Yosemite Valley Railroad in Color with Jack Burgess
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 22 мар 2024
- #trains #yosemitevalley #YosemiteValleyRailroad #railroads
The Yosemite Valley Railroad closed in the 1940s, before color photography was accessible to many. Finding good black and white photos of this lesser-known California short line is fairly difficult, so to dream of seeing color images of the YV was practically pointless... Until now.
This extraordinary presentation contains rare color photos, originally taken by noted rail photographer Al Rose, and is narrated by Historian and Author, Jack Burgess.
Model Railroading With Jack Burgess: • Model Railroading with...
Here are some of the ways you can support the content you love:
Engagement & Sharing:
If you enjoy this content, please hit the "like" button and share it with your friends on social media! Leaving comments on this video’s comment section also helps.
Direct Financial Support:
/ tsgmultimedia
www.paypal.com/paypalme/tsgmu...
tsgmultimedia.com/shop/
tsg-multimedia-swag.creator-s...
Join TSG Multimedia on these other social media channels:
FaceBook: / tsgmultimediaface
Instagram: / tsg_multimedia
Twitter: / tsgmultimedia
©2024 TSG Multimedia. All Rights Reserved.
Jack Burgess is an extraordinary railroad historian and prototype modeler. Where he stands out from many others at his level is his passion for sharing his knowledge and expertise.
I lived the Merced River canyon all my life. Thank you for keeping this important part of history alive
Thank you Jack for a wonderful look at the last days of the YV. I watched it several times.👍 I understand progress but it is a shame that a large section of this railroad line couldn't have been saved.
Wow, didn't expect to see color photos of the YV! Always good to hear Jack talk of the YV and see photos from his collection.
Wow, what a history Jack recalls! The color photography makes everything look so much better.
Thank you, I live on the east coast but back in 89 I drove from San Jose to Yosemite via Route 140 and saw the abandoned right of way which is how I eventually learned about the YV. What spectacular country.
Thanks for sharing this collection. I love watching glimpses into history like this. It always makes me sad to see what we've lost over the years. Both what society was like and the better transportation options. Once upon a time we had interurban all over this state (Michigan) but thats all long gone now. They just ran the last train a few weeks ago on the remnant line here in town. I think it's former NYC but it's now been filed for abandonment. I hate to see history vanish.
Beautiful railroad, extremely sad that it was lost! I would have loved to take this train to Yosemite. This could have been amazing. Like our own little Switzerland in Central California, and linked to the San Joaquins, the ACE, and CAHSR!
Man, that would be amazing if it were still around today. Given how busy the roads can get leading into Yosemite during the summer, and really year-round, the need for the train would be big. One can still trace much of the original YVRR route, and even drive parts of it along Lake McClure and in the Merced River Canyon. Many of the bridge abutments are still visible, as they are in the Merced River Canyon across the way from Highway 140.
A landslide in the canyon some years ago forced the closure of 140 and the construction of two one-way bypass bridges, so now cars on 140 get to actually drive on a short segment of the YVRR right of way. It's unclear if/when the landslide will be cleared and that part of 140 reopened, as the hillside keeps moving.
Thanks Mr. Burgess. I really appreciate the presentation and images.
Great video! Just dripping with history. :) Being a railfan it always saddens me to hear of abandonment and scraping of railroads.
Great pictures and fantastic info for any modeler. @06:10 the curved bridge is very unusual because it is ballasted. A lot of very interesting water tanks on this railroad, seems they did not use any sort of common design. The water flume to a powerhouse for a mine is another interesting feature to model as well as the various rock loading facilities..
In an alternative universe the YV was purchased in 1945 by an eccentric rail fan. He bought 3 GE 70 Tonners to continue freight operations, and refurbished the steamers and added more passenger cars for use in weekend tourist excursions. The new YV became an incredible success.
I see things playing out a bit differently:
In the lead up to WW2, several pairs of giant blimp hangers were built along the west coast of the US that housed a number of small fleets of airships used to patrol the coastline for Japanese submarines. Two of these hangars still exist, one in Tillamook, OR which now houses an air museum, and another in Tustin, CA. These hangars were built from wood and concrete, requiring massive amounts of both materials.
Now in a bit of alternate history, a pair of hangars was to be built along Monterey Bay on the site of Fort Ord. They would require lots of wood and concrete for construction, and it just so happened that the YVRR and its two biggest customers, the Yosemite Lumber Company and Yosemite Portland Cement Company, were ready to take on the challenge. This new demand sparked a serious uptake in lumber and rock traffic, as did a surge in passenger traffic for military members and their families visiting Yosemite NP. The increased demand kept the entire YVRR's steam roster on the property, unlike when they'd gone to the SP to help with its wartime demand.
This swift influx of revenue also kept the YVRR solvent for the years following completion of the hangars and the war. Now into the 1950s, with freight traffic all but dried up and their two biggest customers having closed their doors a few years prior, the YVRR saw a new form of business in tourism. As the highways into Yosemite became increasingly full of cars during the busy summer months, more and more people began to rediscover the train.
