Roaring Camp & Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad: The Early Years | Circa 1964 - 1968

The Roaring Camp & Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad is one of the oldest tourist railroad destinations in the Western United States. This video tells the history of the early days of the narrow gauge operation, as well as the history behind all of the locomotives that would comprise the main roster by the end of the 1960s.
Early scenes of the Dixiana and the Heisler in operation as well as footage of the Heisler on the West Side before it arrived at Roaring Camp. See the 'Kahuku' plantation engine shortly after its arrival to the railroad in 1966. Operations on the original alignment over the Corkscrew is seen, as well as a doubleheader with the Heisler and Dixiana.
This video is comprised of 8mm and Super 8mm movies from 6 different railfans, and show geared steam working all out on mountain grades for many admirers.
Enjoy this look at trains battling to Bear Mountain during the early years at Roaring Camp!

[@JDDoyle8648]

One of my favorite places on the planet, my 1st visit was in 1966

[@tsgmultimedia]

NICE!

[@rottenroads1982]

It’s interesting. Most 3ft Gauge Railroads in the USA today were built solely for Lumber and/or Mining and are all quite old, but the Roaring Camp & Big Trees Railroad was built for Tourism and Steam Preservation.

[@1800clyde]

Thanks for sharing that presentation. Brings back memories from 4 summers working as a conductor during my college years. The sights and sounds of a steamer running through the redwood forest is a truly unique experience.

[@nathancorcoran5347]

That was really cool old footage of Roaring Camp. I hope they get Roaring Camp Shay #7 “Sonora” back in service soon.

[@bdvids7930]

Me too last time I checked they said it would be about a year and a half before it’s running again

[@berkeleygang1834]

Another nice production, Hunter. Thanks for getting these and all the rest onto UA-cam for us to share.

[@paradiddlediddle8630]

I basically grew up with at this place. Family has original stock.

[@paulkalff6408]

Sweet.....watching the railroad grow to the Southeast from the loading area at the East side of the depot of the old SPC/SP... My late mother and her parents/brother on occasion spent time at the old retreat at Mt. Hermon via the SP from Fruitvale Station in Oakland. My grandfather did the cut-and-fill surveys (Heafey-Moore) for the "new" highway 17 from 'Gatos to 'Cruz in the mid-'30s and had a "2nd home" home on Rio Del Mar Blvd. between Townsend and Martin Ave. in RDM. Until November of 1959 we lived not a quarter mile from the SacNorthern tracks at 3rd and Moraga in Lafayette.

[@seymoarsalvage]

Although I've yet to visit in person, Roaring Camp & Big Trees has a special place in my heart. I watched some childrens TV show on trains when I was little and it featured a segment at the railroad. Its been imprinted in my brain lol. Awesome video!

[@alexmahshi4249]

I hear Doug’s whistle

[@alwaysbearded1]

Cool. Footage before the trestle burned. My friend's father bought each of his three sons stock in different things. My buddy got shares in this RR. My parents took us there as kids and later, while in college, I lived across the creek from the station. I'd save my used lube oil for them to burn.

[@paulkalff6408]

Living between Saratoga and Los Gatos ('Toga and "Gatos) I have sweet memories of watching Mr. Clark and his wife build their dream. The initial loads of rail came from the SP's Carson & Colorado. Don't know where the balance originated.
In the early '60s, the SP was still running SD9s from Santa Cruz to the Santa Cruz Lumber Company spur located to the West of the RC&BT engine house, and to Zayente for the most excellent sand used by Central Concrete of San Jose, and others. PCA (Pacific Cement & Aggregate ) was still running doubles of bottom dumps from San Jose to Zayante via Scotts Valley over Hwy 17 to blast windshields and paint jobs, alike on the downgrade from the summit to 'Gatos.

[@gypsyshot5225]

Is this the actual sound or did you dub over the sounds because they are great and accurate

[@HunterLohseRRVideos]

They are dubbed

[@jacobramsey7624]

There's a similar place in New Hampshire that is similar in age. The White Mountain Central railroad at Clark's bears has been running since 1958 with standard gage steam poward logging locomotives. They have both geared and side rod locomotives that run there plus a diesel locomotive when the steam locomotives don't run, a little gas switcher for mantanice and a 1920s railbus. Although the ride is not as long as Roaring camp but it is still as fun with parts of the White Mountains industries history being incorporated into the park. Hear is a video from their railfans weekend before covid.ua-cam.com/video/0TpQFrdgMHs/v-deo.html

[@evanswinford7165]

My mom took us there as kids years ago. The photos look like the scenes of families in this video. I went back maybe some years ago twice to ride the steam train and again to ride the beach train to the Boardwalk. They told us on the steam train ride the trestle was burned by arson in 1976? It remains an ope case. They use a switchback set up now. There was also a long dead body found near the camp dating the 19th century found with gold coins and revolver. I think it was listed as a homicide by the Santa Cruze County authorities.
The beach train is worth the it.