Cache is wheelchair accessible, van parking very near. Dirt ground.
More info on the history of the train and previous owner here.
...AND here.
A train barn, you say?
Yep! When you seek this cache, a glance through the fence nearby will give an unobstructed view of the new train barn that will be home to one of Walt Disney's old animator's trains. Ollie Johnston, one of the animators who worked for Disney in the heyday of the company (he was a lead animator and the one in charge of animating the blue fairy in Pinocchio), used to love trains and when finally able to afford one of his own, he bought one and ran it on his property in Julian, California. His third engine, a 1901 0-4-0 Porter 3 foot gauge ("narrow gauge"), was bought in 1965 in Puyallup, WA, and shipped to Johnston. It was named the "Marie E" after Johnston's wife Marie Estelle and ran on Johnston's property on a half mile track starting in 1968.
In 1998, the lovingly restored train engine was bought by the owner of this property in Glen Ellen and went through more restoration. It was taken to Disneyland on May 10, 2005 so that Ollie, then 92 years old, could run the train one more time, this time around the tracks of the park. It will soon scoot around the tracks being installed here and, when finished, will have a spur leading up to the winery being built on the upper property as well.
The history of the train is not the only thing remarkable about this property holding this new train barn. Now that construction fencing has been removed, you can see also the building that used to be the Glen Ellen Station where the stage from Santa Rosa stopped after leaving Melitta Station on its way to the Bay Area. The stage often pulled into this property and loaded one of our greatest writers, Jack London (who had his home in the hills nearby) and then, crossing the rock-adorned bridge you see, headed to Oakland and the waterfront where London boarded ships for his adventures at sea and in Alaska, etc.
It's great to imagine those days when so near these old buildings and with such a historic bridge right there in front of you. Think about London and Disney and the amazing entertainment they provided us with when you grab this cache. And consider the new face of Disney in the form of Pixar too, as this property is home to the Lasseter Family Winery, owned and operated by John Lasseter, head of Pixar. Please be respectful of the property and neighbors when making the grab, and leave a comment on your thoughts of these entertainment pioneers in your logs if you wish. Above all: RESPECT THE PRIVACY OF THIS PROPERTY OWNER!!! DO NOT TRESPASS OR ENCROACH ON THIS PROPERTY!
Word is out that on the evening of the first train ride the neighbors got irate at the endless whistleblowing and called the cops. With entertainment greats such as Steven Spielberg and George Lucas aboard, the train was stopped as the sheriffs arrived and asked that the whistle be quieted to appease the locals. They also made one more request; that they might ride the train. Not sure if they were accommodated.
You can't make this stuff up.