Customer Review of Steamfest 2007 by Warren B. Enos

Steamfest 2007

Three beautifully restored steam locomotives hauled an out–of–the–past passenger car consist into the opening of California's Niles Canyon eastbound March 17th, 2007, midpoint of the 3–day–long Steam Fest 2007. The Niles Canyon Railway and the Pacific Locomotive Association put on this remarkable event for members, railfans, and the curious alike.

On hand to film the action was a crew from TSG Multimedia of San Jose, California, which later produced a 110–minute DVD sure to stir memories of the locomotives, rolling stock, the coastal canyon setting, and the people.

The Niles District of Fremont had at one time been a mill town, a Western town, a one–sided railroad town, and home to many with a frontier spirit. Essanay Studios produced silent western films in Niles with G.M. Anderson as "Bronco Billy" in 1914. Charlie Chaplin filmed his first movie there, "A Night Out," in 1915. Even today it's easy to imagine a posse kicking up dust as cowboys rode down Niles Canyon.

In the past, Niles Canyon was a destination for East Bay families looking for a nice place to picnic and just enjoy the day. The banks of Alameda Creek, particularly around Stony Brook Creek, Elderberry Park, and Fernbrook Park offered swimming on hot summer days. John Philip Souza and his band played there in 1915. Trout fishing was a special attraction during the season and mature steelhead trout would make their way to spawning grounds in winter. Today mature sycamores and oaks shade the canyon bottoms. California Quail coveys, as well as a variety of wildlife, are common.

Several railroad wyes in Niles could be seen in 1914, and over the years the names of the railroads have changed. The gateways to downtown Niles today are still the same railroad subways built in 1937 when the highway bypassed the town. The Niles Interlocking Tower, built in 1912 by Western Pacific, handled the several intersecting railroad lines on the south bank of Alameda Creek, directing over 50 trains a day. The tower was destroyed by fire in 1986. Today, Amtrak's Capitol trains, with Direct Traffic Control (DTC) out of Roseville, pass through Niles.

The Niles Canyon Railway has reclaimed and rebuilt the former Southern Pacific right–of–way on the north side of the canyon. The Union Pacific mainline is on the south side, with freight trains and the Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) using the route. Years ago the Oakland to Chicago all–stainless steel California Zephyr snaked its way through the canyon daily on its way to Altamont Pass and points east.

Rail operations are located mid–canyon at Brightside, the Niles Canyon Railway's maintenance shops and rolling stock storage area, now managed by the Pacific Locomotive Association. Trains move west to a new Niles station and east a short distance to Sunol depot.

In the late 1800s folks would watch as a steam locomotive pulling passenger cars crossed a steel railroad bridge over Alameda Creek, a bridge installed in 1873 and washed away by floods in 1911. In early 2007 folks watched as vintage locomotives pulled different consists through the canyon as part of Steam Fest 2007.

Granite Rock No. 10, "Rocky," an 0–6–0T operable oil burner, built by H.K. Porter, Inc. in 1942, is ex–U.S. Army No. 5001 and currently owned by the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, a September 1995 gift of Granite Rock Company and fully restored in 1997 by the museum. It was on loan to Niles Canyon Railway specifically for the Steam Fest 2007 event.

Quincy Railroad Company No. 2, built in December 1924 by American Locomotive Company (Alco) in Schenectady, New York, is a 2–6–2T at 59.8 gross tons. In 1973 it was in service at Castro Point Railway in the Bay Area and participated in Expo 86 in Vancouver, Canada. It was later moved to Niles Canyon Railway, Brightside Yard, and over time rebuilt twice, now having been in service since 2002.

Robert Dollar Lumber Company No. 3, built in November 1927 by Alco, is a 2–6–2T at 65.5 gross tons. It served several companies in Oregon, was donated to the San Francisco Maritime Museum Association, and later to the Pacific Locomotive Association and rebuilt by Niles Canyon Railway at Brightside during the period 1999–2007. It has been in service since February 2007.

It was quite a sight to see three steam locomotives and a passenger consist move east through the canyon, easily negotiating the curves, and passing over the rebuilt and now all–steel Dresser and Farwell bridges, passengers waving to onlookers.

