Swanton Pacific RR burned in Santa Cruz complex fire

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Glenn Brooks
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Swanton Pacific RR burned in Santa Cruz complex fire

Post by Glenn Brooks »

Just received news that the 19” ga. Swanton Pacific RR roundhouse and car barn, and several ancillary structures has just burned to the ground. The RR is located just outside of Davenport, 10 miles north of Santa Cruz, Ca, off the coast hiway. Apparently the site is part of the 48,000 acre Santa Cruz complex wild fire. Looks like most all of the Swanton Road area has burned.

No idea if the three steam locomotives survived, or status of their collection of historic passenger cars and mobile crane (all stored in the car barn last time I visited). They have around 1 mile of mainline track, closely associated with large stands of timber and oak. So doesn’t sound good at all, for the survivability of the infrastructure.

Hoping for some good news out of Ca.

Please post any news updates , if you known anyone in the area.

Glenn
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Motive power : 1902 A.S.Campbell 4-4-0 American - 12 5/8" gauge, 1955 Ottaway 4-4-0 American 12" gauge

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tomc
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Re: Swanson Pacific RR burned in Santa Cruz complex fire

Post by tomc »

I think that is Swanton.

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NP317
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Re: Swanson Pacific RR burned in Santa Cruz complex fire

Post by NP317 »

I have a good friend living just north of Santa Cruz, CA.
Last night he informed me they had evacuated their home in the woods, and "It doesn't look good."
Also in the path of the Santa Cruz Complex fire is Felton, CA, the location of the Roaring Camp and Big Trees narrow gauge railroad.
Built with several significant trestles, a fire would be catastrophic.

Hoping for the best.
RussN
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Re: Swanton Pacific RR burned in Santa Cruz complex fire

Post by Glenn Brooks »

Couple of people in the SC area have confirmed the major buildings are a total loss - roundhouse, car bar, dwelling structures. I’ll try to repost the photos circulating on line. In one photo, you can see the remains of the locos sitting in the rubble.

What frustrates me is you can see the trees all around the site apparently untouched by fire. Yet the structures are a total loss.

Apparently down the road, the fire burned up to the Roaring Camp RR, but stopped, or was stopped, without damage to the RR itself.

GPB
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Motive power : 1902 A.S.Campbell 4-4-0 American - 12 5/8" gauge, 1955 Ottaway 4-4-0 American 12" gauge

Ahaha, Retirement: the good life - drifting endlessly on a Sea of projects....
Glenn Brooks
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Re: Swanton Pacific RR burned in Santa Cruz complex fire

Post by Glenn Brooks »

3FE0D4F8-3A6D-47B1-A8AA-E8943638BC74.jpeg
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Motive power : 1902 A.S.Campbell 4-4-0 American - 12 5/8" gauge, 1955 Ottaway 4-4-0 American 12" gauge

Ahaha, Retirement: the good life - drifting endlessly on a Sea of projects....
jcbrock
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Re: Swanton Pacific RR burned in Santa Cruz complex fire

Post by jcbrock »

Glenn Brooks wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 10:34 pm Just received news that the 18” ga. Swanton Pacific RR ...
Insignificant detail at this point but the Swanton is 19" gauge. I'm sad to see this, one of the best afternoons I've had in the hobby was running one of the Pacifics. My fireman/minder was Neil Vodden and I picked up some pro tips there!
John Brock
Glenn Brooks
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Re: Swanton Pacific RR burned in Santa Cruz complex fire

Post by Glenn Brooks »

Thanks John, I made the correction above. We also enjoyed several amazing and productive visits. Wonderful place, but sadly, a victim of its location.

Bits and pieces are starting to emerge. A few buildings are unscathed, the machine shop for one. And one locomotive is off site in Cheyenne, Wyo at Railroad Constructors, for rebuild.

The fire is still burning uncontrollably, but the responders have apparently held the line in several locations.

Glenn
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Motive power : 1902 A.S.Campbell 4-4-0 American - 12 5/8" gauge, 1955 Ottaway 4-4-0 American 12" gauge

Ahaha, Retirement: the good life - drifting endlessly on a Sea of projects....
jcbrock
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Re: Swanton Pacific RR burned in Santa Cruz complex fire

Post by jcbrock »

Good to hear some things made it. Isn't one of the Pacifics (1915 sounds right) in the lobby at the California State RR Museum? I think Al Smith donated that when he left the rest to Cal Poly. Those engines were (or hopefully still are) the proverbial 10 lbs in a 5 lb bag at Swanton, you didn't need much throttle!
John Brock
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Re: Swanton Pacific RR burned in Santa Cruz complex fire

Post by rkcarguy »

Glenn Brooks wrote: Fri Aug 21, 2020 1:25 pm 3FE0D4F8-3A6D-47B1-A8AA-E8943638BC74.jpeg
Geeze that's awful! I've been through a lot of the pictures and history on the Swanton Pacific as inspiration for my own 12" build and it's sad to see that its burned up. :cry:
rkcarguy
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Re: Swanton Pacific RR burned in Santa Cruz complex fire

Post by rkcarguy »

I pulled a couple more photos from their facebook page :cry:
Swanton Fire.jpg
Swanton Fire2.jpg
Glenn Brooks
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Re: Swanton Pacific RR burned in Santa Cruz complex fire

Post by Glenn Brooks »

John, thanks. Yes, correct, one additional Pacific is on display in the front lobby of the Cal State RR museum, in Old Town,
Sacramento. I forgot about that one. Not sure if the SP RR owns that machine. Seem to recall title transfered to the Museum when Al Smith donated it, years ago. Beautiful machine... the ones at Swanton are very similar, if not identical.

The whole collection of RR equipment is the Overfair Railway, constructed and used as a people mover train for the 1915
Panama-Pacific Exposition,(world fair) held in San Francisco.

Glenn
Moderator - Grand Scale Forum

Motive power : 1902 A.S.Campbell 4-4-0 American - 12 5/8" gauge, 1955 Ottaway 4-4-0 American 12" gauge

Ahaha, Retirement: the good life - drifting endlessly on a Sea of projects....
jcbrock
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Re: Swanton Pacific RR burned in Santa Cruz complex fire

Post by jcbrock »

Glenn Brooks wrote: Fri Aug 21, 2020 11:18 pm the ones at Swanton are very similar, if not identical.
There are slight differences. Al wanted one to have an overhead throttle for example, but they all started out the same. As I recall one of them, possibly the one in the museum, had never been run either at the Exposition or Swanton.
John Brock
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