Steam Train Over the Forth Bridge

**Alan H** · 18th April 10, 07:09 PM

If you get to California for the Pleasanton Games, there are a couple of steam trains running still. We'll have to get you on the ride through Niles Canyon.

http://www.ncry.org/

**Highlander31** · 18th April 10, 09:29 PM

Originally Posted by Alan H

If you get to California for the Pleasanton Games, there are a couple of steam trains running still. We'll have to get you on the ride through Niles Canyon.

http://www.ncry.org/

Alan, if Alex has time, there is the Roaring Camp and Big Trees railroad in Felton which is a great ride through the Redwoods. There is also the Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad in Vasona Park in Los Gatos. The 1/3 scale engines and coaches were the hobby of a retired train engineer, Billy Jones. He had them running around his ranch, and gave rides to those who'd stop by. On his death, the trains were bequeathed to the city of Los Gatos. As a young man in high school, I volunteered with many others to help lay the track in the park.

http://www.roaringcamp.com/
http://www.bjwrr.org/

**Zardoz** · 18th April 10, 09:37 PM

Great photos Cessna, I love to see running steam locomotives. What do you call the 4-6-2 type in Britain? We call them "Pacific" over here.

**Rob** · 19th April 10, 02:33 AM

Originally Posted by Zardoz

Great photos Cessna, I love to see running steam locomotives. What do you call the 4-6-2 type in Britain? We call them "Pacific" over here.

Zardoz,

Most railways here used Pacifics for heavy express passenger duties apart from the Great Western Railway, which used 4-6-0 locomotives. This was because some of the main GWR routes were over very steeply graded track (up to 1 in 36, or 2.8%), and Pacifics had a tendancy to slip on such gradients when hauling heavy trains.

Oliver Cromwell was one of a class of 55 locomotives commonly known as "Britannias" (after the first one in the class), built after the railways were nationalised in 1948.

Rob

**McClef** · 19th April 10, 02:53 AM

Good pictures Alex.

I remember seeing the Oliver Cromwell at Stockport a long time ago.

And managed to dig out an old photo of me on the footplate of 70000 Britannia, the first of the class and the only other to be preserved besides Oliver Cromwell.

Yes - I used to have hair!

**English Bloke** · 19th April 10, 05:48 AM

Great pictures Alex. I do like steam engines.

Is that an SNP tartan kilt? I like his hose too.

And Trefor... Blimey! You haven't changed a bit

**Nighthawk** · 19th April 10, 06:33 AM

Those are some beautiful pictures! If you ever get here to take a ride on the Cumbres and Toltec or the Durango and Silverton, let me know. I grew up on the C&TS- literally learned to walk riding it- and would love to show you around. If you get to Denver International Airport, I'll get you to Chama. If you don't mind tenting it with my family, it could be a (reletively) inexpensive trip- airfare, train fare, toss in some gas money and feed yourself. Oh, and tolerate a 6 hour drive crammed into the car with my family!

That's the real expense...

I think I've sent you the link to my father's YouTube channel... but just in case I haven't, here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/user/gothpapa

He has film from three generations of rail fans- his father, himself and his brother, and my family. There's some great stuff there.