Friday, March 29 1:00pm – 5:00pm
Your will visit two fine railroads on this tour and will have the opportunity to enjoy train rides.
Sturdy, closed-toe shoes are required – we will be touring the shops and Norgrove Railway. Attendees will be required to provide their own transportation from the hotel. The railroads are about 20 miles from the hotel. You will need to provide your own transportation from the Embassy Suites to the Norgrove Railway and Bittercreek Western which are about 20 miles from the Embassy Suites Hotel. Carpools are recommended. Directions to the railroads will be distributed to those who have signed up for the tour.
The fare for this excursion is $20. Signups are done through the convention registration.
Bittercreek Western Railroad
The Bittercreek Western Railroad (BCWRR) is a 7.5-inch gauge railroad located on the Nipomo Mesa just outside Arroyo Grande, CA about halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco along Highway 101.
The railroad includes 1.2 miles (9.6 scale miles) of mainline with many sidings and two rail yards. The facilities include fourteen steaming bays, hydraulic lift and turntable. A 14×80 foot car barn, 3 bridges, 3 trestles, and 3 tunnels can be found along the way. Most mainline switches are motorized with spring points. There are six water sources amongst the trees, shrubs and flowers.
All on 7+ acres, the BCWRR is not a club or other formal organization. It is privately owned and operated by Karl Hovanitz for the benefit of all his friends that like to play trains. It’s a place where friends can meet and share a common joy and passion – railroading!
Norgrove Railway
The Norgrove Railway is a 2-ft. narrow gauge line that supports the Norgrove Garden vineyards and orchards. Trains are pulled by both steam and diesel locomotives, including the “Buckeye”, a rare 0-4-0 locomotive (1935) from Berlin, Germany and a WWI-era, 2-6-2 trench locomotive built by Davenport Locomotive works.
The shops at Norgrove Railway include a modern locomotive shop and car shop. In addition to restoring Norgrove Railway equipment the shops also do locomotive work for other railroads. They just completed a complete rebuild of one of the steam locomotives for the Pacific Coast Railroad.
We know fans of all scales and gauges will appreciate the restored prototypical equipment, machinery
and support facilities of this central coast railway.
