I inherited at lot of paperwork dealing with the Venice Miniature Railway. Not really sure what all I have but it deal with the train. Have photos and paperwork. Just curious if anyone is interested.

The Venice Historical Society is, if memory serves, quite active. I am sure they would have interest: http://www.venicehistoricalsociety.org

Rob

The engines that ran at Venice Park are at the Swanton Pacific RR in Davenport CA, 10 miles north of Santa Cruz We would be interested in talking with you about your find.
Please PM me or call the RR shop phone @831 423 8204.
Bruce

The Swanton Pacific equipment is the 19" Overfair Railway equipment from the Panama Pacific Exposition in San Francisco.

The VMR was 18" gauge and the most recognized piece is 2-6-2 #2 currently operated in Los Gatos on the Billy Jones Railroad.

For a time, both VMR#2 and the Overfair equipment resided together at Billy Jones' ranch in the 1940s though early 1960s. Jones attempted to operate the Overfair 0-6-0T #1500 on his track but quickly reguaged the track back to 18" to operate VMR #2. He was able to modify the 19" Overfair passenger cars to operate behind his smaller 18" locomotive. After Jones' death, VMR #2 and the coaches were relocated to a nearby park were they have operated since 1970.

2-6-2 VMR#1 and a couple of original VMR coaches are in private ownership in Southern California. A third locomotive that once operated on the VMR, a much smaller and older 2-6-0, is dissambled at my home and requires extensive restoration.

The VMR and Overfair Rwy are two separate lines and share a common link in the Billy Jones Railroad.

Ken Middlebrook

The privately owned locomotive was once at a small amusement park ("Streamland Park") located just south of the Whittier Narrows flood control dam (near Whittier) and growing up in Pasadena, in the late 1950s and maybe into the early 60s, we sometimes visited the park or the adjacent fishing pond. Most of the time the train ride at the park was a gasoline powered locomotive that looked like a "diesel." But on one visit the steam engine was operating and pulling the train!

Ken

I remember visiting Wildcat RR thirty years ago and seeing the parts for your mogul on the shelf in the shop, and the boiler rusting out back. Why did you all decide to buy a new locomotive instead of restore the mogul? (Wildcat RR now has the Venice #2 and a new build pacific).

This contraption was built up from the remains of one of the original VMR coaches Al Smith (the San Gabriel one, not Los Gatos). Of the four he acquired, the bodies on two of them were shot: one got rebuilt as a rather crude enclosed coach and the other became the "Galloping Goose," which IIRC was powered by a 1957 T-bird engine. Don McCoy, who subsequently owned the equipment, later rebuilt them into a rather nice looking Pacific Electric and trailer set for their all too short operation at Legg Lake in South El Monte. The car bodies were out in the desert as of about a decade ago in the collection of the late Chuck Valenzuela near Hesperia.

The VMR 1 is stored dry indoors and still sports its "blued steel" Ward Kimball paint from the 70s. The tender (which is actually the VMR 2's), I'm told, needs some good work, but all parts are in good hands.

My locomotive, originally East Lake Park Railway #1903, was an early locomotive designed by John Coit (The disposition of an earlier locomotive in Long Beach remains a mystery- one theory is that he modified the Long Beach engine resulting in the 1903). While similar to the 1903, the Coit designed VMR engines were noticibly larger. Construction of VMR #2 was delayed causing Coit to transfer the 1903 to the new Venice operation. Due to its size, the 1903 was underpowered to pull the loaded VMR trains over the canal bridges. As a result, it was double headed with VMR #1. After #2 was delivered, the 1903 was primarily stored in Venice.

Fast forward to the 1903's time at the Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad. Everyone desired to restore the 1903, referred as the 3, as a legacy to John Coit. The BJWRR has an interesting track profile with a long grade in one direction. Additionally, the BJWRR uses the much heavier Overfair passenger cars. Ultimately, the railroad recognized the same desingn characteristics that limited the locomotive's operation in Venice would hold true in Los Gatos. In 1970, the standard train length was 3 cars. Today, 5 cars is becoming the norm. As a result, the railroad pursued a larger design in the 4-6-2 #5. With delivery of #5, the board decided the #3 was surplus.

During it's last years in Los Gatos, key components such as all three driver sets and the new boiler were scrapped. Fearing that more pieces would disappear, my wife and I purchased the remnants and moved them to our home.

Instead of a sports car, I proudly proclaim my mid-life crisis was satisfied with pieces to a 110+ year old 18" steam locomotive...some assembly required.

Ken