January 12, 2001

Jan. 12, 2001 - Museum plans train from Shingle to Mo Flat

By JONATHAN SCHWARZBERG Staff writer

Have you ever taken a walk along the abandoned railroad tracks and heard the faint rumblings of the trains that once rolled up and down El Dorado County?

Have you seen the faint wisps of smoke snaking through the trees, remnants of a bygone era?

Keith Berry has, and along with a diverse group of other interested people, wants to see it with his eyes instead of with his mind.

"We are dedicated to preservation," Berry said at a presentation to the El Dorado County Cultural Preservation Committee Wednesday night. "We are not a commercial operation."

Berry is the president of the El Dorado Western Railroad Foundation. He is hoping to help begin running a restored steam train from Missouri Flat Road to Shingle Springs with the help of the El Dorado County Parks and Recreation Department and the El Dorado County History Museum.

"It's a good partnership," Berry said. "We have quite an accumulation of talent working on the project."

The train they want to use is known as the Diamond and Caldor Shay No. 4. The Diamond and Caldor Railway purchased the train in 1907, where it was used until the end of the company in 1953. For years the train sat on display at the El Dorado County Museum.

Restoration of the Shay No. 4 began in 1992 and is now 85 percent complete. Berry brought what will be the train's bell to show off to the commissioners the kind of work that has gone into fixing up the train.

The bell, taken off a Michigan-Cal lumber train, has been given a new life as evidenced by its bright shine. But the scars it received from the accident that put its train out of commission still exist.

"This is as good as it gets," Berry said. "It's original. It will certainly operate. It's real. It has a legacy of its own."

Berry said they hope to run the train from Missouri Flat Road near the proposed Walmart to the old train depot in Shingle Springs.

Walmart currently owns part of the property that would be needed to construct the necessary equipment near Missouri Flat Road. However, the property needed has been labeled unusable by Walmart. Harold Kiser said it looked promising that Walmart would donate the property or allow it to be used.

"(A Walmart representative) said he wanted something to go in there that was for the community," Kiser said.

At the Missouri Flat location, there are plans to build a turntable that could be seen from the road. There would also be a water tower.

This area would also serve as the trailhead for a trail running along the railroad tracks. The trail would serve for biking, horseback riding and walking. At the trailhead, there are plans for a store specializing in railroad related items.

There are also plans for a turntable near the old train depot in Shingle Springs as well as another store.

Kiser said the developer who owns the land around the train depot has expressed interest in recreating old freight buildings and turning them into little stores.

Little opposition has been received from residents along the rail, Kiser said.

Berry added that the train will not be running every day - or even every other day.

"It would literally become an event everytime we ran," Berry said.

The eight-mile trip is expected to take about one hour to complete as the train's top speed is 8 mph. Berry said the trip would make excellent field trips for classes and said they are considering making a shorter trip to El Dorado for field trips as well.

To get the train running, though, Berry said some changes would have to be made to the tracks themselves. The No. 4 is a narrow-gauge train rather than standard, meaning its wheels are set closer together.

To remedy this situation, Berry said they could either add a third rail to the tracks at narrow-gauge dimensions or scoot the tracks closer together. They are currently looking at both options.

The county now owns the right of way along the railroad tracks, and Berry said he thinks the chances of actually pulling off this project are looking "increasingly good."