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California
Cultural and Historic Endowment supports famous Sierra Train restoration The
Sierra
Railway steam locomotive No. 3 went into business in 1897 when it pulled its
first passenger train through California’s Gold Country.
Sierra No.3 really hit its stride though when Hollywood moviemakers,
after first using it in 1919’s Red Glove,
made it the star of 200 movies and television programs in the 20th
century. Sierra
No. 3 has been in High Noon, The Great
Race, Bound for Glory, Back to the Future III and Unforgiven. It has also
appeared on television, in Lone Ranger,
Tales of Wells Fargo, Petticoat
Junction, Rawhide, Death Valley Days, Lassie, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, The Wild, Wild
West, Little House on the Prairie and in various commercials.
Today,
Sierra No. 3, one of the most recognizable steam locomotives in the world, needs
critical restoration work. It lies
dismantled in Railtown 1897 State Historic Park in historic Jamestown,
California’s only preserved steam-era shortline railroad roundhouse complex. A
grant from the California
Cultural and Historic Endowment (CCHE) will help fund the restoration Sierra
No. 3 so critically needs. In
its Round Two grant distribution, the CCHE allowed $300,000 to the California
State Railroad Museum Foundation (CSRMF),
to help restore Sierra No. 3 to its 1929 appearance; to bring the
locomotive into compliance with new Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
operating standards; to display and interpret it at Railtown 1897 SHP;
and to steam it up for Hollywood events, excursion rides, and new filming
engagements. The
restored Sierra No. 3 will enhance heritage tourism and historic preservation in
Tuolumne County. Sierra No. 3
will draw to rural California children, teachers, adult learners, and tourists
who want to see this “movie star.” While in Railtown 1897 State
Historic Park, visitors will discover the rich cultural legacy of California’s
railroads. For
more information about Railtown
1897 State Historic Park please visit http://www.californiastaterailroadmuseum.org/default.asp.
About
the California Cultural and Historical Endowment In
2002, the California Cultural and Historical Endowment (CCHE) was created to
support the “acquisition, development, preservation, and interpretation of
buildings, structures, sites, places, and artifacts that preserve and
demonstrate culturally significant aspects of California's history and for
grants for these purposes.” The CCHE Endowment is responsible for distributing
$122 million in Proposition 40 funds. Seventy-eight
million has been allocated and the remaining $43 million will be allocated in
2007. For
more information about the California Cultural and Historical Endowment, please
contact Executive Officer Diane Matsuda at (916) 651-8768 or email at
dmatsuda@library.ca.gov. |
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