We drove north from Alpine to Poway and found a place to park then went to the station but found no steam engine but the speeder was operating and pulling two cars. We waited for our turn to ride this 42 inch railroad.
Poway-Midland RailroadThe centerpiece of the collection was built in 1907 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the Henry Cowell Lime and Cement Company of Cowell, California. The locomotive, originally dubbed "Engine No. 3", and its sister engines were used to haul rock from the company's quarry to the crushing mill, a distance of three miles. In 1952, "Number 3" was sold to the South San Francisco Scrap Metals Company, where it was used to move other pieces of railroad equipment around the scrap yard. In 1960, Charles Pollard of Vista, California, bought "Number 3" and extensively modified its appearance to resemble much older steam engines of the 1870s. He operated the locomotive, then called the "Robert E. Lee" on the grounds of his machine shop. When Pollard died in 1966, the locomotive and various other pieces of rolling stock and railroad equipment were purchased by John S. Porter of Poway. Porter built a small station, house and shed for the train and operated it on his land which today comprises part of our park. Mr. Porter died in 1980, ending the operation of his "Poway Village and Rattlesnake Creek Railroad". In December 1987, the City of Poway purchased the Porter property – lock, stock and locomotive. The locomotive and its tender have been restored to full operational condition by the PMRRV. Restoration, certification and testing were completed early in 1997 and the locomotive made its inaugural PMRR passenger run on July 4, 1997.
Our Visit
We boarded the cars for our two lap trip around the Poway-Midland Railroad.
There is a wig-wag crossing signal.
The Poway station sign.
Leaving Poway station behind.
The train crossed the first road crossing in Old Poway Park.
We ran along the south property fence.
We crossed the next road.
The train crossed the little creek in the Old Poway Park.
Taking this little "S" curve.
Rolling along the west side of the property.
The train took the northwest curve on this unique railroad.
Rounding the northeast curve.
Passing the Poway-Midland Railroad shop nuilding.
The train took the curve into the station area.
We ran by the water tower on the start of our second lap on this railroad. Once done, I walked down to the shop building.
The trolley and the steam engine.
The steam engine.
1906 San Francisco Cable Car 17 built by the California Street Cable Railroad in 1906, which was puchased by Knott's Berry Farm until 1976 when the San Diego Metropolitan Transit District had a vision of running it on the Old Town line, which never was built. In 1997 Poway acquired the car.
With those pictures, we headed out to Julian for our next train ride.
