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25th Anniversery Visit to the California State Railroad Museum

May 12, 2001. Today was the last day of celebration for the 25th anniversery of the California State Railroad Museum. My wife Lana and I attended the festivitites and had a great time. Admission was free that day so a large crowd was onhand. I visited the California State Railroad Museum a few years ago and not much had changed since my last visit. There were a few more locomotives than I remember and several of the E-units were outside and running, along with a a brand new Surfliner passenger car and a UP SD-90 to be toured! Most of the photos we took outside since I have already photographed the interior of the museum from an earlier train trip.

Click on thumbnail for full size image	Description
	(65K) Outside was where the locomotive action was. There were steam train excursions as well as a ride on an old fire truck fitted for the rails. Pictured are both E units, Sacramento Southern steam excursion train arriving and the little fire engine.
	(55K) Brought down from the Rosevile yard, an SP Rotary! I've always wanted to see one close up and personal but they were always beyond barbed wire fences or I passed it on another train in the snow. I am not certain if this rotary was the same one I encountered up on Donner but it looked close enough to appreciate its size!
	(30K) Western Pacific E unit idling. I was hoping they would move some of the E units around while I was there.
	(50K) Southern Pacific E unit ready for action. I had seen it on the turntable from inside the museum but by the time I got outside, it had been parked here already.
	(52K) My favorite of the E units. The Warbonet ATSF paint scheme. This unit was moved while were outside and it had a very loud single-tone horn.
	(60K) Nice frontal view of the ATSF E unit.
	(66K) Another photo of the ATSF E unit from the rear.
	(66K) Sacramento Southern excursion train with a diesel switcher leading the way pulls out with the rear of the E units in the background.
	(45K) I took this photo of the Sacramento River while sitting comfortably in the Surfliner Coach like I was taking a train trip. Conveniently a freight was crossing the bridge!
	(134K) UP 8509, a brand new SD-90 brought down from the Roseville yard for the publics' enjoyment.
	(52K) Waiting in line for my tour of UP 8509. Anybody know how long the warranty is on a new locomotive?
	(134K) Climbing up the stairs for my tour of the UP 8509.
	(60K) A cab eye view of the catwalk on the side of the SD-90.
	(44K) View out the front window. The Surfliner coach is parked about 20 cars ahead.
	(83K) Same view bit out the fireman's side.
	(54K) The fireman's chair. It's strange that in railroad operations, the engineer/driver is on the right side. In aviation, automotibles and airplanes, the "driver" is on the left. The assistant engineer still is known as the fireman today.
	(53K) The radio center above the engineer's console.
	(51K) The first thing you see when coming up the stairs when entering through the nose of the locomotive. On my right (not seen) is a very tiny bathroom and on the left (not seen), it looks to be a small storage closet. Both were too dark to take photos of. This chair was for the conductor or any additional rider. The window to the right of the chair is the door to the outside catwalk.
	(180K) Very detailed photo of the controls of the SD-90. A museum volunteer explains what the controls do. The engineer in charge of the locomotive was at lunch. Later on in the day, I heard the bell and whistle being blown with people in the cab! When I was a kid, I got to blow the whistle of an SP Cotton Belt locomotive.
	(41K) I know exactly how this little boy is feeling!
	(94K) Full view of the main locomotive controls. I VERY much wanted to push the horn button! There is a console to the left that I forgot to photograph. I don't remember what it controls besides the headlights. I had very little time to photograph the interior. I lagged behind the crowd of people getting off the locomotive so I could photograph as much as I could before it was my turn to climb down the ladder.
	(95K) View from the front catwalk before climbing down the stairs.
	(94K) SP switcher in black widow paint scheme. There were no signs describing this locomotive. Only the signs of the E unit that belonged in this space.
	(207K) Lana with an 1860s-built locomotive behind her.
	(50K) I missed this attraction on my first visit, an opportunity to see an E unit from beneath!

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All Photos © 2001 Steven Reynolds.