Sierra Railroad ready for 'Skunk Train's' return to California route (4/21/2005)
4/21/2021After a two-year absence, the 120-year-old “Skunk Train” will be running again between Fort Bragg and Willits, Calif. Between Memorial Day weekend and late October, the Sierra Railroad Co. will begin operating four-hour excursion trains on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
During the 40-mile trip, Skunk trains will cross 30 bridges and trestles, move through two deep mountain tunnels and pass redwood forests.
“The Skunk Train follows the same coastal redwoods route as when it began as a logging railroad in 1885,” said Skunk Train President Christopher Hart in a prepared statement.
Last year, Sierra Railroad acquired the California Western Railroad Co. or Skunk Train from a bankruptcy trustee. The Skunk’s name refers to a pungent odor emitted by the railroad’s early gasoline-powered cars.
Sierra Railroad — which operates a 49-mile short line and 26 track miles formerly owned by Yolo Shortline Railroad Co. — also offers the Sierra Railroad Dinner Train in Oakdale, Calif., and Sacramento River Train in Woodland and West Sacramento.
Source: Progressive Railroading Daily News