McCloud River Railroad : Passenger Operations: Excursion Photos

Steam Locomotive #25:
Lookout 1999


The California State Railroad Museum celebrated its grand opening in 1981 with an event called Railfar '81. The museum celebrated its tenth anniversary with a Railfair '91 and was planning a similar event for its twentieth, but political considerations caused the museum to advance the event two years so that it would coincide with the state's 150th anniversary of statehood. Like the previous two events, Railfair '99 included large and small locomotives brought to Sacramento from all over the North American continent, among them the former Southern Pacific #4449. However, by this point Union Pacific had purchased the Southern Pacific and would not allow operation of non-UP steam over its rails, which forced the #4449 to an all-BNSF routing from its home in Portland to Sacramento. This would bring the locomotive through Lookout Junction, and in June 1999 the McCloud Railway put together a special steam and diesel powered trip to meet the #4449.


Photo runby at Hambone. Anna Moore photo.

Anna Moore photo.

Anna Moore.

Anna Moore.

Anna Moore.

The #25 and SP #4449 posed side by side at Lookout Junction. Travis Berryman photo.