I'm really dating myself on this one, but on Labor Day Weekend of 1971, the Pacific Locomotive Assn. ran some wonderful steam trips over the Sierra (tripleheader), West Side & Cherry Valley (two Shays running) and the only real public trips over the Pickering under the auspices of its old name Sugar Pine Ry. IIRC, this was titled Labor Day Steam Spectacular.

The Sugar Pine venture operated all 3 days over the Weekend and except for Bill Scott and Garnet Dambacher of Pickering there to help us get going on time the first morning, the PLA staffed the thing ourselves. It was a great adventure and not to be repeated ever. There were a few weekends prior in August that Shay 7 was operated for work extras...I was fortunate to have gotten off work for those too.

We generally ran 3 roundtrips a day as I remember and they involved running the 7 light engine from Lyons Lake near Mile 14 down to Long Siding where the train was made up. We then backed the short distance down the hill and across Middle Camp Road to the open field where passengers were loaded.

We tried a water car in the consist the first day, but it didn't handle well, so it was cut out and we ran with two flats and a caboose.
Nothing I ever did will ever compare with getting up at 1AM and lighting off Shay 7 at Lyons and then quietly moving her around in the dark. Joe Ward & Chris Collins were the other train crewmen.

I owe Bob Hogan thanks for arranging for me to run 7 light on the last morning from Lyons to Long Siding. I also managed to kick Pete Rogers out of his seat and fired one trip.

Warren Smith and I rode the cartops back to Lyons on Monday nite in the dark and he remarked how we'd likely never be able to do that again. He was right.