Re: Calico Ghost Town Railroad 1958

The "Porter" is actually a fairly convincing steam-outline locomotive built by Bud Hurlbut for Walter Knott, for use on the Calico & Odessa RR. This is a small-ish dogbone loop of track up behind the townsite, which carries tourists past some re-created mine ruins. This engine was onsite in, I believe, 1963, the first time I made a trip there. It is still in use. The driver once told me it used a VW engine w/ chain drive, not sure if that' still the case.There was never, to my knowledge, a real operating steam locomotive in use at Calico, at least not from the tourist period of the 1950's on (there was an original 3' ga.rr which ran up Wall Street Canyon to the ore bins, early in the boom days, as well as the adjacent Borate and Dagget RR).
The Plymouth I don't remember.
The little grip wheel train must have been a precursor to the present day incline lift that takes people from the parking area to the top of the bluff. The current incline was also in place the first time I visited, so I don't know when the Hercules was removed.