During 2016 we took on two new ambitious projects. In late April, a new railcar arrived at the BBCRC — Southern Pacific #109 “The Shasta”, a wooden Pullman business car built in 1888 and donated to us by the California State Railroad Museum. The car was in very poor shape and its restoration will be a multi-year project. See our Shasta page for more information on this project. The second major project involved the installation of a solar power array at the BBCRC, completed in December. The BBCRC now runs 100% on renewable solar energy! More info on this project can be found on our solar power page. Thanks to our generous supporters who helped fund both of these major projects! Over the course of the year we also moved forward with a number of other site improvements, including the completion of the upgrading of our indoor and outdoor kitchens and further work on our searchlight signals. Late in the year we received a forest restoration grant from CalFire and began another major round of thinning and fuels reduction in our forest areas. We hosted three major work party events — in May, July and October — as well as a number of other gatherings and shows. Through all of this the BBCRC has continued to grow as an institution increasingly well-known and appreciated both locally and within the wider community of those interested in railroad culture. For more info on our 2016 activities see our Images 2016 page.