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Updated: 9-29-22 xxxOrder of page images: 141-143 Other images:
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William "Billy" Jones was the Coast Division's best known engineer, largely due to his Wildcat Railroad, a miniature live steam railroad that he began building at his ranch on Daves Avenue in Los Gatos during World War II. It attracted live steam fans from far and wide, including Walt Disney, who became a friend. After Billy's death in 1968, his miniature railroad was removed to nearby Vasona Lake Park, where it continues to delight new generations of riders. Billy railroad tenure began at age 13 in 1897 as an engine wiper at narrow gauge South Pacific Coast's Boulder Creek enginehouse (for service dates discussion, see Index & Biographical Information. In 1901, he was promoted to fireman, and in 1906 he was busy preparing his locomotive at Newark for a work train (participating in a planned conversion of SPC to standard gauge) when the San Francisco Earthquake hit. He may have been promoted to engineer prior to January, 1907,when he transferred to Southern Pacific. As SPC's narrow gauge gradually withered and was replaced with standard gauge tracks, SPC engineers were given the opportunity to transfer to SP. He retired in 1949 as one of a very few Coast Division engineers that achieved more than 50 years service. The Internet holds abundant further information about him, including: Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad website Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad illustrated history William "Billy" Jones on Wikipedia 1960's video of Wildcat Railroad on YouTube |
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1978-152-3-141
date: 7-14-1935 location: Big Trees, Felton photographer: print: 2" x 4" portrait b&w obverse data: reverse data: |
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1978-152-3-142
date: circa 1950 location: Wildcat Railroad, Jones Ranch, Daves Ave., Los Gatos photographer: print: 6" x 7.25" portrait b&w obverse data: reverse data: |
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1978-152-3-143
date: circa 1950 location: Wildcat Railroad, Jones Ranch, Daves Ave., Los Gatos photographer: print: 8" x 10" framed landscape b&w obverse data: reverse data: |
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