Fort Bragg, CALIF Except for the passengers' high-tech cameras and modern garb, a time traveler from the last century would feel quite at home riding California Western Railroads Skunk Train in the 1990's.
The view from the restored Rail cars is pretty much unchanged: towering trees, deer drinking from the Noyo River, an isolated fisherman's cabin peeking from the forest. With occasional whistles as it chugs through tunnels, over bridges and past open meadows, the train follows the coastal "Redwood Route" as it has since 1885.
California Western welcomed more "modern" equipment in later years, which Rail fans can still ride. The vintage 1925 M-100 motorcar -- the only remaining train of its kind in use anywhere today -- runs the line year-round, as does the 1935 M-300 motorcar. During the busier summer months, they are joined by three 1950's diesel-powered engines, and famous Old No. 45, a majestic 1924 Baldwin steam engine, the kind most kids dream of when they think "train."
California Skunk Train reviews
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