Larry and Peggy Schneider's Summer Travels

Railtown 1897

Designated a California Historical Landmark located in Jamestown where history comes to life with vintage steam trains, a working roundhouse, and the timeless Sierra Railway Shops.  Larry tells us, “The water tower is the one that opened the TV show Petticoat Junction.  For some dumb reason they built a cover over it.  Also several old west movies were filmed using the equipment here.”

California State Railroad Museum

Home to 225,000 square feet of exhibits, beautifully restored locomotives and rolling stock which illustrates railroad history in California and the West.

Visitors to the Thunder Junction Railroad at Tonaquint Park will notice the C. P. Huntington engine used there is patterned after Southern Pacific's first locomotive.  Its specifications are listed above.  The Museum restored the locomotive to its 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition appearance in 1980.

Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad

A fun-filled excursion for the entire family located only 10 minutes from the southern entrance of Yosemite National Park off of Highway 41. The historic railroad offers train rides, gold panning, an on-site rail museum, and a fun gifts & collectibles store. Open April through October.

Amtrak

California Zephyr (San Francisco to Chicago) pulling into Truckee, NV and The Empire Builder (Seattle/Portland to Chicago) entering Winona, MN.