Roaring Camp’s beach train at center of Santa Cruz railroad tussle

The family-owned company that runs the popular tourist trains is opposing the "railbanking" of the Santa Cruz Branch Line they connect to.

We’re not living in the 19th century, so we don’t often hear much these days about railroad disputes. But there’s sure a doozy of a conflict brewing in Santa Cruz County. At the center of it is Roaring Camp‘s popular beach train and it’s catching the attention of people who live on this side of the hill.

That’s bound to happen when emails with subject lines like “Goodbye Beach Train” and “No More Christmas?” hit inboxes.

At its Feb. 3 meeting, the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission plans to discuss abandoning freight service on the Felton Branch Line, a prelude for determining its options for the 32-mile Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line, which the RTC purchased a decade ago.

The commission is considering asking a federal agency for permission to “railbank” the Santa Cruz line, which would mean deactivating freight service but preserving the right to reactivate it in the future. That would allow for the construction of trails and bikeways alongside or instead of the railroad tracks, while also avoiding paying $50 million to $60 million dollars in repairs and maintenance for a line that isn’t used for freight north of Watsonville.

So what does that mean for Roaring Camp? If the Santa Cruz line was railbanked, the Felton line that it uses to take people to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk would become disconnected from the main line, a “stranded line” in transit lingo. And while there currently isn’t any freight run on the Felton line, in a statement posted on the Roaring Camp website, CEO Melani Clark says it is still a very real threat to the company her father founded in 1985.

“Loss of our rights to freight service on the Felton Branch Rail Line line will mean a loss of current federal protection of our line,” she wrote. “Loss of federal protection will mean that our ability to reach the Boardwalk with our tourist trains will be entirely controlled by the RTC and subject to the whims of the current RTC board and leadership, as well as those of the future.”

A report prepared by RTC Executive Director Guy Preston that’s available on the commission’s website says the RTC isn’t proposing that Roaring Camp stop recreational service to the Boardwalk, including the popular Holiday Lights Train around Christmas. But it sure doesn’t sound like Clark is thrilled with the idea of Roaring Camp’s future being determined by the RTC.

The RTC agenda indicates this is a informational report only and no vote is planned, but the 9 a.m. meeting should be quite a show. You can get a link to tune in on Zoom at at www.sccrtc.org.

25 YEARS OF FUN: This Saturday will mark 25 years since Tom Albanese and his family founded Campo di Bocce, which in its quarter-century of existence has become a mainstay for bocce players (and for those who just like a good Italian meal).

Albanese played bocce on Thursday nights with friends in Los Gatos, rotating locations among those who had backyard courts. But after a trip to Campobasso, Italy, where he saw people playing together and enjoying meals, he came back with an idea he thought would be perfect for Los Gatos. Many of his friends in the Los Gatos Bocce Club signed on as investors and they turned an old lumberyard into Campo di Bocce, which opened on University Avenue in 1997.

General Manager and COO Ben Musolf says the venue has hosted family gatherings, corporate team-building events and the annual Madden-Mariucci Bocce tournament, which has raised more than $8 million for charities. And there are some throwback specials planned for Feb. 8 and Feb. 12, too. You can check them out and make reservations at www.campodibocce.com.

BACK AT THE MOVIES: After an extended holiday break forced by COVID-19’s omicron surge in December and January, 3Below Theaters in downtown San Jose is reopening Friday with a slate of new movies, including likely Oscar contenders “Licorice Pizza,” “House of Gucci,” “King Richard” and “Belfast.”

The cast from Barely Legal also will be back for monthly late-night showings of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” starting Feb. 5, and the “Wigs, Waffles and Wine” drag brunch with WooWoo Monroe returns Feb. 13. Check the schedule at www.3belowtheaters.com.