P-8 steam engineLounge carRailway post-officeTwo shop carsBusiness carTwo F7 diesel locomotivesThree 1920’ commute carsTwo 1950’s bi-level gallery cars

The Golden Gate Railroad Museum put on their first public event Labor Day Weekend since moving to Sonoma County, which rolled right into Schellville.

The “Open House and Steam-Up” took place on Sunday and Monday with a turnout that surpassed the museum’s expectations for the heated holiday weekend.

“It’s our first public event in Sonoma — hopefully it’ll be the first of many. It’s exceeding out expectations; we had over 200 people yesterday,” Jason Davis, board president of the museum, said on Monday morning.

The organization started in San Francisco during the 1970s when a few dedicated train-lovers bought and restored an old Southern Pacific 2472, a steam engine, that had been displayed at the San Mateo Fairgrounds. That project was completed in 1991, and ran to Sacramento the very next day.

The museum moved to Niles Canyon, where volunteers continue to restore old locomotives, and preserve to the “golden era of the steam railroading” in California.

The engines chugged their way to Sonoma in March of 2020, where they’ve been stored and restored ever since. The museum operates largely off donations from railroads and private owners.

“The most important thing to remember is this organization has been around for 50 years and we have a number of dedicated volunteers who show up every Saturday regardless of if it’s 105 degrees, like today, or raining,” Davis said.

Volunteers range in age from 17 to 80, and the love for trains among the crew stretches across each generation.

New board member and volunteer Nico Dacong can give the complete history on each engine and car.

“This is straight out of the 1930s,” Dacong said as he walked through the lounge car. “This used to be a tasting room for Charles Krug Winery.”

The lounge car had faded red carpets with floral patterns, windows with fogged-glass martini glasses and 1930s music played softly in the background as people went up to the bar area to enjoy the free refreshments on the hot Monday.

The gift shop was located in the car next door, and there was all kinds of themed souvenirs like mugs, patches, T-shirts and hats for people to remember each train.

The car attached to that was the mail room car — still fully equipped with all of the sorting bags, shelves and boxes that it had when it was built in 1949. The wooden floors in the back were rugged and beaten down from the gold that used to be carried there.

“This is like a private jet on wheels,” Dacong said pointing at the business car across the track.“ He mentioned that the museum is working on fixing it up to be an excursion service for those looking for a flashback to the locomotive luxury of the 20th century.

Walking toward what looked like a freshly painted car, Dacong told he story of the old U.S. Army Disel locomotive in front of him. The museum bought it for just $850 and re-painted it to look like a Southern Pacific engine.

Dacong walked over to where most of the visitors were standing in front of a large, heavy looking black train with metallic silver accents weighing on the sides.

“This here is the main attraction,” Dacong said. “This is the focal point of the museum.”

This force of metal was the museums steam engine — one of only three P-8 class locomotives that exist, and the only one that runs. The intimidating train is second largest operating steam engine in California and the original train that the museum founded itself on back in the ‘70s.

It hissed and honked as people starred at it. On an already hot Labor Day, the heat inside the control space went up significantly as the oil fire peaked out through a small hole in the operating panel.

Dozens of red knobs, gold and silver levers and loads of black iron pipes and rods looked as if they were all tangled up in one another because they were packed in so tight. The whole thing is operational even though it was built over a century ago in 1921.

The engines attracted people from far and wide.

“My dad dragged us out here from the San Jose are and it’s pretty cool,” Alison Jones, 18, said. “I’ve never seen a train this close before, It’s cool, you know? I don’t know where I’d see another one again.”

Her 8-year-old cousin stood next to her, a red plastic train in his hand and a conductor hat on his head. When asked what her thought about the trains he yelled; “Good!”

The museum is located at 22725 Eighth St. E. at Highway 121, west of the Railroad Crossing on Eighth Street, tucked behind the new warehouse buildings near the green Schellville Train Depot building.

Contact the reporter Rebecca Wolff at rebecca.wolff@sonomanews.com.

P-8 steam engineLounge carRailway post-officeTwo shop carsBusiness carTwo F7 diesel locomotivesThree 1920’ commute carsTwo 1950’s bi-level gallery cars

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