I found a post on Trainorders.com about a double-headed steam excursion on the Sierra Railroad on November 4th, 2007 and decided to do it. I called Chris Parker and he wanted to go so I bought us two tickets. I would take Metrolink to LAUPT and meet him there then Chris would rent a car and drive us to Oakdale for the Sunday trip, after which I would take Amtrak back from Modesto and he would fly home from Sacramento. At least, that was the plan. Chris went to get the rental car the Friday night before we left but they would not give him a one-way rental which meant he had to drive both ways. My plans would change also, but not until Saturday evening after some due consideration.
North to Oakdale 11/03/2007I arose Saturday morning and after finishing packing, drove to the Santa Ana station and parked then went over the bridge and bought a Metrolink ticket to Los Angeles. Metrolink 653 came in a few minutes late and I read Railfan and Railroad Magazine as the train made its way to LAUPT. I spotted Chris Parker on the platform and soon we were driving north on Interstate 5 over the Grapevine to California Highway 99 north through Bakersfield to the rest area south of Tulare. Here I used the wireless Internet to check e-mail and other things on the World Wide Web. We returned to California Highway 99 and continued north.
Foster Farms GP9u 1636, ex. VFPX 1636, exx. Santa Fe 2245, nee Santa Fe GP9 704 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1956 at Zacky Farms at Traver. We pulled off at Kingsburg to see the former Southern Pacific station under restoration there before going to Carls Jr. for lunch. Back on the highway, we came upon "99 Closed Ahead Exit" and should have exited the freeway at that point, but did not. All traffic came to a stop and it took forty-five minutes of patience to move one mile to exit the freeway. What had happened was a 100 car pileup in the Tule Fog that killed two people in two different vehicles, which occurred seven hours before, but the California Highway Patrol was undertaking a major investigation at the accident site.
The scene on Highway 99 when we finally managed to get off at Manning Road. We detoured west to Cedar Avenue and took that back to California Highway 99, travelling through Fresno and Madera. North of there, we caught up to a northbound Union Pacific freight train and north of Chowchilla, we exited the freeway to set up for a picture.
Union Pacific 3762 North just outside of Chowchilla. We then made our way through Merced to Atwater, where we cut over to J7 and caught a southbound BNSF special train of aircraft parts then stopped for petrol at Winton. After a brief stop at Denair, we continued our journey to Oakdale and stopped by the Sierra Railroad engine house where Sierra Railroad 2-8-0 28 was steaming.
The Sierra Railroad shop in Oakdale. We went to a Rite Aid before checking in to the Best Western Rama Inn for the night and I checked the e-mail on the wireless system the hotel had and showed Chris some of this year's NRHS convention DVD that Joe Harper produced where we are both shown. We then drove back down to the dinner train parking lot.
The Sierra Railroad Golden Sunset Dinner Train 11/03/2007The Sierra Railroad Dinner Train is regarded as one of the five best dinner trains in the West. They serve gourmet dinners, lunches and brunches in their beautifully appointed dining cars. Popular trips include Sunset Dinners, Murder Mystery Dinner Theater, Champagne Brunch and Wild West Adventure, plus a number of seasonal trips such as Spring Wildflower Train, Chocolate Festival Trip, Farmers Bounty Trip, Rail and Raft and the annual Christmas Train.
Two of the most notable movies, of the 300+ movies and TV shows filmed there, are "High Noon" (Grace Kelly and Gary Cooper, 1952) and "Back to the Future III" (Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, 1990). The 2007 Chevy Truck pulling a train through the countryside was an ad filmed here.
The train operated primarily on weekends year-round. In December, the Christmas Train has scheduled excursions during the week and in April, the Wildflower Lunch train runs during the week, too. The train is available any day of the week for charters.
The new setup for the Golden Sunset Dinner Train, which is across the street from the former station, now a Mexican restaurant.
