Sierra No. 3

Sierra No. 3

Sierra No. 3, circa 1904

Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works Serial number 4493 Build date March 26, 1891

Specifications Configuration 4-6-0 UIC class 1C Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Leading dia. 2 ft 2 in (0.660 m) Driver dia. 4 ft 8 in (1.422 m) Boiler pressure 150 psi (1.03 MPa) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 17 in × 24 in (432 mm × 610 mm)

Performance figures Tractive effort 17,470 lbf (77.7 kN)

Career Operators Sierra Railroad Numbers Prescott & Arizona: 3, Sierra: 3 Current owner Railtown 1897 State Historic Park Disposition Operational

Sierra No. 3, often called the "Movie Star locomotive", is a 19th-century steam locomotive owned by the State of California and preserved at Railtown 1897 State Historic Park in Jamestown, California. Former Transportation History curator at the Smithsonian Institution William L. Withhuhn described the locomotive's historical and cultural significance: "Sierra Railway No. 3 has appeared in more motion pictures, documentaries, and television productions than any other locomotive. It is undisputedly the image of the archetypal steam locomotive that propelled the USA from the 19th century into the 20th." It has been called "the most photographed locomotive in the world." Built in 1891, the locomotive returned to operation in July 2010 after a fourteen-year absence from service and a three-year-long overhaul, requiring the replacement of its original boiler.

The locomotive, a 4-6-0 ten-wheeler, was built by the Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works of Paterson, New Jersey. Construction of the locomotive was completed on March 26th, 1891, and it was given Rogers construction number 4493. It has 17 X 24 inch cylinders, 56 inch driving wheels and weighs 50 tons in working order. It was built for the Prescott & Arizona Central Railway (P&AC) as their locomotive #3 and named W.N. Kelly after the company's treasurer.

The P&AC went bankrupt in 1893 and its owner, Thomas S. Bullock, relocated to California bringing much of his railroad equipment, including the No. 3. He then entered into a partnership with Prince André Poniatowski and William H. Crocker, and together in 1897 they incorporated the Sierra Railway Company Of California to connect Oakdale, California with the timber producing regions of Tuolumne County and Calaveras County.

The locomotive was then rechristened Sierra No. 3, and played a key role of the construction of the railroad to Jamestown, California in 1897, Sonora, California in 1899 and Tuolumne, California in 1900. It was the primary locomotive pulling freight trains on the railroad until 1906, when the Sierra Railway purchased a new Baldwin Locomotive Works 2-8-0 locomotive. It played a significant role in logging, mining and dam building operations in the Sierra foothills.