as much power, but is much cheaper.
Finishing up our ride, we checked out the museum, bookstore and gift shop, along with their gold panning instruction and demonstration.
After a great day on the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad, we headed back into Oakhurst about 1:15 pm. We had a really good time and highly recommend this to anyone in the area.
In the summertime they even have a Moonlight Special on Wednesday and Saturday nights complete with a BBQ steak dinner, entertainment, and a moonlight train ride (well, if the moon is out, otherwise it’s just a train ride in the dark, which can be fun too.)
Heading back into Oakhurst we decided to have a late lunch at Todd’s Cookhouse BBQ, our favorite local BBQ joint. It seems like this place just gets better and better every time we go.
Coming back to the park, we stopped off at the PO for our mail and some stamps, and then the NAPA Auto Parts store in Coarsegold for diesel antifreeze for Nick’s rig.
Our final stop was of course, for cappuccinos. I think we’re all hooked now.
That’s about it for today. I had planned to work some more on Nick’s light problem when we got home but a nap got in the way. Sorry Nick.
There’s always tomorrow.
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Thought for the Day:
‘Remember, if you can’t fix it with a hammer, you’ve got an electrical problem.”
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