Written by Marcus Axford 8/9/24
We were the first to arrive, thirty minutes too early actually, but with the smell of the railroad ties and the crunch of gravel under our feet, we explored the site as we waited. I had never been on a train of any sort up until this point, and honestly I was excited to make this particular attraction my very first experience, after all what's more poetic for a historian that has never ridden a train before than to ride on an actual steam locomotive from times past.
This wasn't our intended destination originally, we had Shaniko Days and central Oregon planned for this weekend, but lack of funds and wildfires forced us to consider a different area to plan a historical trip, and as fate would have it we landed here at Garibaldi. I ordered our tickets ahead of time and we were all set to go! Prices can be a little expensive, with tickets ranging from $22-30, but as you will find out it is well worth the price, and the money goes to helping keep the tour alive which for me is well worth the price on it's own. After all we can all remember as kids buying a wonder ball for the prizes rather than the chocolate, but at the end of the day even if the toys were disappointing we still had the chocolate. I'm not entirely sure if my metaphor tracks, but you get the idea.
The heat was starting to become uncomfortable, normally the coast is fairly cool all year round, but on this day it was particularly warm. Nevertheless, we walked around all the old train cars and took pictures, as well as hunting for blackberries and admiring the bay in the distance. I will be honest, I was a bit silly with my photography, I wanted to catch a cool selfie of myself as the train came in, until I remembered that this particular set up actually ran backwards from Rockaway Beach, so I slumped my shoulders in slight embarrassment even though no one knew what I was up to, and shuffled away to take more pictures.
Eventually 1:30pm rolled around, you see we had booked our round trip for 2pm and anticipated the train would be coming in at any moment for it's half hour layover. Before I knew it my ears perked up as I heard the loud blast of the train whistle off in the distance. My heart pounded harder with anticipation, the time had nearly arrived! I was admittedly likely a little too worried about the possibility of being run over by this thing and urged my wife Jessica and our partner Leah over to a safe distance, and while they were slightly annoyed, they did comply. Of course shortly after I realized how slow the train was coming in and once again I felt slightly embarrassed.
The feeling wore off quickly though as the train came to a stop and the staff stepped off the train with foot stools to allow the other passengers to disembark safely. I noted and admired the striking attire, particularly one young man with a pocket watch whose chain was clearly visible. Whether any of the dress was part of the roaming exhibit or it was a particular choice on the employee, it didn't much matter to me as I enjoyed the detail all the same.
It took us awhile to board, the procedure should have been more obvious to me but seeing as I was new to this I figured I would do better at managing my expectations. Passengers who were coming from Rockaway Beach had to leave the train first for their half hour layaway, although technically I don't think you had to leave with the train once the half hour was up if you didn't want to and just catch the train when it came back again. Once that group was taken care of the people from Garibaldi who had not boarded yet that day were permitted to get on board. The trip was estimated to be about 90 minutes in total time, 30 minutes there and back with the aforementioned 30 minute break in between in case anyone wanted to grab snacks and drinks, which are permitted on the train, but no alcohol or smoking.
Sadly we did not get to hear the classic "all aboard!" but we were finally signaled by the staff for us to come onto the train to get our paper tickets. The first car was not at all what I expected, it was adorned with chairs and tables but also a counter with a set up for the staff to bring up the booking I made online so they could issue us physical paper tickets that now decorate my office. From there it was on to the second car, and the one we were set to sit in, although apparently we were able to change seats to wherever we wanted once the train got going, however we remained seated in the historic Wilson River car.
The feeling of being inside of an old train is hard to describe, you hear about these places so much in history books and stories, and I have even snuck onto an old passenger car that is mostly gutted and sitting all alone out at Gardiner (Fun fact, I accidentally disturbed a bat at the end of that car and with both of us startled and me not knowing if this particular critter wanted to exact vengeance I ran like hell for the exit), but it's nothing like standing in a restored train car from decades past. Despite being restored, an interesting detail is the noticeable wear and tear from constant visitors and not in a bad way, I mostly took notice of where the paint was worn away both down the aisle and in between the seats where people rest their feet while they sit. For being an enclosed car it was surprisingly cool, I did not feel the same heat as I did standing outside, likely due to the combination of open windows and high ceiling.
The moment had arrived, the excitement in my chest now at a crescendo, and before I knew it we lurched forward with a rattle. This was it, we were moving! We were finally here at this point in time after what felt like an eternity, and it was well worth the wait. I attempted to savor every moment of this unique experience, the way the wheels felt rolling down the tracks, the echo of sounds on the inside of the train car, it was really cool! People waved us off on the side of the road, and we waved back, as if we were passengers of the titanic embarking on our grand voyage, although luckily there was no derailment from an unforeseen iceberg.
The train itself doesn't go very fast, I believe they said it moves about 10 miles per hour, and that was perfectly alright with us, not only was it a unique perspective on a landscape I have scene many times before, but also the train cars wobbled quite a bit, Jessica noting that it felt like we would tip over at any moment! It probably won't be as worrisome as it sounds, there's plenty enough on board to keep you distracted including a tour guide that points out different things along the ride there and back, as well as some history on the train itself which I won't spoil for those of you who want to go experience it yourself.
While I don't know if they rotate out tour guides, our guide was a wonderful and hilarious gentleman named Michael whose dad joke skills are top notch, I couldn't tell if he was genuinely surprised that his occasional jokes were that funny to us or if it was all part of the bit, but as someone who has a deep love and understanding of comedy it was perfect, and I even went to him at the end of the ride to thank him for such a wonderful experience.
We finally reached Rockaway Beach, Jess staying aboard while Leah and I went to the nearby market to get some snacks for the return trip, at which point I snagged a quick picture of the locomotive itself. Honestly I probably could have done a better job at photography, but I also wanted to respect the staff and not have to have them tell me to get out of somewhere I wasn't supposed to be, that and to also same myself some embarrassment. After getting the goods we got back in line to get back on the train, being on the same side Jess was, I asked if she just wanted me to hand up the merchandise to her through the window, all of us having a good laugh as I did so and a small child behind us inquiring to what I assumed was her mom on why we called it "merchandise."
The ride back was just as wonderful as the trip there, maybe with a little less excitement but also maybe because we were just tired and ready to head home, we still got some more unique dialogue from Michael on the surrounding area. Something entertaining we puzzled on at some point was the matter of the attendant that came by to punch our tickets, what might have happened if you didn't have one and us pantomiming being through off the train in a hilarious fashion.
As we rolled back into Garibaldi I reflected on my experience, it was only a 90 minute trip and yet it felt like the entire afternoon went by riding along the rails with a warm summer breeze wafting in through the windows, imagining what it was like for people in the early 1900s. To us it was a luxury, but for folks on the coast it was life, a way to travel from place to place, and while we may marvel today at the white steam, the sound of the train horn and the detailed look of the locomotive, most people of the past never gave it a second thought, and I find that distance in time and difference in culture extremely fascinating. I definitely stepped off that train feeling just a little different than when I got on, and you can bet I will want to take that trip again.
