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The Sierra Railway is one of the most intact steam railroads in the United States. It is operated today by California State Parks to interpret and celebrate the importance of steam railroading in California history. Located in the Gold Rush town of Jamestown, in Tuolumne County, the railway began operations in 1897 and played an important role in developing the economy of Tuolumne and adjoining Calaveras County. While nearly all other steam short-line railroads in the United States were dismantled in the 1950s, the Sierra line has survived in a remarkably complete condition. The railway was a big hit among railfans, who flocked to it as early as the 1930s and in increasing numbers in the 1950s. Now operated as Railtown 1897 State Historic Park, the steam operation of the railroad is very much alive.
About the author
This book is filled with rare photographs of the line from the 1890s to the 1990s, mostly from the collection of California State Parks, which cooperated with completion of this book. Stephen D. Mikesell, a consulting historian and historic preservationist, has uncovered hundreds of historic images of the Sierra Railway and its Mother Lode setting sure to excite the imagination of the railfan, the historic preservationist, and the lover of California's Gold Country.
