arth Day. How else could you better celebrate it than with three steaming locomotives full of oil smoke! ;-)

While everyone was foaming in Oakland, I decided to head to Sunol early this morning from Pacific Grove. We stopped into the Jazz Cafe for breakfast, coffee, and OJ. By the time I sat down I already heard that familiar six chime whistle. I walked over to the pair of semaphores at the Niles Canyon Railroad depot, and had a rare treat. SP 2472 all to myself. :-) It was off to the Verona-Hearst interchange between the Niles Canyon Railroad and Union Pacific. Quite a few folks and museum volunteers were already there making sure folks were behaving. The SP 2472 put on a good show running up the grade to the interchange switch. During the morning ACE #5 made a stop to unload some special "express." Isadora the sheep which has been in many locomotive cabs was handed off from ACE to SP 2472's cab. The Robert Dollar Company #3 arrived about a half hour later, and joined SP 2472 on the interchange track. By now lots of foamers were swarming the tracks, but the GGRM and NCR people were doing an excellent job of crowd control. I somewhat expected the UP Police to blow a gasket, but they were very cooperative when the UP 844 arrived about an hour late this morning. After all steam locomotives met ACE #7, the UP special agent allowed everyone to cross over to the other side of the tracks for photos. Even Steve Lee was caught in the act of foaming! It was a very pleasant 30 minutes of the steam trio posing for all of us. At about 11:40 the 844 whistled off in salute and steamed to its next stop at Stockton. A good time was enjoyed by the mass of foamers this morning. Thanks to the GGRM, NCR, and the UP for accommodating us!


SP 2472 arrived Sunol, California with nary a foamer in sight


Dave Varley invites a sheep into his cab


Happy Earth Day, SP 2472 style! ;-)


Robert Dollar Company #3 joins stable mate SP 2472 at Hearst


The ultimate meet. ACE #7 meets UP 844, SP 2472 and the Robert Dollar #3


The trio pleases the mass of foamers by posing in the sunshine


Steve Lee is caught foaming with the rest of us!


Biz car "Cheyenne" brings up the rear and the end to the fest at Hearst.

Sam Reeves
Pacific Grove, CA
Sam Reeves Photography
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