Friday afternoon, March 16th, was a time to test the equipment for Steam Fest due to start the following morning, and TSG Multimedia crews were on hand to film the action. There are scenes of the locomotives moving forward out of Brightside east a mile and a half to Sunol station then to return in a backup mode. One locomotive is taken off the triple–header consist and returned to Brightside with a tank car in tow.

Another locomotive takes a caboose to Niles station, again crossing Highway 84 and Alameda Creek via Farwell Bridge. It was going to be a no–diesel weekend, only steam. There were often clouds of black smoke from the locomotives and dust everywhere as the trains passed through cuts and along the base of the hillsides.

Throughout Steam Fest 2007, film crews made motion pictures from unique alongside–the–tracks locations as well as from aboard the trains, particularly forward–looking views from the locomotive top and into the cab, showing the engineer and fireman at work. These scenes make the video an invaluable addition to the train buff's memory bank.

Indeed it was a crisp and clear Saturday morning, March 17th as the scene at Niles station includes a Union Pacific freight passing on the Decoto line. A triple–header steam train with locomotive No. 3 in the lead stops periodically, allows passengers to detrain, backs up, and then provides a photo run–by. Again, there is plenty of black exhaust smoke as the train leaves Niles and moves into the canyon, pulling a very attractive passenger consist with observation car.

The consist included:

• SP No. 1949, a 60' Harriman Standard Coach, built by Pullman in 1910, Class 60–C–4
• SP No. 1975, a 60' All Day Lunch, built by Pullman in April, 1914
• WP No. 315, a 70' Heavyweight Coach, built by Pullman, Series 301–320, 1907
• Arizona Eastern No. 453, 60' Heavyweight Combine, Pullman, Feb 1916, Class 60–CB–1
• Yosemite Valley No. 330, a 69' Observation Car, Hicks Locomotive Works, 1907

The beautiful train moved through the canyon and approached the all–steel 1906 Dresser Bridge and the 1896 Farwell Bridge, stopping at Falling Cow Curve for photo run–bys. At this point locomotive No. 3 developed a mechanical malfunction and was removed from the consist and returned to Brightside for repairs.

There's a lot of activity at Brightside, following the run–bys and good show for the photo line, with No. 3 moving off the main line and even switching vintage freight cars. The passenger train continues to Sunol and later runs in reverse back toward Brightside, where a lot of the Niles Canyon Railway equipment can be seen. At this point, Highway 84 runs through the canyon parallel to the rail tracks.

In the afternoon, the film crew follows the passenger train back to Niles, at various times moving forward and at others in reverse, providing good views of the train and photo run–by opportunities. A mixed train consist is formed with No. 3 doing much of the work. A fairly substantial mixed–train consist with steam locomotives at the head and one in the center is quite a sight indeed.

Saturday was a day for assembling trains and moving them throughout the canyon from Niles in the west to Sunol in the east, always past Brightside, providing plenty of opportunities for photo run–bys. There were views of the locomotives taking on water from fire hoses and special tank trucks. Semaphore signals could be seen in operation. An Amtrak Capitol train and Burlington Northern/Santa Fe (BNSF) train in Niles both passed on a nearby track.

Passengers had some wonderful views such as the canyon entrance, where historical figure Father Font described the crossing of Alameda Creek in his diary, "About halfway on the road we came to an arroyo with little water, most of it in deep pools. It has on its banks many sycamores, cottonwoods, and some live oaks and other trees, and it appears to flow west to empty into the estuary."

Just upstream passengers got a good look at a dam recently removed to improve the steelhead trout migrations, one built in the early 1900s by the Spring Valley Water Company of San Francisco, creating a popular swimming hole.

The steel Dresser Bridge was rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake, replacing an earlier bridge. The train passed over the all–steel Farwell Bridge as well.

It was even possible to get a look at the Western Pacific Railroad tunnel just across the canyon, built in 1909 and reconstructed in 1914, transforming white concrete forms and Romanesque arch into classic image with a play on black and white shapes.

On Sunday, March 18th, No. 3 leads a passenger car out of Niles with an open observation car, later passing the Brightside road crossing with its wigwag signal and the westbound No. 2 with an ex–Santa Fe waycar (caboose) in tow. It was a day for large numbers of passengers to enjoy the trains, see the black smoke pouring from the locomotives, hear the sounds of vintage railroading, watch as cars are coupled and uncoupled forming the consist and disassembling trains, and in short just enjoy themselves.

Warren B. Enos

Steamfest 2007