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McCloud River Railroad : Passenger Operations: Excursion Photos Civil War Trains |
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Between roughly 2000 and 2005 McCloud hosted an annual Civil War event. Re-enactors dressed in period uniforms of both Union and
Confederate forces would set up camps near McCloud and fight occasional staged street battles through the town. The railroad served as a centerpiece of these events, running several steam powered trips each day through
the weekend, to Signal Butte in the first years and later to Hooper. The railroad retrofitted several work flats to carry the re-enactors; typically one side would ride the train up out of McCloud, while the other
would lay in wait to ambush the train at the end of the run. The abushing side would inevitably "seize" the train after a mock battle and then take a victorious ride back to McCloud, only to lose the train again
on the next trip up the hill. All photos by and courtesy of Roger Titus. |
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The #25 leads the July 2000 civil war train, seen here at Signal Butte while the battle rages behind it.
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The 2000 Civil War train at Signal Butte.
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The 2001 battles took place at Hooper on 21 July 2001.
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One of the troop trains of 3 August 2003 taking Confederate forces up the hill.
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Union troops have ambushed the train, and the Confederates are fighting back.
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The battle is over, and the Union forces are taking over the train.
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After capturing the train, the Union forces board it for the return to McCloud.
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Re-enactors from both sides are on the last train of the day.
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