Time-Related Vignette

Alternate Shortline Railway, South-East of Santa Maria



June 16, 1910:

  It's the Opening Ceremony of the Figueroa Mountain Railway Company (FMRy Co.), Six New Geared Shay steam Locomotives, all Three-Foot Gauge, had just been delivered from Lima Locomotive Works in Illinois. The line had been constructed to serve the Surrounding Townships and a Logging Mill and a Mine at the Top of the Mountain, all Irish and Chinese Labor. Freight Cars, Passenger coaches, some purchased new, others purchased from the Pacific Coast Railway.


4:30 PST, Maiden Trip: 

   Engine Number 3 roars to life, followed by the sound of at least 300 cheers. As she groans up the incline with the first load, the Crowd watches in awe. Number 3 takes her time to climb slowly, if she goes too fast, the Gears would grind and She'd eventually slide back down the hill.


4:45 PST, The Poppy Mine is reached:

   The Poppy mine had been constructed to extract Quartz for new Buildings being Erected in the surrounding Towns, and Number 3 was there to pick of the first load of Quartz. Equipped with a hopper car in her load, the Rocks would be transported down to base camp and loaded onto a Southern Pacific flatcar to be transported from there.


5:00 PST, Roaring Oak Logging Camp is Reached:

    The Final stop on the Trip was the Logging camp atop the Mountain, used to gather Live Coastal oak wood for building around the country. A battered steam crane heaves the logs onto a flatcar, and Number 3 screeched her whistle, and Huffed back down the Mountain. Once Base camp is reached, the trip would be a success.