Where are the trains over the Sierra's?

I live in Newcastle and have seen/heard very little traffic eastbound or westbound today, last night, and yesterday. Is something out of the ordinary going on? There are normally 10 to 15 trains a day. Haven't been any today.

 

Donner is shut down from the 16th throuigh the 23rd.

Trains are being routed over FRC. BNSF Inside Gateway traffic is going down the Valley sub to Binney Junction.


One of the docents that rides the Zephyr over the hill claimed they were reinstalling part of track one (but not the summit piece, but I can't find any confirmation of this. The Auburn Journal said they weren't back in April.

 

Thanks YoHo!

 

It is CLOSED!!!!!! Taking the Zepher Sunday. Bus from Sac to Reno...^&%^&$%^!!!!!

 

Uhh...err...isn't the old Western Pacific route still open? If so why aren't they able to detour?

 

Probably because that route would lose the Roseville, Colfax and Trukee scheduled station stops.

 

It would not lose Roseville, it would switch to the Valley sub at Marysville. Feather River is running at Capacity with Donner down. That's why BNSF inside gateway is detouring at Klamath onto UP.

 

Thanks YoHo!

Both you and Marty keep a close eye on things. If I have to, I will come up there and straighten everything out. Well....maybe not. Grin!

 

Straightening it out would cause either a heck of a grade, or a whole lot of fill.

 

Tunnel, straight through the mountain. LOL

 

I'll start mixing the nitro

 

Saw the empty rail/work/train westbound this evening at 6:10PM at Newcastle......the one that carries all the rails.....are they done? No trains through Newcastle is like after 911 when they grounded all the flights! Really sort of a weird feeling when you live here next to tracks 1 and 2.

 

Correct. The Zeypher COULD turn north on old SP rails from Roseville to Lincoln and return to thr Feather river Route in Marysville...but that would STILL leave Colfax and Truckee. My info says the line over Donner will open Monday the 24th. Passengers on the Zeypher will be bused from all stations West of Reno and pick up rails in Reno.
Or we could be time warped back to 1970, and take the WP,DRGW and CB&Q directly to Chicago.

 

I know this specific event is long over but reading the thread made me think of my freight train trips on both routes over the Sierras, WP through the Feather River and SP over Donner Pass. As far as I'm concerned it was 6 of one and half a dozen of the other, both great trips, both beautiful scenery. The Feather River route over the Tobin Twin bridges, picking a direction at the Keddie Wye, around the Williams Loop and over the Clio trestle all while sitting in a lawn chair between the open doors of a boxcar. The SP route from Roseville to Sparks over the Long Ravine trestle, through the Summit tunnels, by the Chinese walls and through the snow sheds over Donner Lake while standing at the wall of a gondola car. Those were the days!