PLA
ended up having an unusual operation on the Niles Canyon Railway, May
7, 2011 which by chance was also National
Train Day. The E Clampus Vitus
organization, which is a fraternal order among other things dedicated
to preserving California heritage, chartered an eight
car passenger train powered by double-head
steam for over 300 members. The two hour
trip was enjoyed by all and the cool spring weather made the steam
action look more spectacular. Thanks to everyone in the
operating and mechanical departments who put so much effort into this
charter as running both PLA steam
locomotives is a lot of work
for all including hours of switching just to
get both locomotives in and out of the
shop. This does not include all the time required to make
up and put away all the passenger cars needed to handle such a
large crowd. On the other hand, it sure
was fun to see both locomotives running together again. Maybe
next time, we will add several more cars to the train
to make it a little more of a challenge.