The Skunk Train Railbikes

To call Fort Bragg a quaint coastal town would be an understatement.  Tucked in the upper left hand of California, the onetime hub of the lumber industry sits at the edge of the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by redwoods.  It’s also home to the Skunk Train, a heritage railway that up to a few years ago was able to take weekend visitors on a forty mile tour through the middle of an old growth forest.  That is, until the spring of 2013 when a series of tunnel collapses along the route left the company with little more than three miles of track.  According to SF Gate, when it was up and running its complete route, the railway was responsible for 50,000 visitors a year.  Clearly, the local economy was depending on a draw now that the train was not able to deliver its normal run.  The innovative solution to the problem was something called a railbike.  

Gathered at the depot and ready to go.

The kids loved that logo.

A railbike is a cleverly-engineered, human-powered affair to get out of town on a set of train tracks.  The two seat bikes are built off of an aluminum frame making them light and easy to pedal.  In case riders haven’t been putting in the miles on the road back at home, they are equipped with an electric assist motor that allows riders to take in the scenery without breaking a sweat .  As light as they are, safety is at the heart of the design.  All railbikes have disc brakes, seat belts, and riders are required to wear helmets.  In addition, they ride on plastic wheels so they run in near silence as riders cut out and get away from it all.  As an added bonus, since the bike rides on rails, there’s no need to steer.  All riders have to do is pedal and take in the experience.

Riding on plastic wheels

Patiently awaiting instructions.

Looking as about as 2021 as a photo gets.

We met up with our guides for an orientation before our departure from the Skunk Train depot.  Doubling as a well appointed gift shop with old time charm, the depot sits next to the Pacific Ocean and is worth a stop even if a trip out on the rails isn’t in the cards.  After crossing a city street and sailing past the town’s graveyard, the route we were on was swallowed up by an ancient forest. Aside from the tracks and several trestles, signs of civilization slipped away as we moved deeper into it. The air was cool and the light was filtered by the canopy.  Even on the hottest days, I can’t imagine anyone getting overly blasted by the sun.  Trees, ferns, and the meandering Puddle Creek served as just the thing we needed as our reintroduction to the world after a year and a bit in Covid isolation.  

Even the moss was overgrown.

Trees, trestles, and fresh air.

Pulling into Glen Blair Junction.

After several miles of meditative bliss on the rails, it was time for a layover in Glen Blair Junction.  While the guides set up the turntable and spun the bikes back around the direction from whence they came, we were left to their own devices.  The options are pretty simple: sit at the picnic tables and listen to the birds tweet, or take in a mild hike. 

That tunnel up ahead was the driving force of the Skunk Train Railbike adventure.

We opted for the hike.  The trail is immaculately well taken care of.  Aside from the trees, plan on seeing plenty of ferns and mushrooms in the understory.  While the trail does have a climb, like all things on the railbikes trip, ease of use is at the heart of it. My five year old was able to make the trek with nary a peep.  It loops and eventually ends with an overhead view of the Glen Blair Junction.  By the time we made it back down the hill, it was time for us to depart and make our return to town. 

Great spot for a photo.

A year in the same zip code is a long time.

The view of Glen Blair Juntion.

The whole trip was about three hours total.  This gave us plenty of time to take in Glass Beach before we got back on the road and headed to parts northward.  For anyone who may be interested in a trip that’s a bit more strenuous and more of a time commitment, there is a new adventure available since we took our outing. If the grove looks at all familiar that may be because woods like these just a few miles away doubled as the forest moon Endor in the filming of The Return of the Jedi.

We were assured those weren’t blaster marks left from the production of The Return of the Jedi.

Skunk Train Railbikes

100 West Laurel Street

Fort Bragg, California 95437

707 964-6371

Looking for somewhere to eat?  Make a trip to Princess Seafood. Interested in other unique rail experiences? In Los Angeles take a look at Angel’s Flight. In Sacramento, make a visit to the California State Railroad Museum.

This post is based on a visit made on June 12, 2021

Angel's Flight

Los Angeles is a city that holds claim too far too many “used tos”.  It used to have the finest public transportation system in the world.  It used to be an agricultural center responsible for the nation’s fresh produce.  It used to be a place where middle and working class people could afford a home. In service to that population, it used to be a place where funiculars like Angel’s Flight dotted the landscape.  However, in the interest of misguided progress and greed disguised as urban development, the city sold its electric rail system, plowed under its local farms, and ripped down its affordable housing.  So many of its used tos are gone, save for one. Connecting Hill and Olive Streets in downtown Los Angeles, Angel’s Flight, the world’s smallest railway continues to serve passengers as it did when it opened at the turn of the century. 