The passenger cars are the offices of the Golden Sunset Dinner Train and include kitchen, trainman's office and the future gift shop, as well as a bar room for waiting passengers.
The sign that leads you to the check-in table.
All passengers check in here to receive car assignments and confirmation of their entreé.
The train side view of the new boarding area. The Golden Sunset Dinner train consisted of Sierra Railroad GP20 50, power car, SERA 7005 El Capitan, SERA lounge car 7007, table car "Yosemite Falls", SERA 7000 "Yosemite Valley" and California Western open car 692 "Quiburi Mission". We were seated in the Yosemite Valley, the home-built table car from a former Long Island commuter car. Only the circular window in the doors give away this beautiful wooden interior car's origins. It used to carry hundreds of commuter to and from work and now only happy dinner train passengers.
The motive power was Sierra Railroad GP20 50, ex. BNSF 2020, exx. Santa Fe 3030, exxx. Santa Fe 3130, nee Santa Fe 1130 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1961.
Sierra Northern power car "Hetch Hetchy, perhaps a Santa Fe baggage car built by American Car and Foundry.
Sierra Northern 7005 "El Capitan", nee Southern Pacific bi-level coach xxxx built by Pullman-Standard in 1955.
Sierra Northern lounge car 7007.
Sierra Northern 7011 "Yosemite Falls", nee Long Island Railroad commuter car xxxx.
Sierra Northern 7000 Yosemite Valley
California Western open car 692 "Quiburi Mission" built from a flat car.
The rear of the Golden Sunset Dinner Train. The California Western and Yolo Shortline are all part of the Sierra Railroad's extended familym so cars can be used on any of their passenger train operations. Because of this arrangement, this time I could ride in the open air car before dinner.
Chris Parker on the dinner train, which would be his first such experience.
Chris then took a picture of me, after which I walk through the train.
Interior of "Yosemite Valley".
Interior of "Yosemite Falls".
Interior of the lounge car.
Back to "Yosemite Valley". On the table was bread in a basket with butter in a dish and I enjoyed the bread as we prepared for our departure time.
We departed Oakdale at 5:00 PM as I rode in the open car until the sun set.
We left the Oakdale station behind.
Next we passed the Sierra Railroad's shops.
Once out of town I attempted to catch the sun through the trees.
Looking down the train in the late afternoon light.
A look back at a tree line.
The view inside the open car.
Chris Parker enjoying his first trip on the Sierra Railroad and its dinner train.
Rounding the curve before I started pointing out photo runby locations to Chris from previous photo charters on this unique railroad.
Another curve, another picture then I went into the train to find a bowl of butternut squash soup.
Rounding another curve.
We kept on going as the sun sank lower in the sky.
A look back down the rails.
The sun setting down behind that hill.
Yet another curve.
What an impressive train.
The last light of the day.
Sunset.
A look back towards the west as we neared the Dodge City curve. When it grew dark enough, the flood lights under the car took hold, lighting up the view outside the train. We passed the turkey barns with hundreds of those poultry inside. On my last dinner train excursion here, I was informed the reason for the rooves on the farms. If there was not a roof and it rained, the turkeys would turn their necks up and try to drink but would not close their mouths and therefore drown standing up. Are they not the dumbest birds? Next, the main course was served.
Our server was Jeff.
We enjoyed the "Flat Iron with Red Wine Demi and Sliced Mushrooms" served with scalloped potatoes and glazed carrots. The meal was excellent and I finished just as we arrived at Warnersville where our locomotive would run around the train.
After the power had been reconnected, we started back to Oakdale at 6:46 PM. For dessert, a delicious lemon tart was served and Chris and I chatted on the return trip, where we detrained to complete a most wonderful ride on the Sierra Railroad Golden Sunset Dinner Train.
We drove to a market to get some sandwiches for tomorrow's trip on the Sierra Railroad before returning to the Best Western Rama Inn for the night, where I checked the Internet then watched the end of "Austin Powers" before calling it a night.
