Railtown 1897 Ceremony to Celebrate the Return to Service for Famous Sierra No. 3™ Locomotive
Date/Time
Date(s) - 07/12/2025
9:30 am - 4:00 pm
Location
Railtown State Historic Park
Categories
California State Parks and the California State Railroad Museum Foundation encourage the community and rail enthusiasts from near and far to visit Railtown 1897 State Historic Park in Jamestown on Saturday, July 12, 2025, for a welcome back ceremony to celebrate the return of Sierra No. 3™. Widely known as the “Movie Star Locomotive,” festivities for the famed steam locomotive start at 9:30 a.m. for visitors who want to experience Sierra No. 3’s grand arrival to the Jamestown Depot that will be followed by a christening ceremony at 9:45 a.m. After that, four Mother Lode Cannonball excursion trains will depart at 10:30 a.m.; noon; 1:30 p.m.; and 3 p.m. along the rails of the historic Sierra Railway. For refreshments on the celebratory day, a Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee Truck will be on-site from 9:30 a.m. to noon, and Kona Ice will be open from 11 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. More information about the July 12 welcome back event and train ride tickets are available here.
While Sierra No. 3 has been reintroduced earlier this summer to periodically pull excursion trains including on July 4, Sierra No. 3 was last officially in service at Railtown in 2021. At that time, an extensive 1472-day inspection began, which is a mandated requirement by the Federal Railroad Administration to ensure a locomotive is fit for service. The significant inspection required a mechanical team to rebuild and assess the condition of the boiler along with inspecting and repairing additional mechanical components. Part of the locomotive’s return to regular service included shakedown runs to identify additional repairs and to prepare all steam engineers for the return. In addition to critical support provided by the Foundation, the locomotive’s return to service also required significant contributions by dedicated partners, volunteers, and the rail community at large.
Sierra No. 3 connects the past to future generations who can continue to make memories and have experiences with this historic locomotive. Sierra No. 3 starred in more than 100 movies and television shows, including The Virginian, High Noon, Little House on the Prairie, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, and Back to the Future III. The originally coal fired locomotive was built by Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works in 1891 and then later purchased by the Sierra Railway Company of California in 1897 that used the Sierra No. 3 during railroad construction. The locomotive, Jamestown shops, and Roundhouse are listed in the National Register of Historical Places as the Sierra Railway Shops Historic District and Sierra Railway Locomotive No. 3. The site and public programs offer visitors a glimpse of the past and of the short line steam railroading era in the United States.
Moving forward, it is expected that Sierra No. 3 will pull excursion trains two weekends per month but motive power can change without notice. Visitors can purchase excursion train ride tickets online in advance. If still available on the day of the train ride, tickets can be purchased at the Depot Store on a first-come, first-served basis. All paid train ride tickets include Park admission and cost $23 for adults for coach class, $18 for youth ages 6-17, are free for children five and under, and available via this link. For more information about Railtown 1897 SHP and the Park in general, please visit www.railtown1897.org; for more information about the California State Railroad Museum Foundation, please visit www.californiarailroad.museum.