Angel’s Flight was constructed to solve a very real problem, not just to inject a bit of colorful novelty into the urban landscape.  In 1901, the business district of Los Angeles ran along Hill Street. The wealthy lived nearby in Victorian mansions along the top of Bunker Hill.  Despite their close proximity, a hill with a thirty-three degree incline divided the two districts. Considering that the early 1900’s were not an era of flip-flops ands breathable cotton, a waltz from the business district to the top of Bunker Hills would have left Los Angelinos reduced to a sweaty mess of wool.  And so, Colonel J. W. Eddy’s approached the city council with a plan to help connect the city. With that, the mechanical wonder known as Angel’s Flight became the solution that people needed.

As the city grew and outlying regions were developed into new neighborhoods, the once tony enclave of Bunker Hill lost its cachet as the wealthy moved far from downtown.  The Victorian mansions of Bunker Hill were subdivided into apartments and boarding homes for the city’s working poor and were perceived as a blight. Finding fair and equitable solutions for people from low income backgrounds has never been a strength of the city council.  Armed with the power of the Federal Housing Act of 1949, the city’s leadership razed the neighborhood, replaced affordable housing with high rises, and displaced tens of thousands of people for points elsewhere. More fortunate than its neighbors, Angel’s Flight narrowly missed their fate and was put into storage for almost a quarter of a century before being reopened in the 1990’s.  Under the watchful care of preservationists, Angel’s Flight continues its mission well into the twenty-first century.  

There is something so compelling about watching the little funicular work.  Maybe it’s the way the vermillion cars and gates stand in open defiance to the chrome and glass buildings at the top of Bunker Hill.  Maybe it’s because the craftsmanship of the people who constructed it over a hundred years ago is reflected stained wood and polished brass.  Maybe it’s the way the riders all smile and talk with each other as the little car climbs up the hill, a simple kindness that is rarely present in Los Angeles.  Maybe it’s because Angel’s Flight is an embodiment of the goodness and persistence of the people who have fought for its preservation the face of tone deaf leadership.  Its continued existence says something about the soul of Los Angeles. There is still some good here, hidden within the unforgiving concrete landscape.

Thanks to Los Angeles Conservancy and Nathan Masters over at KCET for background information used in writing this entry.  

This post is based on a visit to Angel’s Flight on September 15, 2018

Angel’s Flight

350 S Grand Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90071

213 626-1901

Interested in seeing some more of Los Angeles’ history? Take a look at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery and The Bob Baker Marionette Theater.

The California State Railroad Museum

The California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento has something to appeal to all of its visitors.  Any train enthusiast will be dazzled by the collection. Opened in 1981, they have amassed nineteen steam locomotives that are kept in immaculate condition.  With polished brass and stained wood, they look as sharp as the day they were first wheel out of the factory. For kids, it offers lots of hands-on opportunities and plenty of walk through exhibits as well as a collection of model trains upstairs.  For really little kids, there is a room full of Thomas the Tank Engine wooden trains they are allowed to play with. Any surly teenagers who have been dragged along on a family outing should be able to appreciate that the collection is indoors and climate controlled allowing for a comfortable place to wander despite the worst that Sacramento weather can deal out.  As striking as the collection is however, it really is a place that gets beyond just the celebration of machinery. The museum’s displays are well thought out and weave in a very human story among its exhibits. It’s a place that will leave anyone who loves trains satisfied, but it uses the trains to tell the stories of people that could have been lost in time.

The first exhibit in the hall tells the story of the First Intercontinental Railway and culminates with the driving of the golden spike at Promontory Point, Utah.  While the obvious choice would have been to focus on Leland Stanford, the museum carefully includes the story of the Chinese who made his vision a reality. Depending on who is telling the story, Leland Stanford was either a captain of industry and a robber baron.  In his lifetime, he built a vertically integrated empire that involved the railroads, banking, insurance, as well as an international steamship operation. He would eventually command enough political capital to serve as the governor of California for two years. On paper, he is the type of person a free market capitalists would celebrate.  While he may be credited with being one of the masterminds behind the First Transcontinental Railroad, the reality is that his efforts would have gone nowhere without exploiting workers. During his time as governor, he spoke out publicly against the influx of Chinese into the United States of America. At the same time, he knowingly imported Chinese laborers and used them to complete the crowning achievement of his empire.  The museum makes sure that their story is not left out.

At the entry of the exhibit, a life sized diorama features the locomotive The Gov Stanford, a Central Pacific locomotive used in the construction of the Intercontinental Railroad. It looks dazzling as it sits poised on the tracks, waiting to pass through a mountain tunnel that appears to still be under construction.  Nearby are three nameless Chinese laborers, hanging off the side of a mountain as they carve through stone in order to make Leland Stanford’s dream of connecting the United States of America a reality. The end of that exhibit features a painting by Thomas Hill called The Last Spike. Completed in 1881, Hill included two Chinese laborers at the center of the painting.  Both men lean on shovels and look at the powerful men congratulating themselves while standing on the backs of others.

Chinese workers are not the only people who the museum celebrates.  In the back of the roundhouse, the museum displays two walk through Pullman Coaches.  Finely appointed, visitors can get a feel for the level of opulence travelers once experienced.  The sleeper car actually rocks to provide the sensation of riding down the rails. In the dining car, tables are set with fine china where passengers dined as the countryside slipped by.  Quite honestly, travel in a Pullman car seems like it would be a wonderful way to cross the country.

