Tomales Bay

This week, images of the Northern California coast and some trains from Southern California and Oregon. I’m not sure of the location of all but two of the coastal shots, although they look very much like some of the places I’ve visited in recent years in Sonoma and Mendocino counties. The Harbor seals are also a familiar sight as they nap on the rocks or bob their heads up from the surf.

Tomales Bay

June 1979

I originally intended to share a few images from our May 1982 visit to the Southern California Railroad Museum (formerly Orange Empire Railroad Museum) in Perris, California. Then I started looking through the slide collection and found so many other train photos that I had to share as well. Quite a few of these are from a trip to the Village Green in Cottage Grove, Oregon, in June 1979 which I don’t recall at all (although I did save a brochure from this wonderful attraction that, sadly, no longer exists).

Village Green Hobby Shop, Cottage Grove, Oregon, June 1979

Southern California Railroad Museum, May 1982

My final three images, below, were shot in a sequence as we rode past two trains at Cottage Grove; one was Engine Number 10, and the second, nearer the camera, was Engine Number 105 (just behind the green and yellow Burlington Northern caboose). You can see the bright red on the coal tender marked VSP & SSRR (Vernonia, South Park & Sunset Steam Railroad). I found some more recent images of these historic rail cars, along with a video of their home as of 2014. Spoiler alert: I still find them beautiful, but if you’re a serious train buff their current state will probably leave you feeling quite sad.