Railtown 1897 - Hollywood's Favorite RailroadStop on Goldrush!, a free self-guided tour.If this depot and roundhouse look familiar, there's a good reason. Railtown 1897 is known as the Movie Railroad, and its trains and buildings have appeared in more than 200 films, TV shows and commercials.The Sierra Railway, founded in 1897, built these shops to keep its trains running through the foothills, hauling lumber and supplies. The roundhouse, built in 1910, still stands, along with much of the original equipment, which is exactly why filmmakers found it such a handy stand-in for the Old West.The star of the show is Sierra No. 3, a steam locomotive that may be the most filmed engine anywhere. It played the Hooterville Cannonball on the TV series Petticoat Junction and appeared in Back to the Future Part III. Railtown also shows up in High Noon and in Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven, which won the Oscar for Best Picture.The site has been a state historic park since 1971. Take the roundhouse tour, and check the website for days when the steam trains run.Nearby: Restrooms, water and a depot gift shop at the park. Food on Main Street in Jamestown, a short walk away.Stops on this tourColoma - Where the Gold Rush BeganGold Bug Park - Walk Into a Hard Rock MineKennedy Tailing Wheels - The Giants of JacksonAngels Camp - Mark Twain and the Jumping FrogColumbia - A Gold Rush Town Frozen in TimeRailtown 1897 - Hollywood's Favorite RailroadMariposa Museum - The End of the Mother Lode