Michael had a small mention about this during one of his history segments last year (Walt shared his love of trains with Billy). Billy Jones ran a small 1/3 scale (might be 1/4 scale, I am not positive) railroad on his ranch. After his death the train was moved to Oak Meadow and Vasona parks in Los Gatos. I live in the area and have been curious about checking it out ever since I heard the mention on segment.
There is a very good website with information here: http://bjwrr.org/
They have 2 diesel locomotives and 2 steam locomotives. They are generally open only weekends during the winter but move to a daily schedule in the summer. During the winter they generally just run the diesel locomotives except for special events.
Each ticket is $2. 2 and under are free. The trip is around 5-6 minutes long. The station is sort of a spur, so you go out, do a a loop then come back from the same place you left. That means the locomotive is pointing in the wrong direction. so they turn it around on a turntable.
This is one of the neat things about this railroad. You get to see a lot of stuff up close. Since the train runs through the park you can even walk the track if you like. We took a walk along the track after they closed for the day. They have some switching equipment and a low bridge (just a few feet off the ground) you can get a nice close up view of.
The park itself is fairly large. They have a carousel which is also $2. Makes for a nice day out. Parking is $6, but if you don't mind a walk there are plenty of places to park on the residential streets around the area.
This is not much of a detour on the way to or from SF. It is about 1-2 miles off Highway 85, which is a loop that goes around San Jose from Highway 101. I highly recommend making a stop here if you have even a passing interest in trains.
There is a very good website with information here: http://bjwrr.org/
They have 2 diesel locomotives and 2 steam locomotives. They are generally open only weekends during the winter but move to a daily schedule in the summer. During the winter they generally just run the diesel locomotives except for special events.
Each ticket is $2. 2 and under are free. The trip is around 5-6 minutes long. The station is sort of a spur, so you go out, do a a loop then come back from the same place you left. That means the locomotive is pointing in the wrong direction. so they turn it around on a turntable.
This is one of the neat things about this railroad. You get to see a lot of stuff up close. Since the train runs through the park you can even walk the track if you like. We took a walk along the track after they closed for the day. They have some switching equipment and a low bridge (just a few feet off the ground) you can get a nice close up view of.
The park itself is fairly large. They have a carousel which is also $2. Makes for a nice day out. Parking is $6, but if you don't mind a walk there are plenty of places to park on the residential streets around the area.
This is not much of a detour on the way to or from SF. It is about 1-2 miles off Highway 85, which is a loop that goes around San Jose from Highway 101. I highly recommend making a stop here if you have even a passing interest in trains.
