RAIL BIKES IN PIRU? (Rented by Dave? or a railbanked trail?)




Fort Bragg’s Skunk Train, a 19th century rail route through redwood forests, has added railbikes that allow visitors to pedal on the tracks.(Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)


“We basically had to figure out how to make lemonade out of lemons,” said Robert Pinoli, who started offering railbike rides in 2018.

Now the company runs as many as five excursions per day.

To pedal the rails at Fort Bragg, you book a trip, show up at the station, settle into a vehicle, don a helmet and seat belt, pedal through four downtown intersections (train signals halt traffic) and pass a cemetery.

At first glance, these trips are the ideal COVID-era pursuit, outdoors and distanced. But for now, riders must wear masks, because rail travel is regulated by the Federal Railroad Administration and Transportation Security Administration, which has mandated masks for passengers through at least Sept. 13.

Over time, the railway evolved into Fort Bragg’s leading tourist attraction, carrying passengers instead of lumber. But in 2013 and 2015, Tunnel No. 1 suffered a collapse, then a landslide. Nobody was hurt, but the incidents closed a 1,122-foot-long passage completed by Chinese workers in 1893, making the trip to Willits impossible.

Since then, the company has done its best with two short train rides, one at the Fort Bragg end of the tracks, the other at the Willits end.

There are plans to repair and reopen the closed tunnel by the end of 2022.

But the railbikes are the hardware of the moment.

Pinoli, whose company manufacturers its bikes, estimates that the railbike tours now bring in 30% to 40% of the Skunk Train’s revenue.

He is in talks with Ventura County transportation officials in hopes of operating a train and railbikes on the 32-mile Santa Paula line between Ventura and Piru.