Good Morning, Felton!
Author: Nick Wolters
Date: 08-27-2018 - 18:05

The leisurely, albeit methodical and efficient pace of railroad activity in the yard at Felton presses on while Santa Cruz, Big Trees and Pacific 2641 rumbles by the one-time South Pacific Coast Railroad depot. Executing a reverse move, the locomotive is shoving nine passenger cars northward to Mount Hermon, a spot no more than three-tenths of a mile from the yard. Often acclaimed as the preeminent religious retreat center on the West Coast, the Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center is within the bounds of the unincorporated community. Favorably for Big Trees & Pacific, the camp is a mere stone's throw from the right of way. The close proximity of the site to the tracks culminated in the establishment of seasonal rail service to the retreat facility, commencing in the mid-1990s. Primarily on Wednesdays during the summer months, one of SCBG's burly CF7's can be spotted heedfully ambling up the decent incline to Mount Hermon.

The quiet, census-designated community of Felton has a storied history when it comes to depots. Yes, plural. As South Pacific Coast Railroad surveyors and laborers advanced toward Felton in the late 1870s, they elected to stalk the banks of Zayante Creek. Skirting the easternmost perimeter of the town, the mainline was positioned nearly a mile from the heart of Felton. Incidentally, the Santa Cruz & Felton Railroad came on the scene earliest, where tracks stretched through the downtown area and a depot was planted there, too. In due course, the South Pacific Coast Railroad erected a depot and water tower of their own, giving the company a noticeable presence in the region. Eventually, the SPC called the area around their depot "New Felton", a name that never truly lasted. Immediately, SPC's new depot sprouted into the premier rail hub for Felton, forcing the "Old Felton" depot on the neighboring Santa Cruz & Felton Railroad line into disuse. As railroad consolidations developed, the Southern Pacific Railroad took control of the South Pacific Coast, and its depot.

Felton Depot lived on as a bona fide Southern Pacific station up until early 1962. Within the year, SP vacated the building, foreshadowing the ultimate demise of Class I railroading in the Santa Cruz Mountains by the 1980s. Nowadays, the depot is owned by Roaring Camp Railroads, put to use as the managerial division of the railroad.

[www.flickr.com]



Subject Written By Date/Time (PST)
  Good Morning, Felton! Nick Wolters 08-27-2018 - 18:05
  Re: Good Morning, Felton! Wes 08-28-2018 - 07:29
  Re: Good Morning, Felton! Cprr 08-28-2018 - 09:28


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