Can anyone update me on the use of Donner Pass by UP? As a SP fan, modeller, I have bought DVD, books and always enjoy reading or watching the SP fight the severe winters. Do snow ploughs still have a place on the roster?
As with the Southern Pacific in the past, snow removal has evolved into a series of stepped responses with the final weapon in the fight for Donner Pass being the rotary plows. Before the rotaries are called out, the flangers work the line then if needed the Jordan spreaders are called, when things get bad the bull dozers are used, if all these tools fail, then the rotaries are called. The last time the rotaries were on Donner was last year, they were called out not because of snow but because of up coming retirements. The movement and use was a training session.
Currently with things being what they are, traffic is at about 12 to 14 trains a day, plus 2 Amtraks and maybe 1 or 2 BNSF trackage right trains. They are, or have been running a few long trains of late with mid train DPUs and a DPU engine on the rear.
It’s my subjective observation that the “Hill” is not run as efficiently as the SP did in the past, but this could be my bias and not fact.
Jimmy B
They sure do. They do no call it “The STORM KING” for nothing. When the weather really gets bad and no other means will keep the line open, out come the rotaries. Remember 10 feet of snow durnig an storm is not uncomon on the hill.
I hated to run Donner in the winter as a OTR trucker. Normally you ended up chaining up and if you made it passed the IDIOTIC 4 WHEELERS SPIINING OUT in front of you the CHP still would close the moutain to clearall the accidents that the cars caused. Sorry to rant but in all the times I crossed her in the winter I never saw one semi-truck in the median or ditches always cars RV’s and any heavy trucks in an accident had a car underriding the ICC bumper simply they thought they could run 70 mph in a blizzard.
I have been down Donner a few times and when compared to other Mountain Passes, it is right up there near the top of my list.
When it is 31 degrees, sleet changing to snow and that sign passes over head “Downgrade 40 Miles” it’s time to seperate the Drivers from the boys.
Anyone can go uphill. But not quite so on Donner; there is actually helper service for truckers who require it upgrade if they can get one.
Raton, Fancy Gap, Mt Eagle, Seven Mountains, Black Mountain, Spotted Wolf, I-70 etc… all these mountain passes deserve the respect and the very best. And a large number of unnamed mountains; large or small that will kill you and anyone near your rig should you make a mistake.
I could name a few more passes between Continental Divide and Seattle that are quite unforgiving. I recall crossing those on pure ice that hides in the shade without any nerves or sensation of fear. You either made it or didnt.
Or climbing over Tennesee with that half inch ice with sun melted water on top pulling my spouse out of a tractor jackknife while 6-10 others behind us fight to stay right side up. As far as we can tell on that radio no one got hurt.
Lesson. Winter Travel is not gauranteed.
Once or twice a mountain almost claimed my life but Im still here and guess it aint my time yet. Thanks to Bendix and Jacobs among others.
I recall finding the gravel shoulder with a steer tire in zero visibility west of Rapid City stuck between peaks in a flowing river of snow and very high wind traveling down slope. The difference between the metal gaurdrail and gravel told me to stop and stay a while otherwise there be a few hundred foot drop; all by feel.
But the stories of the Railroad Men over Donner are legend. I hear about a passenger train that got snowbound up there one time decades ago and how the railroads used up just about all the resources they possessed to get those people safe.
Back home on the east, people slip and slide on one foot of sn