Ardenwood Farm Railroad Fair - September 6, 2011

Yesterday we went to the 11th annual Labor Day Railfair at Ardenwood Farm. It was cold and overcast when we got there at 10am, but the sky gradually cleared. There were no horse-powered train rides this year, but two steam locomotives operated, Antelope and Western 1, an 1889 Porter 0-4-0, which had visited from 2005-2008, and Anne Marie, an 1890 Porter which was there for the third straight year. A&W 1 pulled a three car train: a flat, the covered car usually pulled by horses, and another flat. Anne Marie pulled 1010, an 1882 combination car that last ran on the Southern Pacific narrow gauge.

While A&W 1's train loaded at Ardenwood Station, Anne Marie would arrive from Deer Park and pull its train past on another track and into the yard behind. After A&W 1 left, Anne Marie would push her train into the station. When A&W 1 arrived at Deer Park, she would run around to the front of train. When Anne Marie arrived, she would run around on the other track and A&W 1 would leave. Back at Ardenwood Station, A&W 1 would pull back around to the front of the train. So A&W 1 always ran around, while Anne Marie would push and pull.

The line at Ardenwood Station kept getting longer and longer during the day. Kids were having a great time.

There was a big Garden Scale display, and a modular N-Scale display. A steam calliope played in the gazebo. I didn't see the Oakland horse car, which was supposed to be on display.

This video shows A&W 1 backing onto its train at Deer Park. A brakeman drops the pin to couple the locomotive to the train. The locomotive pulls the train to Ardenwood Station.