Tilden Park’s beloved and vintage steam train is in danger of going down in history because of a lease dispute between the railroad’s operator and the East Bay Regional Park District.
Ellen Thomsen, owner of the second-generation roller coaster that runs through Redwood Grove, told the district she would “pick up everything and leave” if she couldn’t secure a long-term lease for the company, which contracts to operate in Tilden Regional Park between the Berkeley Hills and the San Pablo Range.
The popular choo-choo train, formally named the Redwood Valley Railway, has been running monthly for seven years as Thomsen tried to negotiate a longer run, she said at a park district board of directors meeting in Oakland this week.
“I’ve only gone before the board twice in the last 30 years when things get so completely out of control that I have to go into a meeting and stand up to get their attention,” Thomsen told a reporter by phone Thursday from the railroad, where she was doing track maintenance. “Right now, we’re basically out of contract with them. We can’t do the capital improvements we need to do every month to stay there.”
Representatives for the East Bay Regional Park District declined to comment. An emailed statement confirmed that the railroad has been leased on a month-to-month basis and that negotiations are underway.
“Steam Trains are a treasured and valued resource and the Park District is committed to their continued operation,” the statement said. “As much as RVRY wants to make new capital improvements to the site, it is in the Park District’s best interest to ensure they are fire safe and meet all fire code requirements.”
The operating steam railway was built by Thomsen’s father, Erich Thomsen, and opened in 1952. as a private concession in the park. The family-owned corporation leases 48 acres on the side of the mountain and maintains a narrow 1.25-mile track and steam engines that can carry up to 100 people on 12-minute open-air rides. It carries about 250,000 passengers each year and costs $4 per trip, with discounts for families. It is open daily in the summer and on weekdays the rest of the year. All equipment is built from scratch and maintained by 30 full-time and part-time employees. The park service is paid as a percentage of the tickets sold.
“Essentially, the park district gets it for free, and it looks like they’re trying to get rid of it,” Thomsen said. “They say they want us to stay, but they don’t make any provisions for us to do so.”
The last 10-year lease expired in 2019, and Thomsen said she began trying to renegotiate a year ago. “They think the delay won’t hurt us, but they will now,” she said. “We’re trying to do all the capital improvements we need for the legacy so that the train can be there for many years after I’m gone.”
Thomsen just turned 70 and has no plans to retire. She said she hopes to start a nonprofit to provide the service after her death.
“Something like this has to be managed by generations of people who have been trained to do it because it’s a very specialized, very historic thing, very technical and requires special skills,” she said.
Thomsen said he hopes to get a 10-year lease with an option for another 10 years, making the rail back-to-back.
She said the number of drivers has increased by 25% since the COVID-19 lockdown. Its two locomotives cost $500,000 each, and it needs more of them, as well as more passenger cars, to run more trains at once. She said she also needs more storage sheds, but is reluctant to build any that don’t have long-term operating leases.
“Our business is growing a lot because families are looking for something inexpensive and local to do, and the regional parks are perfect for that,” she said. “We have to keep the construction equipment and we need legal protection through the lease if we’re going to build something that we can’t take with us.”
This article was originally published This little steam train has been delighting Bay Area families for 70 years. Now his future is uncertain.