Efforts underway to keep beloved Folsom Valley Railway from moving out of state
FOLSOM — The Folsom Valley Railway has been a fun family attraction since 1970.
The miniature steam-powered locomotive takes up to 60 people for a ten-minute ride around the Folsom Zoo and Lions Park.
"I've had a lot of people where third generations are now riding my train," said Terry Gold, owner and operator of the railway.
Gold is not just tooting his own horn when he says it's popular with people of all ages.
"The oldest I've had on the train was 104 years old and the youngest is 5 days old," he said.
He added that this type of miniature-scale locomotive is very rare.
"In the United States today, there's only seven of us that run real live steam-powered trains," Gold said.
But now he has a job offer out of state, and he's looking to sell the train and its tracks.
"There's a gentleman who wants to purchase the train and take literally everything away and move it to Utah," he said.
Many people in Folsom want to derail that idea and keep the train in town.
"I'd be very sad to see it go," one Folsom resident said. "It's something that is really big here in Folsom and something we all love."
Some think the city should purchase the train to preserve its history.
"When it's gone, you're going to regret it," another person said. "You'll never have the chance to get it again because they don't make stuff like that anymore."
City leaders aren't ready to go that route and say they would prefer to have it purchased by someone local. At Tuesday's city council meeting, a few people indicated they wanted to also make an offer.
Train fans just want it to stay in Folsom for future generations.
"It's very special," Gold said. "It's something that people from all around the Northern California region can enjoy."
