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Roaring Camp Railroads
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About Roaring Camp Railroads
The 3‑ft (914 mm) narrow‑gauge Roaring Camp & Big Trees Railroad departs daily from its Felton depot, climbing 3.25 mi of steep grades through towering redwood forest to the summit of Bear Mountain. Steam‑powered trains, featuring several locomotives dating from the 1890s, provide regular passenger service and are among the oldest such narrow‑gauge engines operating in the United States. A weekend beach train runs Saturdays and Sundays.
History
Roaring Camp Railroads begins its heritage‑railroad operations in 1963 when founder F. Norman Clark (1935–1985) acquires a 99‑year lease on 170 acres of the Big Trees Ranch, a property originally bought in 1867 by Joseph Warren Welch to protect giant redwoods and partially sold to Santa Cruz County in 1930. In 1958 Clark rescues the abandoned Shay locomotive Dixiana, reconditions it, and places it in service that same year. A 1976 fire destroys the original “corkscrew” trestles at Spring Canyon; within six months a switchback with a 10.5 % grade is built to restore service. After Clark’s death on December 2 1985, his wife Georgiana assumes ownership and management as Vice President of Operations. The railroad’s profile expands with the inaugural “Day Out with Thomas” event in 2003 and a December 28 2015 collision on the switchback that injures six passengers, while the American Society of Mechanical Engineers designates its Shay, Climax and Heisler engines a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark in 1988.
The Trains
The Roaring Camp & Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad runs on a 3 ft (914 mm) gauge line that stretches 3.25 miles (5.23 km) from the Roaring Camp depot in Felton to the summit of Bear Mountain. Regular passenger trains are hauled by two Shay locomotives—including Shay #1, a 1912 three‑cylinder engine known as Dixiana, and Shay #7—and are occasionally assisted by the 1899 Heisler #2, named Thomas S. Bullock, while the 1928 Climax #5, called Bloomsburg, and the 0‑4‑2ST “Kahuku” serve special‑occasion and shuttle duties. All of these historic geared engines pull wooden‑bodied coaches and open‑air cars along the steep 10.5 % switchback and the original trestle‑loop‑free route through the redwood forest.
Nearby
California's Roaring Camp Railroads is close to two more rides: the Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad about 14 mi off and the California Trolley and Railroad Corporation roughly 22 mi away.
Where to Stay
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Rent a Car
Most heritage railroads sit well off the interstate. Picking up a rental at the nearest airport is usually the easiest way in.
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Book tours & activities nearby
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More in California
All train rides in California →Train Types in California
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