Malfunction Junction. On a sunny, warm, Forth of July weekend in 2022, the Western Pacific Railroad Museum's newly restored 0-6-0 #165 rumbles past "Malfunction Junction", with a caboose train full of happy passengers. The ride currently consists of a trip a balloon loop in the Portola Yard, which was likely built for the purpose of turning entire trains.
As can be seen in this photo, restoration work on WP 165 is not quite complete. A couple of courses of the boiler still sport primer paint, and the fact that you can see it also means that the boiler insulation and jacketing still need to be fabricated and applied. Coverings will ultimately also be applied to both the cylinder housings and the steam dome. When completely finished this will be a very handsome locomotive and would make a great subject for a yard photo shoot with some vintage freight cars. Taking this shot almost made me wish I lived locally. Although I would definitely be in the "unskilled labor" category with respect to volunteering to work on the steam engine, I could probably help repaint that junction sign, which is a really cute photo prop.
