JAMESTOWN — On two upcoming Saturdays -- April 14 & 28 -- Railtown 1897 State Historic Park (SHP) will provide guests with a unique opportunity to experience spring wildflowers from onboard a train pulled by the “Movie Star Locomotive” Sierra No. 3! The special afternoon wildflower trains will depart from the Railtown Depot promptly at 4:30 p.m. Prior to boarding the train, passengers will have the opportunity to learn about the wildflowers of California’s Sierra Nevada foothills.

Railtown’s popular Wildflower Trains feature Interpretive Park Rangers from the nearby Bureau of Reclamation’s New Melones Lake, answering questions and pointing out flower groupings along the way. Wildflower Trains take guests on a six-mile, one-hour roundtrip ride through the scenic, rolling landscapes of California’s Gold Country. Along the way, trains encounter meadows and rolling hills, with such local flora as “meadow foam,” “gold fields” and other colorful flowers typically in bloom. Train capacity is limited, and advance reservations are suggested. Wildflower train tickets aboard the “mountain observation cars” (open-sided cars that allow for visitors to enjoy the spring weather) are available online now at www.railtown1897.org and cost $21 for adults, $10 for youth ages 6-17, and children five and under ride free.

Railtown’s regular excursion trains are operating on these two Saturdays as well with departures on-the-hour from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets for steam train excursion rides are $13 for adults, $6 for youths ages 6-17 and kids five and under are free. All train ride tickets include Park admission and are now available for advance purchase at www.railtown1897.org as well as at the ticket window beginning at 10 a.m. on the day of the ride (based on availability).