The
Western Pacific Railroad Museum (
WPRM) in
Portola, CaliforniaPortola is the only incorporated city in Plumas County, California, United States. The population was 2,104 at the 2010 census, down from 2,227 at the 2000 census...
, formerly known as the
Portola Railroad Museum before , is a
heritage railroadthumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
that preserves and operates historic
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
railroadRail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
equipment. The museum's mission is to preserve the history of the
Western Pacific RailroadThe Western Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was formed in 1903 as an attempt to break the near-monopoly the Southern Pacific Railroad had on rail service into northern California...
and is operated by the
Feather River Rail Society , founded in 1983. It is located at a former Western Pacific locomotive facility, adjacent to the Union Pacific's former Western Pacific mainline through the
Feather River CanyonThe Feather River Route is a rail line that was built and operated by the Western Pacific Railroad. It was constructed between 1906 and 1909, and connects the cities of Oakland, California, and Salt Lake City, Utah...
.
Overview
Museum collection
The museum holds in its collection thirty-three
diesel locomotiveA diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
s, one
electric locomotiveAn electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or an on-board energy storage device...
, one
steam locomotiveA steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
(under restoration and on display), eighteen passenger cars (including four from the famous
California ZephyrThe California Zephyr is a long passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the midwestern and western United States.It runs from Chicago, Illinois, in the east to Emeryville, California, in the west, passing through the states of Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California...
train), numerous freight and maintenance cars and sixteen
cabooseA caboose is a manned North American rail transport vehicle coupled at the end of a freight train. Although cabooses were once used on nearly every freight train, their use has declined and they are seldom seen on trains, except on locals and smaller railroads.-Function:The caboose provided the...
s. They offer excursions and a "Run A Locomotive" program during the summer. The WPRM has one of the larger collections of early diesel era locomotives and freight cars in North America. The museum is often considered to have one of the most complete and historic collections of equipment and materials from a single railroad family. The WPRM is a "hands-on" museum that allows visitors to board and explore locomotives and cars in their collection.
Among the significant pieces in the WPRM collection are
Western Pacific 805-AWestern Pacific 805-A is a diesel-electric railroad locomotive built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors. It was mainly used to pull passenger trains, specifically the California Zephyr , which was operated jointly by the Western Pacific, Denver and Rio Grande Western, and the...
, an
FP7The EMD FP7 was a , B-B dual-service passenger and freight-hauling diesel locomotive produced between June 1949 and December 1953 by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division and General Motors Diesel. Final assembly was at GM-EMD's La Grange, Illinois plant, excepting locomotives destined for...
model passenger locomotive that pulled the
California Zephyr;
Southern Pacific Railroad's (SP) number 4450Southern Pacific Railroad's locomotive number 4450, nicknamed "Huff", is an EMD SD9 diesel locomotive. 4450 was part of SP's first order of 32 SD9s, and delivered in 1954, with its original number, 5363. This order was assigned SP class DF-120 and numbered 5340-5371...
, nicknamed "Huff", an EMD SD9 diesel locomotive; WP 2001, the first
GP20An EMD GP20 is a 4-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between November 1959 and April 1962. Power was provided by an EMD 567D2 16-cylinder turbocharged engine which generated 2000 horsepower...
model locomotive (an early turbocharged diesel); WP 501, an early
switch engineThe EMD SW1 was a diesel-electric switcher locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between December 1938 and November 1953. Final assembly was at EMD's plant at La Grange, Illinois. The SW1 was the second generation of 600 hp switcher from EMD, succeeding the SW and SC...
and the first diesel purchased by the Western Pacific; Western Pacific
0-6-0Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
steam locomotiveA steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
165, an oil burning switch engine built by
ALCOThe American Locomotive Company, often shortened to ALCO or Alco , was a builder of railroad locomotives in the United States.-Early history:...
in 1919; WP 37, a 200 ton rail-mounted
craneA railroad crane, is a type of crane used on a railroad for one of three primary uses: freight handling in goods yards, permanent way maintenance, and accident recovery work...
, two track clearing
snowplowA snowplow is a device intended for mounting on a vehicle, used for removing snow and ice from outdoor surfaces, typically those serving transportation purposes...
s (one wedge type and one
rotaryA rotary snowplow is a piece of railroad snowfighting equipment. It is characterized by the large circular set of blades on its front end that rotate as a unit to cut through the snow on the track ahead of it.-History:...
