Imagine a real Thomas The Tank Engine

Yesterday morning I noticed something as I dropped my three-year-old granddaughter off at preschool. While waiting in line, I saw two boys wearing Thomas The Tank Engine t-shirts. A third boy sported a brand new Thomas daypack.

It got me to thinking. If the railroad tracks along the 28-mile Placerville Branch are torn out by Iron Horse Preservation Society, as proposed by the Friends of the El Dorado Trail, then these boys (and their sisters) will never have the opportunity to ride the rails on the historic Placerville Branch rail line.

Sure, the parents of our young Thomas fans could drive the family to the California State Railroad Museum and ride the train on the Sacramento Southern Railroad. After all, the museum is a worthy destination with its amazing collection of locomotives from California's long railroading history.

But I say, why drive over 40 miles to ride an excursion train when there could be at two local railroad venues, one at each end of the line? Boys and girls from throughout the area would encourage their parents make the short drive to passenger depots in Folsom, Latrobe, Shingle Springs, El Dorado and Diamond Springs.

Can't you picture a young El Dorado County family boarding the train at the newly re-created historic Southern Pacific passenger depot in El Dorado? Approved by the county Board of Supervisors last year, the El Dorado County Historical Railroad Park will soon become the premier rail destination for the local region.

The Diamond and Caldor No. 4 Shay locomotive would pull the train – with young Thomas fans sitting on the edge of their seats – to the end-of-track at Missouri Flat Road, near the location of the old Diamond Springs interchange with the Diamond and Caldor Railway. On the ride, the conductor will tell our young Thomas fans how the Four-Spot once pulled trains loaded with rough-cut lumber from the Caldor mill to Diamond Springs.

Then these young Thomas fans will get the view of a lifetime as they poke their heads out the window. At the head of the train, the brakeman will uncouple the Four-Spot from the train. And the engineer will guide the century-old geared steam locomotive through the switch onto the run-around track.

What child wouldn’t react with enthusiasm as the Shay backs down on the run-around track? The engineer and fireman will wave as if they were personal friends of each boy and girl on the train. Our young fans will have come into contact with the real “Thomas” in person.

Along the way, our young Thomas fans will enjoy an afternoon of family fun, while viewing some of the best countryside in California. And, they’ll experience history in the best way possible – by experiencing it firsthand! Captivated by the train crew, dressed in bib overalls, long-sleeved shirts and striped engineer caps, our young Thomas fans will feel the heat of the engine as it passes by. And the sweet aroma of the steam exhaust will capture their hearts.

If the citizens of El Dorado County allow the Friends of the El Dorado Trail and Iron Horse Preservation Society to rip out the twin steel tracks of the Placerville Branch, they’ll be tearing out a piece of our history for good. And families, both young and old, will never be able to experience the once daily passenger local, bound for Placerville.

Come to think of it, I don’t recall seeing any boys in bicycle t-shirts! Tear out the tracks and these boys and girls will miss the sights and sounds of the real Thomas The Tank Engine.

The Days are Getting Longer

One more and I'm in the blog-a-day zone for December. It's nap time with blog no. 30.

Daylight hours are inching upwards now that winter's here. Soon this chair will invite company or an afternoon nap. It looks inviting, but the the blue tone gives me the sense that it's a little cool to sit in. The chair is was found along the El Dorado Trail in Smith Flat.

Old Rail Never Dies

Blog no. 27 brings a lesson in recycling ...

I suppose you could say, "Old rail never dies. It gets reused."

Several feet of old railroad rail, presumably salvaged from the Camino, Placerville and Lake Tahoe Railroad, were fashioned into an iron retaining wall. The wall supports the built-up roadbed around a culvert. This retaining wall won't rust away soon.

Maintenance of way crews fabricated the wall from discarded rail. Railroad mechanics were masters at reusing old materials laying around the shop. It fit their operating model to scrimp, save and repair everything without spending a dime.

I'd say this wall, when amortized over the years, this wall will cost less than a penny per year!

A Step Back in Time

We're hiking on the old railroad in blog no. 23. There are no more ties to count on the old Camino, Placerville & Lake Tahoe right-of-way. Soon I'll stop counting the blogs of December.

Trails like the El Dorado Trail fascinate me. Hiking gives me a chance to collect my thoughts and peer into the thick understory. And it's a wonderful walk to enjoy with my wife.

My love of history sometimes shades my view of the trail. It's the evidence of human interaction with the environment that draws me. Each rusted hulk of an iron culvert or rotting railroad tie supplies endless hours of exploration along the trail.

As we hiked the grade, it was easy to picture one of the railroad's two 70-ton Shay geared locomotives pulling a consist of empty cars to the mill in Camino.

The Shay wouldn't have broken any speed records up the grade, which reached five percent in places. Like the turtle in the children's story, the locomotive pulled the grade with a slow, steady pace. Set in perpetual granny gear, the engine always made it to the top.

Ditches, old roads and any foundation or rotting trestle timbers help me visualize the lay of the land. I can trace a railroad right-of-way through the forest, making judgements as to its likely route.

This is really walking relaxation -- much like my love of driving forest roads -- that helps me unwind from the events of the day.

We'll come back to the El Dorado Trail often. This is the first time we've hiked the trail in our 14-year residence in El Dorado County. Often, the best outings are located in your backyard.

Even though the path fascinates me, with its connection to the short line that wound its way up the hill on a 1,900-foot climb from Mosquito Road in Placerville to the old Michigan-California lumber mill in Camino, it also gives me time to walk with Debbie and enjoy the outdoors.

Capps Crossing Bridge

I love the quite solitude of the Sierra Nevada is winter. A holiday drive up the Mormon Emigrant Trail gave my son and me the chance to soak in warmth from a campfire at our secret spot. After a lunch of grilled sandwiches, we drove down North-South Road and stopped at Capps Crossing Campground to hike and look around.

This structure bridges the North Fork of the Consumnes River. Built in 1932 by the U.S. Forest Service, the bridge is now closed to vehicles. I'm certain that the steel and timber bridge made crossing the river much easier, especially over swift water of spring. A large concrete bridge spans the river today.