Raven's Roads
Living an interesting life: the travels and musings
of motorcycling author Linda R. Moore

Feb 4, 2007

Choo-choo trains!

Filed in Days Out

This afternoon, Barb, Brian, Don and I set out on our bikes to pre-ride a route I am hoping to take my club on in a week or so, weather permitting.

About a week ago I wrote about the Niles Canyon railroad. As we rode along Niles Canyon, I noticed that some people were stopped at the roadside, photographing the oncoming steam train. While it certainly wasn’t what I’d had in mind, there was nothing for it but to pull up in Sunol at the station, where a volunteer with a wall to wall grin informed us that the train coming in hadn’t run on rails for fifty years. We were witnessing its first two-mile test run in half a century.

How incredibly cool is that!

A few minutes later the train–two engines hooked together, one dated 1924 and the other 1927–shuffled into the station, making those lovely old-fashioned train chuff-chuff-chuff sounds. Men wearing blue overalls and broad, proud grins poured from it. There was hand-shaking and laughter and not a bit of shouting. I don’t think I’ve ever been this close to a steam train before, and it was loud.

Barb got into a shot with the guys in blue. We just couldn’t get over our lucky timing. Then the train emitted a huge column of steam that shot into the air with the loudest noise and we understood why all the guys had ear plugs. I guess train drivers must’ve gone deaf in those early days, or had some other kind of ear protection. We watched as the two engines were uncoupled, then hung around until the trains left. We understand that there is to be an official inauguration in about two months’ time.

This truly made our day!

Guess who isn't part of the train group?

We continued on the ride, which was awesome, but I’m not going to write it up now because if the ride does come off on the 17th I’ll write it up then.

I will say, however, that it was beautiful. And very, very wiggledy.