I didn’t want to hijack the ongoing thread about Tom Miller’s railroad property, so I’m adding this thread. In the discussion about Tom’s railroad, a large 19 inch railroad here in California was brought up…the Swanton Pacific in Santa Cruz.
But there are numerous very large scale private railroads out there that are rarely seen. This one is/was a gem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E91Qvz2lbZQ
Started by John Woods and his mother in 2000 and built on 2000 acres of Missouri farmland. His mother was eighty at the time. This particular video was taken somewhere in the 2008 time period AFTER the untimely death of John in a motorcycle accident. The place was taken over by a foundation that continued to maintain and use the facility for a hunting and wildlife preserve. As of January 2018, the family has decided to put the farm and railroad up for sale, hoping someone would take it over to continue the foundation as a charity. Sad to see this go. One of a kind. There are many links to videos of this railroad including some great side by side running at full speed on the double track 15 inch gauge mainline.
Definitely not for the faint hearted with a small wallet :).
Nice side by side video…keep in mind this Northern weighs 10 tons :)!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ns1kpKygv4&list=PLF_f1jBy4gmvR0Eu2eVEww9EZVktQQwCe