); and several rare, early 20th Century freight cars. Also located at the site are the Portola Diesel Shop built in 1953 and an interlocking tower from
Oakland, CaliforniaOakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, currently stored unrebuilt. The Western Pacific Hospital, built in 1911 and one of the few remaining railroad hospitals in the country, was part of the museum until it was destroyed in an arson fire on September 7, 2011. The WPRM prides itself on maintaining several of their road diesels in mainline operating condition and is well-known for making occasional movements on
Class I railroadA Class I railroad in the United States and Mexico, or a Class I rail carrier in Canada, is a large freight railroad company, as classified based on operating revenue.Smaller railroads are classified as Class II and Class III...
s using their own historic motive power.
In 2009, chartered train from Amtrak Oakland, California travelled to the museum consisting of a standard P42DC, and well known California Zephyr private cars Silver Lariat, Silver Rapids, and Silver Solarium. The train spent the weekend in Portola celebrating the 100th anniversary of Western Pacific.
Nearby attractions
The “7 Wonders of the Western Pacific Railroad World” highlight seven key
railfanA railfan or rail buff , railway enthusiast or railway buff , or trainspotter , is a person interested in a recreational capacity in rail transport...
ning locations on the
Feather River RouteThe Feather River Route is a rail line that was built and operated by the Western Pacific Railroad. It was constructed between 1906 and 1909, and connects the cities of Oakland, California, and Salt Lake City, Utah...
of the
Western Pacific RailroadThe Western Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was formed in 1903 as an attempt to break the near-monopoly the Southern Pacific Railroad had on rail service into northern California...
in the Feather River Canyon" crossing the Sierra Nevada . These sites are west and east of the Museum.
Plumas-Eureka State ParkPlumas-Eureka State Park is an California state park located in the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Range in Plumas County, California.The park, as a mining museum, shows and protects the history of the active mid-19th century California Gold Rush mining period. As a large natural area it shows and...
is located nearby, as is the
Lassen Volcanic National ParkLassen Volcanic National Park is a United States National Park in northeastern California. The dominant feature of the park is Lassen Peak; the largest plug dome volcano in the world and the southern-most volcano in the Cascade Range...
. Lake Davis and
Frenchman LakeFrenchman Lake is located in Southeastern Plumas County, California and was created by the damming of Little Last Chance Creek.-Geography:...
are popular fishing locations within easy driving of the museum. Graeagle, a town to the west of Portola, is home to vacation cabins and several golf courses.
Operating a locomotive
One of the most famous aspects of the Western Pacific Railroad Museum is its nationally known Run A Locomotive (RAL) program. Except for winter and certain weekends when special events are in progress, the museum provides visitors a chance to be an engineer for an hour. Participants are given on-the-ground instruction, then they get to operate a real locomotive of their choice for an hour. A qualified engineer joins them in the locomotive for oversight and further instruction.
This is one of the first programs of its type in the United States. More information can be found at
WPLives.org. The program is so popular that it is often reserved months in advance.
Zephyr Project
The Zephyr Project is a program of the Feather River Rail Society to acquire, preserve and restore cars, locomotives, personal stories and artifacts relating to the
California ZephyrThe California Zephyr is a long passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the midwestern and western United States.It runs from Chicago, Illinois, in the east to Emeryville, California, in the west, passing through the states of Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California...
passenger train. Currently, the Project's collection of equipment includes Western Pacific
FP7The EMD FP7 was a , B-B dual-service passenger and freight-hauling diesel locomotive produced between June 1949 and December 1953 by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division and General Motors Diesel. Final assembly was at GM-EMD's La Grange, Illinois plant, excepting locomotives destined for...
locomotive 805-A, dome-lounge car "Silver Hostel", dome-coach "Silver Lodge" and dining car "Silver Plate". In addition, the dome-coach "Silver Rifle" is on long term loan from the
Golden Gate Railroad MuseumThe Golden Gate Railroad Museum is a non-profit railroad museum in California that is dedicated to the preservation of steam and passenger railroad equipment, as well as the interpretation of local railroad history....
. The Project maintains an informational website at
www.ZephyrProject.com.
See also
- Feather River Route
The Feather River Route is a rail line that was built and operated by the Western Pacific Railroad. It was constructed between 1906 and 1909, and connects the cities of Oakland, California, and Salt Lake City, Utah...
- Clio trestle
The Clio Trestle, a historic Feather River Route railroad trestle, is a favorite railfan spot located in the Sierra Nevada near Clio, in Plumas County, California...
- Keddie Wye
The Keddie Wye is a favorite railfan spot at a wye along the Feather River Route, located at Keddie, California, named after Arthur Keddie. Mr. Keddie purchased the survey rights and the right to build a railroad through the Feather River Canyon from George Jay Gould I, the son of Jay Gould...
- List of California railroads
- List of railway museums
- List of United States railroads
- List of heritage railroads in the United States
External links