Large Scale Central

Swanton Pacific RR burned today

General Discussion
#1

This was posted today on the Swanton Pacific website:https://sprr.calpoly.edu

CSU Lightening Complex Fires - The Santa Cruz fires have impacted the Swanton Pacific Ranch and the Swanton Pacific Railroad. At this time we do not have much in the way of first hand information on the status of facilites and equipment but we do know the fire burned through the area and at least some of our buildings were damaged or destroyed. We will try to provide updates as we are able to get more information.

There are photos of the devastation on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SwantonPacificRailroad/

Russ Miller

BAGRS President

#2

Looks like it burned the roundhouse to the ground, and everything inside. What a tragedy.

#3

Aw man. (https://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-frown.gif)

Knowing nothing about the outfit I went Googling.

Found, https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Diminutive-Swanton-Pacific-railway-loaded-with-5982373.php

Diminutive Swanton Pacific railway loaded with local lore

By Carl Nolte

Updated 7:51 pm PST, Sunday, December 28, 2014

There are more stories on the Swanton Pacific than there are cross ties on the railroad. And most of them are true.

Here’s one: Most of its equipment, including four steam locomotives, first ran 100 years ago as an attraction at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. They are among the rare surviving artifacts of that vanished fair.

Here’s another: The Swanton Pacific and the big ranch where it operates are owned by Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, which makes it possibly the only miniature railroad in the world owned by a public university.

#4

Wow, that’s both cool (that it ever existed and some of the history of how it came about) and horrifying (fire is so random and destructive). I hope they have the stamina to rebuild. 1/3 scale!