We continued on our trip aboard Skunk Motorcar M-100 to Willits.
Passing the sign for Sanctuary.
Crossing Bridge 22.51.
We crossed Bridge 22.68.
Running on a straight section of track on this railroad.
Passing the Irmulco passenger shelter.
The Milepost 24 signpost.
Dropping off passengers at Irmulco Shelter at the westbound Irmulco Station half a mile sign.
The interior of California Western Motorcar M-100 on our trip to Willits.
We ran up the longest section of straight track.
Passing through Shake City. Now the real climb began as from east of here to Tunnel 2, we would climb five loops of track and go 6.4 miles to do that but it is really only 1.2 miles as the crow flies. In other words, we leave Shake City at 560 feet to reach Summit at 1,740 feet, or a gain in elevation of 1,180 feet.
Passing the Milepost 27 sign.
The Burbeck One Half Mile sign.
This straight track leads to Burbeck.
We next ran through Burbeck at the very bottom of the looping part of the railroad and had climbed 100 feet from Shake City.
The Milepost 28 sign.
Heading for the bottom loop.
Passing a pile of new ties before going through Soda Spring, where we had climbed 400 feet in the last five miles.
The Milepost 29 sign.
We have reached the end of the bottom loop as we now started looping back to the north.
Looking down on the tracks we were once on.
Climbing the second level of the loops.
This tree fell across the railroad and had to be cut so trains could ran through. We have turned south once more.
We ran by the Clare Mill Half a Mile sign.
We climbed towards Clare Mill.
The west switch.
Lumbermen's house here. Each house could hold eight of the workers in very tight quarters.
Water tower at Clare Mill. We were now heading back north.
Climbing the grade on the third loop.
The Milepost 31 sign.
We were almost to the north end of the middle loop.
We have now turned south again heading to Crowley.
Passing through Crowley and turning north for the final time on the loops.
The Milepost 33 sign.
Nearing Delmar.
At Delmar there is another lumbermen's house that was on skids to be used when moving the camp to a new location.
Now we were turning back to the south for the final time on the loops on this railroad.
Heading southward.
Passing the Summit One Half Mile Sign.
The Milepost 35 sign.
Tunnel 2 came into view which was completed in 1911 and is 812 feet long.
We travelled through the darkness of Tunnel 2.
We ran through Summit.
Crossing Bridge 35.71.
Heading for Milepost 36.
Here is Milepost 36.
Dropping down the grade.
Milepost 37.
Heading to our next passenger stop.
Passengers detrained at the KOA Kampground Depot in Willits.
We then crossed CA Highway 20.
Rolling down some straight track as we neared Willits.
Our crossing of Bridge 37.78.
The Milepost 38 sign.
Another section of straight track.
Going by the Willits Yard Limit sign.
I was surprised to see an old friend, Central California Traction RS-1 80, at the lumber mill outside of Willits.
An old high-wide detector.
The Milepost 39 sign.
We crossed US Highway 101 on the way to Willits station.
The Willits Arch "Gateway to the Redwoods".
Crosseing Bridge 39.24.
The Willits water tower.
The junction with the old Northwestern Pacific.
We rolled the final mile into Willits.
The California Western keeps a passenger train here. We arroved at Willits, ending our eastern trip from Fort Bragg and had two hours in to wait for our barbecue trip back to Northspur.
California Western Motorcar M-100 at rest.
The motorcar heads to the Willits wye to be turned for the trip back to Northspur.
The California Western station built in 1915.
California Western GP9 65, ex. San Joaquin Valley Railroad 65, exx. KYLE Railroad 1758, exxx. Southern Pacific 3411, exxxxx. Southern Pacific 3428, nee Texas and New Orleans 416 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1954.
The railroad equipment behind a fence at Willits. I bought a route guide and was given water for my mother and I during our layover.
The BBQ Dinner Excursion and return trip to Fort Bragg 8/16/2014All Aboard for our BBQ Dinner Excursion. Travel round trip from Willits to Northspur. Equipment will be a Motorcar. Travel from Willits to Northspur on a Motorcar aboard the vintage 1925 or 1935 Motorcar. From Northspur to Fort Bragg you will ride a vintage diesel power train. As you depart Willits you will begin climbing a 3.5% grade and cut through the Coast Mountain Range at Tunnel 2. From here it's long descent into the Redwoods of the Noyo River Canyon. Our dinner menu is BBQ tri-tip and chicken, green salad, potato salad, baked beans, rolls and butter and famous blackberry sundae (menu subject to change) at Northspur.
Since I documented this railroad on the eastbound trip to Willits, I will only share a few pictures on this return trip to Fort Bragg. They loaded my mother aboard and then the rest of us boarded, with me taking the front seat in Motorcar M100.
We left Willits for Northspur.
Passing Central California Traction RS-1 80 at the lumber mill.
The east portal of Tunnel 2. I talked with our operator and took in the scenery from the Skunk Motorcar's front seat all the way down to Northspur where we detrained.
The M100 Motorcar at Northspur. Since we arrived early, I fixed a plate of corn, beans, salad, a roll, BBQ chicken and a piece of Tri Tip for my mother and a plate of corn, two rolls, butter, BBQ chicken and five pieces of Tri Tip for me. My mother had a small glass of wine and I had a Mug root beer. It was a very good meal. During my meal the diesel train from Fort Bragg arrived so I waited until the engine was wyed at Northspur before taking some more pictures.
CWRR GP9 64, ex. KYLE Railroad 1750; exx. Southern Pacific 3311, exxx. Southern Pacific 3444, nee Southern Pacific 5607, built by Electro-Motive Division in 1955, came out from the Northspur Wye.
It was then coupled onto the front of the Fort Bragg train for the trip back. I got my mother into position to be lifted onto the train and then I boarded for the very relaxing trip and rode out in the open car most of the way back.
Views of the return trip to Fort Bragg.
This wine barrel is full of water for their unique water lubrication system used on this railroad.
Two more views of the return trip.
The train entered Tunnel 1.
The train exited Tunnel 1 and ran along Pudding Creek then climbed back into Fort Bragg. It had been a fantastic day of riding the entire California Western Railroad using steam, motorcar and diesel to complete my run on this unique California railroad. We said our goodbye to Fort Bragg and I drove us over CA Highway 20 back over the mountain to Willits, then US 101 south to Ukiah to the Vagabond Inn where we stayed the night.
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