It was January 1, 1897 when The Sierra Railway Company was born. It was Thomas Bullock, banker William H. Crocker, Prince Andre Poniatowski, and others who invested in this venture to create a short-line railroad for their lumber and mining interests. The trains were to replace horse-drawn wagons going from Oakdale, CA to the Sacramento and San Francisco areas of the State.
A copy of a photo of Steam Train #3 – The Hollywood Train
During the Great Depression, the company went into receivership an in 1937 it was renamed Sierra Railroad Company. Ownership changed hands and was bought by Crocker Associates. In 1955 passenger operations came to a halt an the last of the steam engines were replaced with diesel.
It was William H. Crocker’s descendant, Charles Crocker, who wanted to bring the area back to life and in the 1970’s Railtown 1897 was born. It was later gifted to the State of California from Charles Crocker in 1982. The acquisition of the park include the trackage rights on the Sierra Railroad.
Let’s go wander through this park, which is located in the Sierra Foothills town of Jamestown.
The train station at Railtown 1897 in Jamestown
This building houses the waiting room for passengers, a gift shop and an area that features a film on the most famous steam engine that makes it home in this park. That would be Steam Engine #3!
If you go back to the top an take a look at the photo again, note the water tower in that photo. This tower is the one used in the 1963 TV series “Petticoat Junction.” From the year 1919 all the way to 2001, trains that reside at this park have been used by Hollywood in film production.
Steam Engine #3 was used in many films.
Filming with Steam Train #3
If you click on the photo above, you will see the fellow holding the boom, and the camera. The movie being made was not identified. Here are some of the movies using Steam Engine #3: “The Virginian,” 1929, which starred Gary Cooper and Mary Brian; “High Noon,” 1952, starring, again, Gary Cooper with Grace Kelly; “The Great Race,” 1965, starring Jack Lemmon and Natalie Wood; “Back to the Future III,” 1990, starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd.
A copy of a photo of Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox from Back to the Future III
You might remember from this film how the smoke stack exploded. Well here is the smoke stack from the film.
The blown smoke stack from Back to the Future III
Steam Engine #18 was also use in many films, notably the 1940’s film called “Go West” starring The Marx Brothers and John Carroll.
A copy of a photo of the Marx Brothers in the Movie “Go West”
#18 was also used in these films: “Dodge City,” 1938, starring Errol Flynn and Oliva deHavilland; “My Little Chickadee,” 1940, starring W.C. Fields and Mae West; “The Texas Rangers,” 1951, starring George Montgomery and Gail Storm. And there are many other trains used by Hollywood here as well.
Now let us go an take a walk around to look at some of the sights that we saw. The Roundhouse is the home to a number of engines and where repair work took place. Here is a copy of an old photo I discovered that features the men that repaired the engines.
A copy of a photo of the men who fixed the trains
And some of the engines:
#3 Up close
The back side of Steam Engine #3
Engine #2
Engine #34
There was also access to one of the passenger cars.
A passenger car
Sitting inside the car I wondered who might have sat where I did.
Inside a passenger car
Here is a photo of the Roundhouse from the back side. To see all the amazing detail be sure to click on the photo.
The Round House
Notice the number of tracks leading into the bays. The reason this building is called The Round House has to do with this nifty device.
The turntable at Railtown 1897
Engines would come in and be loaded onto this round turntable, then it was turned to the set of tracks that would take the engine into the building for repair.
This stop was well worth it, and if you are into trains or history, this is a must see spot! Railtown 1897 is located in Jamestown at the corner of 9th Street and Sierra Avenue. The cost to visit with the history here is $5.00 per person.
Life in the Foothills 