Golden Gate Railroad Museum

The Golden Gate Railroad Museum (reporting mark GGMX)[1] is a non-profit railroad museum in California that is dedicated to the preservation of steam and passenger railroad equipment, as well as the interpretation of local railroad history.

Golden Gate Railroad Museum
Overview
Reporting markGGRMX
LocaleSunol, California
Dates of operation1975–
Other
Websitehttp://www.ggrm.org/

History

The Golden Gate Railroad Museum (GGRM) traces its origins to 1972, when Mike Mangini first spotted ex-SP 2472, a steam locomotive that had been on static display in the San Mateo County Fairgrounds parking lot since 1959. In 1975, Mangini was granted permission to take the locomotive away, and weekend volunteers began restoring 2472 on weekends, shortly thereafter incorporating as Project 2472. After the boiler was restored, the locomotive was moved in 1990 to San Francisco at the Hunters Point Shipyard.[2] On April 30, 1991, 2472 moved under its own power to Santa Clara and then Sacramento[3] for display at Railfair '91.[4][5]

SP 4450 "Huff" at GGRM in Hunters Point; subsequently sold to WPRM in 2006

The museum was initially located in Hunters Point until the Navy notified GGRM in August 2005 that all leases would be cancelled and the area would need to be vacated by February 2006, as it was turning the site over to the city. The museum moved its collection of 12 locomotives and over 25 pieces of rolling stock to Sunol, California, home of the Niles Canyon Railway operated by the Pacific Locomotive Association (PLA); some of the collection was sold or donated to other historical rail sites, including the Western Pacific Railroad Museum (WPRM), operated by the Feather River Rail Society (FRRS).[6] FRRS and PLA participated in the GGRM's big move, with FRRS loaning road-worthy engines and crews to facilitate the move. In exchange, GGRM donated several locomotives and cars to WPRM.[7]

In January 2017, GGRM announced it would be moving to Schellville, California, on the Northwestern Pacific Railroad.[8] The GGRM's new Schellville yard, near Victory Station,[9] was fenced in late 2018,[10] and the move to Schellville commenced in March 2020.[11] Preparations to move the fleet included replacing obsolete brake valves on passenger cars, fixing air leaks, and replacing wheel sets.[12]

The offices of GGRM are in Redwood City.[13] The museum performs restoration work on its collection, which it showcases for special events.

Collection

The collection of the GGRM is centered around the equipment used by Southern Pacific for its Peninsula Commute operation along the San Francisco Peninsula between San Francisco and San Jose.

Rolling stock of the Golden Gate Railroad Museum
Fleet No.ImageMfr.ModelWheel arr.BuiltNotesRefs.
Locomotives
2472 BaldwinP-84-6-2 January 1921 Retired in 1957 and on static display at the San Mateo County Fairgrounds from 1959 until 1976. [14]
3194 EMDGP9B-B May 1954 Built as T&NO 281, renumbered to SP 5895 in 1961, then 3001 in 1965, and finally 3194 in 1977. Worked Peninsula Commute from 1960/61 to 1985. Retired in 1998 and donated to GGRM. [15]
1487 FMH-12-44B-B January 1953 Formerly U.S. Army No. 1847; acquired in March 1995 and repainted in "Tiger Stripe" livery as replica of yard switcher SP 1487. [16][17]
6378 & 6380 EMDF7AB-B July 1952 Traded to General Electric in the late 1960s; resold and served on short lines WAG as 2100 and 2000, then to L&NW as 46 and 45 in 1969. [18]
GGRM 9 GE65-tonB-B 1943 Originally built for U.S. Navy in 1943; used for shop switching duties at GGRM and formerly numbered as 3 when collection was at Hunters Point. [19]

In the 2003 season of the television show MythBusters, the episode "Peeing on the Third Rail" was filmed at the original location in Hunters Point.[20]

See also

References
  1. Railinc, Search MARKs, accessed September 2009
  2. Fimrite, Peter (July 26, 2005). "SAN FRANCISCO / Remembering the days when steam ruled the rails / Train buffs struggle to get historic locomotive back on tracks". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  3. Nolte, Carl (January 6, 1995). "Engine Steams Out of the Past / Lovingly restored, No. 2472 rides Peninsula rails". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  4. Fredricks, Darold (August 8, 2011). "Saved from the scrap heap -- Train #2472". San Mateo Daily Journal. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  5. Geunzler, Chris (1991). "Railfair 1991 Sacramento 5/11/1991". Trainweb. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  6. Woodmansee, Karen (July 8, 2008). "V&T commission to sell rail cars". Nevada Appeal. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  7. Vicknair, Eugene John (March–April 2006). "A Friend in Need ..." (PDF). The Train Sheet. Feather River Rail Society. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  8. Brisbee, Garrett (January 11, 2017). "GGRM has a New Home!". Golden Gate Railroad Museum.
  9. "Victory Station". Northwestern Pacific Railroad. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  10. "Fencing for Schellville GGRM Yard". Golden Gate Railroad Museum. November 3, 2018.
  11. "Mystery train in Schellville". Sonoma Valley Sun. March 29, 2020. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  12. "Moving A Museum Isn't Easy". Heritage Rail Alliance. July 12, 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  13. "History". Golden Gate Railroad Museum. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  14. "SP 2472: Baldwin P-8 4-6-2". Golden Gate Railroad Museum. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  15. "SP 3194: EMD GP-9". Golden Gate Railroad Museum. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  16. "SP 1487: FM H-12-44". Golden Gate Railroad Museum. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  17. "Fairbanks-Morse H12-44, H12-44TS & H12-46: Roster". The Diesel Shop. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  18. "SP 6378 & 6380: EMD F-7". Golden Gate Railroad Museum. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  19. "GGRM 9: GE 65-ton switcher". Golden Gate Railroad Museum. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  20. MythBusters- Peeing on Third Rail | MiniMyth on YouTube


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