Historic locomotive back in Jamestown

Tuolumne County’s “movie star” locomotive, the historic Sierra No. 3, is back in Jamestown and a step closer to returning to rail service.

Built by Rogers Locomotive Works in New Jersey in 1891, the Sierra No. 3 spent its early years in Arizona and was brought to Jamestown with the arrival of the railroad in 1897. It saw over a century of use, hauling ore, lumber, marble and other goods out of the foothills.
  

With the advent of diesels in the mid-20th century, many steam locomotives were destroyed for scrap, but No. 3 found a new career in the movie industry, appearing in more than 100 films and television shows over the years.

It was taken out of service in the mid-1990s because the boiler needed extensive repair and the money for it was not available.

Since then, hundreds of railroad enthusiasts, including organizations and individuals, have helped pay for its restoration. The cost has climbed to more than $1 million, which has been covered by a California Cultural and Historical Endowment grant, Sonora Area Foundation, the Irving J. Symons Foundation, the California State Railroad Museum Foundation and others.

The No. 3, weighing about 60,000 pounds in its current state, returned to Jamestown from Sacramento aboard a big rig Friday.

The locomotive was in Sacramento to have its new boiler assembled and attached to the frame in a process known as erecting.

“The Sacramento shops have a large overhead crane, required for the job, which we do not have,” said Railtown Superintendent Kim Baker.

"It is very slow, tedious work,” said George Sapp, restoration lead man at Railtown, “and now the real work begins. We still have to put the cab, running gear and other parts together and make it run. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of pieces that all have to be hand-fitted.”

What makes it so tedious is trying to be as authentic as possible, using original techniques and materials.

The goal is to have the train back in service by late spring 2010, Sapp said.

Most of the restoration work is being done at the Railtown shops. The only exceptions other than the work in Sacramento have been the boiler, which was recreated using parts from the original as a pattern by a company in Washington state, and some pieces that were repaired using techniques from the 1890s by Joe Cover and Sons Construction of Tuolumne.

It’s been a long two months for the Railtown staff, which had to be in Sacramento for much of the work.

Baker, along with Sapp and Railtown’s curator, Lisa Smithson, spent two to three days a week in Sacramento working on various aspects of the project.

The rest of the Jamestown team, consisting of foreman Norm Comer, Phil Hard and Dennis “DJ” Ponder, all of Tuolumne, and Kurt Anderson, of Twain Harte, worked in Sacramento four days a week, 10 hours a day, Fridays through Mondays.

For two months, they worked alternate shifts with workers from the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento.

On two upcoming Wednesdays, Nov. 11 and Dec. 9, behind-the-scenes tours will be offered, which will include an overview of the project and a tour of the Tri Dam shop at Railtown, where the work is taking place.    

Cost of the tour is $5 for members of the California State Railroad Museum Foundation and $10 for others. It includes the cost of admission to the park.

Advance reservations may be made by calling 984-3953.