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McCloud River Railroad May 2026 Visit by Ryan Bishop |
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Ryan Bishop, a volunteer on the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad, recently made the trip from his home in Oregon to McCloud to visit the original home of the #25 he works on today. Ryan got some photos of some of the work currently on-going around the railroad in preparation for a potential revival of operations. |
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An overview of the shop area in the first week of May 2026. The two former VIA Rail coaches are in the shop getting some work, while the #102 is still in front of the third stall awaiting a new
paint job and some work by all appearances. Also visible in this photo are the red Trackmobile currently being used to switch cars around in town, sitting just to the right of the fuel tank in this
view, and the excavator that has been used in a lot of the brush removal work done earlier this year.
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Side view of the shop with the #102 visible in the background.
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A better view of the #102 sitting in front of the shop.
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Fire car #2009 still sitting behind the shop building. Oregon Coast Scenic has owned this car since 2011 but have yet to move it out of McCloud.
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One of the former BN baggage cars the Great Western Railway Museum brought to McCloud along with the second dancing car, also behind the shop.
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The line of cars in the yard tracks along the east side of the shop.
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The former Great Northern water car from the Great Western Railway Museum collection.
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One of the three remaining former SP ballast hoppers on the line.
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Wreck damaged woodchip hoppers and a gondola sitting on the main line on the west side of the shop. The former Great Northern ore car turned ballast hopper #1808 is on the track to the left.
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The Jordan Spreader shares the track that once held the sand cars with another former SP ballast hopper and a wreck damaged woodchip hopper.
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Jumping back to the east yard Ryan found a mural that someone painted on the side of the former GN water car.
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The end of the former Southern Pacific and then McCloud River "Harriman" coach.
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While in McCloud Ryan also visited the small display of McCloud River Railroad artifacts off Columbero Drive, including the #101.
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Behind the #101 is the base of the water tower from Howard, which the McCloud Railway moved to McCloud in 1994. Also on site is the former Illinois Central heavyweight used as the dinner
train ticket booth and gift shop.
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The McCloud River Railroad logo on the side of the #101's cupola.
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A view of the "other" side of the #101. The current owner has installed a standard door in the end of the car.
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Ryan also visited the site of the Bartle tank on his trip. Only about half the base remains standing.
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The view looking east down the right-of-way from the tank. It's impressive how much the forest is encroaching onto the grade in the twenty years since the railroad shut down.
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The remaining base of the Bartle water tower looking east.
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Plumbing from the tank laying on the ground at the base.
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One final view looking back west down the grade past the water tower base.
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