Railfair 1981: Part 2 | SP 4449 | UP 8444 | UP 3985 | Engines At Railfair

Part 2 picks up where part 1 left off on the coverage of Railfair 1981. From May 2nd to May 10th, old Sacramento was saturated with the sights and sounds of steam from the opening of the California State Railroad Museum.

Each locomotive at Sacramento for Railfair is looked at in detail, as well as museum equipment that was also being used for the event. The museum’s main pageant call Song of the Iron Horse is seen as the locomotives moving the show along move on and off the turntable and in front of packed bleachers. An evening cavalcade has all the operating steam locomotives lined up for a parade into old Sacramento, and each locomotive’s individuality really shines, showing how much variety each one added to the 9 day event.

At the closure of Railfair, the three mainline engines started their journeys back home, and UP 8444 and 3985 are followed east out of Roseville over Donner Pass. 4449 went south to Los Angeles following Railfair to attend an SP Public relations event at LAUPT. Once those commitments concluded the headed back over the Coast Line to Oakland and picked up an excursion consist for its trip back to Portland. The Pacific Northwest Chapter NRHS sponsored excursion is seen leaving Davis and beyond as it makes it way back to Portland.

Railfair 1981 attracted over a quarter of a million visitors to the California State Railroad Museum during its 10 day run. The success of this event paved the way for two more Railfairs in the 1990s. This event also was the first for a Daylight painted 4449, and for the general public to see newly restored Challenger 3985. All three of these locomotives would go on to have legions of fans all over the country, and this was the first to see them all gathered in the same place at the same time.

The California State Railroad Museum remains to be one of the main attractions in Old Sacramento, helping preserve the story of railroad history in the west.

These Super 8mm and 16mm movies come from the cameras of John Filson, Don Kehl, and Dick Bartel and are part of the archives at the Western Railway Museum.