McCloud River Railroad : Passenger Operations: Excursion Photos

Steam Locomotive #18:
17 October 2004

Sunday, 17 October 2004, was one of those days where the weather lived up to the somber mood of the occassion. The sunny skies of the previous weekend were replaced by cold wet weather that seemed to match the dark mood felt by many present.

As it had many times before, the #18 coupled onto the two ex-VIA Rail coaches and the double deck flatcar and headed east to Bartle, where it took the west leg of the Wye and headed south for Burney. Rain fell on the train for most of the way to Burney and return. To quote one photographer witnessing the event: "There was not a dry eye in the house".

Peter Ely and his wife Karen were among the paying passengers on what was billed as the last trip. Throughout the day the two shot many pictures of the train. Some of their photos are reposted here with their permission.

The #18, coupled to the train and ready to go.

A water truck from Carlton Trucking out of Burney met the train at Cayton, and the passengers plus a good number of fans chasing the train took the opportunity to walk around the locomotive.

Another shot of the #18 at Cayton.

A broadside view of the #18.

During the trip into Cayton the headlight bulb burned out. With no spare carried on the locomotive, the crew had to borrow the bulb from the back-up light on the tender to put into the headlight. Fireman Michael Zetocha is seen here changing out the bulb.

After leaving Cayton the railroad crosses Cayton Creek. The creek quickly decends into a steep canyon. The excursion has just started the decent to the Lake Britton bridge. The fall colors are becoming evident.

The train about to pass onto the Lake Britton bridge as seen from the top deck of the double deck car.

Looking upstream across Lake Britton from the bridge.

The #18 putting on quite a show climbing the stiff grade that takes the railroad up and out of the Pit River Canyon.

Another photo stop was made at Berry. The train is resting on the north leg of the Berry Wye.

Conductor Roger Titus at Berry.

The #18 has turned the train on the Berry Wye and is prepared to start the return trip to McCloud.

Another photo run was made at the Lake Britton Bridge. The passengers were unloaded on the north side of the bridge, and the #18 backed up across the bridge and around the corner.

Another shot of the #18 backing across the bridge.

With a plume of black smoke and the boiler blow down cocks open, the photo run charges onto the bridge.

The sun finally came out as the train neared Bartle on the return trip.

One final photo run-by was made at the Bartle tank in the last rays of useable sunlight.

Looking into the back of the closed sawmill in McCloud.

The excursion taking the top leg of the wye entering the east end of the McCloud yard. The two-track train make-up yard is directly ahead of the camera, with the shop building in the background.

The excursion rolls to a stop at the McCloud depot, next to the old water tank moved to this location from Hooper. The trip has come to an end.