This complex of workshops and facilities served as a maintenance station for the historic Sierra Railway. Founded in 1897 and still in operation today, the railway linked the gold mines of the Mother Lode with supply and financial centers to the east and west. More than 200 Hollywood movies have been filmed aboard these trains since 1919, and Old Steam Engine No. 3 is known today as the movie train.Departing from the visitor center in the former freight house, guided tours allow a thorough exploration of the park's historic working steam roundhouse, with its belt-driven workshops and its cache of four turn-of-the-century steam engines. An excellent video (17min) presents the history of the Sierra Railway.