PPIE San Francisco 1915 "Overfair Railway" Miniature Railroad

Panama Pacific International Exposition PPIE San Francisco 1915 "Overfair Railway" Miniature Railroad:

The 1915 San Francisco Panama Pacific Exposition (PPIE) had a miniature steam railroad, called the Overfair Railway, that ran along the Marina between Fort Mason and the Presidio. A 10 cent fare provided transportation to the Polo Field, State / Foreign buildings, California Building, Exhibit Palaces, Yacht Harbor, and The Zone. The design of the 1/3 scale locomotives was based on the Pacific type locomotive, which would have taken tourists to the San Francisco PPIE in 1915. There were many proposals to provide an intramural railroad at the PPIE and Louis M. MacDermot, of Oakland, was awarded the concession. His father, Charles F. MacDermot, and maternal grandfather, Charles Main, after whom Main Street, in San Francisco is named, were also involved with transportation by rail. Both were owners of the Geary Street, Park and Ocean Railroad franchise, one of the first cable car routes in San Francisco. Charles Main had been head of both the Central Railroad Company and Geary Street Railway. He was the founder of the California Insurance Company and best known as founding partner of Winchester & Main, a manufacturer of harness and saddlery.

The Overfair Railway locomotives and refurbished passenger cars are now operated by the Swanton Pacific Railroad Society, a non-profit volunteer organization, at Swanton Pacific Ranch near Santa Cruz http://sprr.calpoly.edu/. One of the locomotives is on permanent display in the lobby of the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento.

Following the Panama Pacific International Exhibition, Louis MacDermot took his locomotives and rolling stock back to his family estate in Oakland. Later, MacDermot found a new home for himself, his wife, and his trains at what is now known as the Oakland Zoo. In 1943, they all moved to Billy Jones' ranch in Los Gatos. While the passenger cars were modified to run at the ranch, the locomotives were too large. So, in 1959, Billy Jones sold two engines and some equipment which Quentin Jervis ran at the Orange County Fairgrounds from 1975 through 1977. After Billy Jones died in 1968, his railroad moved to Vasona Park and the remaining Overfair locomotives and equipment went to Robert Maxfield, who created the Calistoga Steam Railroad, which was inaugurated in 1975. In 1979, when the Calistoga Steam Railroad closed, Al Smith, second president of Orchard Supply Hardware and railroad enthusiast, bought the trains, along with a newly-built turntable, and took them to his 3200-acre ranch in Swanton, just north of Santa Cruz. With the help of many volunteers, the Swanton Pacific Railroad was built. More of the Overfair Railway made its way to the Swanton Pacific Railroad following the closure of the railroad at the Orange County Fairgrounds with #1500 switcher engine going to Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad (BJWRR) in Vasona Park. Al Smith also donated one incomplete Overfair Railway locomotive to the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento where it was rebuilt and is now on display in the lobby of the museum. In 1993, Al Smith made a legacy gift of his ranch and railroad to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Finally, in 1995, BJWRR sold the switcher to the Swanton Pacific Railroad Society. Since 1995, all of the Overfair Railway locomotives that ever ran at the Panama Pacific International Exhibition in San Francisco, are now at Swanton Pacific Ranch.

It takes many hands to run the railroad and there are many opportunities to volunteer, learn and mentor such as:
training and working on railroad operations,
restoring and maintaining the railroad in the extensive machine shop and workshop,
archiving the historic library and artifacts,
caring for the Christmas Tree farm,
landscaping and gardening,
and more . . .

For membership information, please visit http://sprr.calpoly.edu/


Credits:
Photo 1: Panama-Pacific International Exposition from The Project Gutenberg EBook of Artificial Light, by M. Luckiesh. This is an image that has come from a book or document for which the American copyright has expired and this image is in the public domain in the United States and possibly other countries.
All Other Photos: Courtesy Cal Poly University, Swanton Pacific Railroad Society, The Al Smith Collection on Railroading.
Film:
Music: Percy Wenrich - The Smiler (1907, Zonophone Concert Band) from Frog Legs: Ragtime Era Favorites licensed under Creative Commons

This YouTube was created by Rhoda Fry, member of the Swanton Pacific Railroad Society