Whistles Through Niles Canyon: Steam On The Niles Canyon Railway

The Niles Canyon Railway has been a project of the Pacific Locomotive Association since the late 1980s. The PLA has called Niles Canyon home after having to relocate from their longtime location at Castro Point. Since moving to Niles Canyon, the PLA has managed to restore numerous steam and diesel locomotives, freight and passenger cars, and a portion of the former Southern Pacific mainline out of Sunol to Niles, California.

This video showcases steam running on the Niles Canyon Railway, and is edited in sequence starting with switching at the yard at Brightside, and then a round trip from Sunol to Niles and back. Six different steam locomotives are featured in this video, with three of the engines shown owned by the PLA, and three visiting from other organizations.

Engines owned by PLA:
Robert Dollar Co. 2-6-2T 3
Quincy Railroad Co. 2-6-2T 2
Clover Valley Lumber Co. 2-6-6-2T 4

Visiting Engines:
Mason County Logging Co. 2-6-2T 7, from Roots of Motive Power - Willits, CA
Santa Cruz Portland Cement Co. 0-4-0T 2 "Chiggen", current located at the Skunk Train - Fort Bragg, CA
Columbia River Belt Line 2-4-4-2 7 "Skookum", loaned to the Niles Canyon Railway for 2019 to 2025.

Scenes in this video were taken over several regular operating days and railfan photo events between 2014 and 2020 by Hunter Lohse.