By no means am I an expert, I was there for a season or two, taking tickets, assisting in the shops, mostly as a gopher. It ran a short distance from the town of Camino to where it met with its frst grade crossing, possibly Harness Tract Rd, where they had created a wide flat area to build the shops and yards. Near the shops someone had put in a picnic area, at the foot of the steepest grade, which made for some slippage when the #3 had a tonnage train. Of course the big shay never noticed. I never got the reason for its closure first hand, but generally I understood the community felt it was more a nusiance than anything and the RR couldn't get permission to cross the road to continue on towards whatever destination they might reach. My uncle lived literally around the corner from the shops and never had a good thing to say about it, "all they ever do is blow that blank blank whistle". There were one or two crossings of private driveways that they did blow for, as required, but in the geographical area, the whistle echoed back and forth.
Come fall, the apples were picked and Apple Hill had their big shindig, I think just one or two weekends then, though there was increased traffic that whole fall season. trains were full and ran as frequently as they could. The rest of the summer season, they were carrying too many passengers.
I had moved to S Cal and returned for a visit only to find the RR gone, the former shops now occupied by a trucking concern. I did see Mr Wilmunder a time or two after that, once at a railfair where he had his Antelope & Western #1, 0-4-0T, and was playing his steam caliope. I noticed on the same channel of the video I posted was another video of the older railroad he ad, the Antelope & Western, and another about the Pino Grande operation, and for the West Side fans, one of the Bell operation. I've not had time to view these yet. Mr W had built a real steam paddlewheeler and cruised out of Old Sacramento, I saw the boat, but never with him on it, it was a large charter/sight seeing boat. I read that he may have met his demise at the hand of ruffians on the docks, but I've no official word. I have very fond memories of my time with the CC&N and Mr Wilmunder.
His son, Les, still owns the #1, it makes an annual appearance at the Ardenwood Railfair, everyone knows about the #14, #2, which they did run one weekend, direct from Mr Wilmunder, and I missed it, it is in Redding, I'm told the #3 is in Japan, but I know nothing abut the disposition of any of the rest of that considerable collection.