The YVRR shifted gears from a common carrier to a tourist railroad, renovating coaches and acquiring or even building new ones to meet increasing demand. Through the 60s, 70s, and into the 80s, tourist traffic continued to grow, with sold out trains stretching as much as ten cars long during the summer season. To keep up with it, the YVRR began to dieselize in the early 70s, acquiring some veteran ex-SP and ATSF road power, with the steamers still handling many of the trains. The diesels adopted a fresh new paint scheme of black and orange, an homage to the tiger salamander which resides in vernal pools found up in the hills on the northeast outskirts of Merced.
Today, much like the Grand Canyon Railway and Durango & Silverton, the Yosemite Valley Railroad has found enormous success as a tourist railroad, carrying several hundreds of thousands of passengers annually between Merced and El Portal, where they connect to free buses into Yosemite National Park. From May through September, three roundtrips per day depart Merced one hour apart, on a seven-hour roundtrip plus three-hour layover at El Portal. Trains depart at 8, 9, and 10am, and return at 6, 7, and 8pm respectively. During the rest of the year, two roundtrips travel up to El Portal, departing at 9am and 10am.
Always good to hear from jack Burgess….
This is really cool. I live in Merced and have followed most of the route the track used to run all the way into Yosemite
Actually no, the track terminated at El Portal. To my knowledge, the track NEVER ran east of El Portal.
What killed the YV was the opening of the Wawona Tunnel in the early 1930s. The tunnel is at the south entrance to Yosemite National Park on Highway 41. The Wawona Tunnel cut 3 hours off the travel time by bus from Fresno. People from southern California now took the bus from Fresno to Yosemite on Highway 41 instead of traveling to Merced and using the YVRR.
The same year that YVRR ridership peaked, around I believe 1923, was also the first year more people drove to Yosemite than took the train. Highway 140 was the real deal breaker for passenger ridership on the YVRR, as unlike 41 which closes during the winter, 140 remains open year round. It's called the "All Weather Highway" for that reason.
Great Video Jack! And in my opinion, if this ralline had been somehow saved, it would have been the most successful tourist railroad on the west coast!
Exchequer Dam on the Merced River was raised in the 1970s or 80s and that bridge and right of way is now under water in most years.
Thank you for the presentation.
Mike, I really don't know what we'd do without your amazing commentary. Thank you so much.
Good to hear from you again. Another enjoyable video!
Thanks, this is very nice and interesting. People might want to know you can walk down to Bagby and see some foundations. You can walk up the valley if the water is low enough.
The footings are still in place at the crossing of the North Fork. There is an old trestle between the end of the road from Briceberg and the mine where people have lived at.
From there up to Briceberg you can drive along the old Rail Road grade past several campgrounds. It is a wonderful place to visit. There is an old bridge to drive over at Briceberg to join the Highway.
Really enjoyed your video, great pictures and commentary. Thank you!
The YV 330 survives today at the Niles canyon Railway
YVRR 29 survives as well, on display in front of the Veracruz train station.
I know that but not one I can actually work on, but would love to get her back
@@mow4ncry I recall the NPS years ago trying to get 29 back to put on display in El Portal, but it didn’t work out.
I have vaguely remember something like that, also Wes would love to have it then we'd have a complete train 29 the 107 and the 330
@@ChrisJones-gx7fc I might be wrong but there was one source I remember where it wasn’t on display at some point so assuming it’s scrapped unfortunately and also I couldn’t find any recent photos of it in the past few years
That is one cool railroad it kinda reminds me of Red Dead Redemption 2 in real life.
Just an awesome video!
Wonderful video
next you should make a video about the visalia electric railroad!
2👍👍up
Whoops the 107 RPO at the front
I've helped Wes do work on the car
A map or two would be useful.
TSG, Please don't put the TSG Logo over details of Locomotived and Rolling Stock!!
Thanks to the content thieves, a watermark appears on everything that is posted to this channel. If you would like higher resolution presentations, you're welcome to join the TSG Train Crew on Patreon: www.patreon.com/tsgmultimedia
Watermark is understandable, but why so BIG ? @@tsgmultimedia
@@EllieMaes-Grandad Ask the content thieves if a large watermark is more work to crop out than a small one. I bet you can figure it out!
Across the centre of the image would be even more effective. @@tsgmultimedia
El Portal (with an 'a') but pronounced as an 'e' for some reason?
Unique is a very specific word, from the Latin, literally meaning 'one only'. It needs no modification and any attempts to do so will be grammatically incorrect.
"Specific" is also such a word, yet you thought to modify it with "very" which is also technically redundant and grammatically unnecessary. I guess we all make mistakes, even when attempting to correct someone else.
'Specific' is similar, but not identical. The Latin might help you can figure it out . . . @@tsgmultimedia
Outstanding , so nice to see color , been looking at the B&W for too long. Well done !