Volunteers hoping to restore the fire-damaged historic Swanton Pacific Railroad in the Santa Cruz mountains were dismayed this week to learn the university in possession of the land is aborting plans to rebuild.
The engines, which ran during the 1915 fair, became scattered across the state over the years. Al Smith, founder of Orchard Supply Hardware, collected the engines together again and created the working railroad on his sprawling wooded ranch not far from Santa Cruz. When Smith died in the early 1990s, he donated the ranch and railroad to his alma mater Cal Poly. Volunteers continued to maintain and operate the trains until the fire.
In his letter to the society, Thulin called it a difficult decision to abandon operations at the site. He said the university would seek an organization to take the remaining railroad assets -- though no specific group had been identified. He mentioned the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento as a potential beneficiary though he didn't indicate whether the university had yet contacted the museum. He also raised the possibility the collection might be split up.
Engelman said another slap in the face to volunteers was the recent discovery the land managers had changed the locks on all railroad facilities at the ranch. University officials declined a request for an interview, instead steering inquiries to its letter. Engelman noted many of the railroad's supporters donated to a crowdfund created by Cal Poly to support the ranch restoration. Cal Poly said those funds would now go toward relocating the collection.
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