Streetcars, Interurbans, and Steeple Cabs: Traction Action At The Western Railway Museum
Автокөліктер мен көлік құралдары
Located along California State Highway 12, in the Sacramento River Delta Region, in rural Solano County, is the Bay Area Electric Railroad Association's Western Railway Museum. Originally founded in 1946, as a charter group on electric railways of the west, the organization collected more and more streetcars, interurbans, steam, and diesel locomotives, and in 1960, it was decided to build a museum at Rio Vista Junction, on the old Sacramento Northern mainline just outside of Suisun City. The organization now owns 22 miles of original track and right-of-way, and a large collection of equipment. Enjoy this look at action under the wire at the Western Railway Museum! Video in the presentation were recorded from 2013 to 2017. Enjoy!
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greetings from the UK! absolutely love these historical railroads; wish we had at least one with electric operations.
My son loves trains 🚆🛤🚞🚝🚉🚈🚇🚅🚄🚃🚂 especially antique streetcars 🚊🚋, interurban cars, and steeple cabs he finds them very interesting and believes they are highly underrated rail transportation vehicles and all should be preserved, restored, and put back into service.
@mikehawk2003
9 ай бұрын
Sacramento Northern's 650-series Steeplecabs were their most reliable locomotives, with their service years lasting from 1923-1965. At only 800HP, it may be weak by today's standards but it could still prove its worth on a small industrial railroad.
@gretchenchadwick8343
9 ай бұрын
@@mikehawk2003 Thank you for your reply we appreciate it God bless you 🙏✡😇🤴👼🐏🐑🕊🥀🔥 John 3:16✝️
A fun place not to be missed.
Thank you for sharing. Hope to check out the museum next time I am in the San Francisco area. Be safe during this crazy time we are in.
Action packed !!!
Huh, those old Melbourne trams seem to turn up in the strangest places.
Decades ago I visited the Western Railway Museum and for a time I was a member. Too bad you didn't have the MUNI Magic Carpet car out the day of this video. It's a car I would have loved to ride and even operate. I'd love to see you loan it back to the MUNI for special events, fan trips, etc. Imagine riding on a Magic Carpet car down Market Street !!
Happy memories of my only trip here in September 2019. Sadly, the only car in service was Portland 4001, but it did a good job at about 35 mph, which for a museum line, is not bad.
I can see that the Sacramento Northern has both a pantograph and trolley wire; is this because it would use the panto on the main line and the trolley wire in the suburbs?
@richrenwick3123
4 жыл бұрын
I think the SN used the trolley pole within yard limits and for the most part used the pantographs on the railroad. You can see an example of this with the CCT or Central California Traction Company #7 at the museum as it has both the pole and pantograph.
@PowerTrain611
4 жыл бұрын
From wikipedia: Because of interconnection with the Key System, SN cars had to operate under a number of different electrical standards. The North End was electrified at 600 volts DC, the nationwide standard trolley and interurban voltage at the time of construction. Trolley wire and trolley poles were used only in urban areas. In the open country, the line used a solid, uncovered top-contact third rail. Cars built originally for the North End could not operate south of Sacramento. The South End (former OA&E, Oakland, Antioch, and Eastern) was electrified largely at 1,200 volts dc until 1936, after which it operated at 1,500 volts, with areas of 600 volts in Oakland and Sacramento. The interurban cars had to use a pantograph rather than the trolley pole on Key System rails (electrified at 600 volts) and over the Bay Bridge (electrified at 1,200 volts for the Southern Pacific); the Key System used a covered top-contact third rail over the bridge. Because of the Key System's third rail, cars that could traverse the whole system had to have their third rail shoes removed, since the top-contact shoes would have fouled the Key System rail's cover. They were normally added or removed in Sacramento. Such all-line capable cars were switchable between 600 V and 1,200 V operation; they could also operate at half power at the 1,200 V setting on 600 V overhead. The SN's south end high-quality electrification used catenary rather than a single trolley wire, leading to the eventual exclusive use of pantographs rather than trolley poles south of Sacramento. Catenary allows the vertical supporting poles to be spaced farther apart than if a single suspended trolley wire is used, plus it is better for pantograph operation at speed due to stability (The South Shore line uses pantographs with a single trolley wire in Michigan City streets but has catenary for high speed operation elsewhere).
I have a serious weakness for traction. I have a very large collection of HO scale brass traction cars...mostly wood and steel interurbans. And I also have a good number of HO brass steam locomotives. But, traction is what dominates my collection. I LOVE traction!!! ❤️ Traction blows me away!!! 💥 💥 I enjoyed your video. Nice collection of vintage traction equipment - including the SN steeple cab #654. 🚎 🚎 🚎