However, that level of elegance came at a very human cost.  One person was commissioned to look after the passengers’ needs.  He was required to be constantly available and permanently invisible.  Those in his care would refer to him as George, the same name as his employer, George Pullman.  Much like Leland Stanford, George Pullman built an empire on cheap labor. Seeking a way to market luxury train travel to the middle class, he sought out former slaves to provide travelers with a sense of opulence by railroad providing them with a devoted servant for the duration of the trip. Porters were required to work long days and sacrifice their own identities in order for the middle class to feel some of the creature comforts. The workers relied on tips because the wages paid their employer were low.

The two cars are remarkably well preserved and could easily cause a visitor to get nostalgic for the good old days.  However, the museum makes sure to include African American mannequins integrated into the exhibit in order serve as a reminder of the army of men who worked long hours for low pay on the trains.  

The California Railroad Museum would be a great outing just based on the strength of its collection.  However, the fact that it does not attempt to sweeten the past is really what really makes it a museum instead of just a display of archaic machinery.  

This article is based on a visit to the California State Railroad Museum on March 4, 2019.

California State Railroad Museum

125 I Street

Sacramento, CA 95814

916 445-7387

Interested in seeing trains? When in Southern California, make sure to visit Angel’s Flight and The Great Train Show when it touches down at that Fairplex in Pomona.

The Great Train Show - Fairplex in Pomona

I’d like to tell you that Animated Meat has always been a staunch supporter of asking the tough questions in the noble pursuit of the truth.  However, I’d be lying to you if I did. Friends and readers, asking tough questions requires follow through. Follow through can be exhausting and there is no guarantee that the noble pursuit of the truth will ever yield anything.   Take this situation for example. My son Jacque has been in love with trains since before he could walk. He has been pointing at iron horses as long as I can remember.

Jacque admiring the display.

As he has grown, his level of fascination has intensified. I have had no choice but to take him out to see every train themed attraction I have been able to find.  On our journey, I noticed that he wasn’t the only little critter out there with a burning passion for trains. In fact, it turns out that there are two distinct demographic groups that like to cluster up around locomotives and diesels.  This observation has lead me to the tough question I been following through on for the last two years. Why do little boys and old men love trains so much?

Jacque has found his bliss.

My quest for an answer brought be to the Great Train Show at the Fairplex in Pomona.  The Great Train Show is a traveling exhibit where people can buy and sell model trains.  Up for grabs at the show are trains in all gauges and states of repair. The vendors carried everything from brand-new, in the box trains all the way down to some pieces that can best be described as intensely well loved.  While I cannot claim to be an expert because I only picked up a few items, it seems as though haggling over prices is very welcome.

Trains and commerce as far as the eye can see.

Lots of this.

And this.

And this.

In addition, local clubs are welcome to come out and display their train sets.  The displays that they bring out are remarkable. I’m not talking about an old Tyco sitting on top of a sheet of plywood and a couple saw horses.  These displays are massive and cover huge expanses of real estate. I have only begun to dip my toe into acquiring model trains. It is staggering to consider the dollars and time invested to create these model railroads.  Yet, around each one of the displays were squadrons of little boys and old men, buzzing around like bees.

One of the smaller displays.

The Great Train show is an annual event and Jacque and I have attended it at different locations.  However, one reason why the Pomona Fairgrounds is a good place to take the train lover in your life is because it is home base for two other train exhibits.  

Waiting for that noon time train to appear.

Directly in front of the bungalow the Great Train Show calls home for one weekend in July sits the Fairplex Garden Railroad.  Supported by your generous donations, the Fairplex Garden Railroad is a volunteer-maintained G-scale train display. It has over 10,000 feet of track and multiple trains criss-crossing through several different displays.  

This is what 10,000 feet of track look like.

Jacque taking it all in.

If a visit to the Great Train Show and a pass through the Fairplex Garden Railroad isn’t enough to satisfy the train lover in your life, the Rail Giants Train Museum is just a short walk away.  The museum is home to a collection of restored, full-size steam locomotives and diesels. Most of the trains are open so that a curious explorer can climb aboard and see what it was like to be an engineer.  

Exploring the caboose.

Dreaming about the iron horse.

Because Pomona was once a citrus town.

As I bring this entry to a close, I can provide plenty of evidence to support my question.  However, I do not think that I am any better informed as to why old men and little boys like trains so much.  Like I said before, asking tough questions requires follow through. Dear reader, I can assure you that there will be plenty of follow through as Jacque and I drop pins in the map as we attempt to find an answer.

Rambling down the line.

This entry was written after a visit to the Great Train Show on July 14, 2018

How about some more trains? When in Los Angeles, pay a visit to Angel’s Flight. In Sacramento, stop by the California State Railroad Museum.