Present day Donner Pass

Hello from the other side of the pond [:)] I am trying to model a portion of UP’s ex SP’s Donner Pass using the MR Sand Patch track plan from 1995. I know that will not be correct but a good base to start planning but what I really need is good reference or photographs of the area.

I travelled on Amtrak’s California Zephyr in 2008 and I am modelling from then to the present era, so any help would be much appreciated.

Regards,

Julian

Google Donner Pass there is a lot of info and photos. Also the S.P. historical society.

Hi there, thanks for the info and I will use Google but I was wondering if anyone had pictures of signals, structures etc.

I have several SP searchlight signals and I wondered if they are correct or have they been replaced with more modern styles?

Any help would be useful.

Julian

Many of the signals are now UP style as upgrades are taking place. The old signals in Colfax were replaced last fall when the new signals were installed to run double stacks between Bowman and Colfax on track #1 in both directions The signals in Newcastle have been replaced for several years now but some of the older ones might be used on the Hill in certain areas. I will do some checking since I live near by and shoot pictures often up there.

CZ

Check out some of the pictures on the web site below of the Roseville sub which is the Donner pass.

http://s806.photobucket.com/albums/yy345/Trainsforyou/Roseville%20Sub/

The picture below taken last month is on the eastbound main near switch #9 location and is an old style SP type.

That was a great picture!

Cudaken

Thanks. It is easy to get good pictures in snow and great surroundings.

CZ

Hi CZ,

Wow, those are terrific pictures and you can be sure that I will be using them as reference. I am modelling a condensed version from Colfax to Summit (if I can) and any pictures of signals, structures and lineside points of interest would be a great help. I plan to take a trip to Colfax and Roseville later this year, so if you want to meet up and show me the local sights (railroading lol), even better.

Julian

Julian

Glad you can use the pictures to help with your layout. If you get to this area in the summer, give me a PM and let me know. Several of us take pictures on the Hill and it is always great to view it with other.

I will upload some more pictures to that Photobucket in the near future of building, signals and other details that might be of interest. The photobucket below has many pictures and some better detail of the Roseville sub.

http://s197.photobucket.com/albums/aa205/City_train_usa/

CZ

Hi CZ,

Extra photos would be great and I’m hoping to get over in the summer but that depends on other commitments (and money lol). I don’t suppose you have any detailed photos of Colfax Depot and the local area as that is my starting point for my layout.

Julian

Just another set of questions lol, I have seen auto racks on the pass which have included bi & tri level 89ft, Thrall articulated set but do Auto-Maxes go that way as well?

What about coal trains heading towards CA and the empties back or do they go another route?

Julian

We get the auto normal racks that you mentioned but not the Auto-Max ones, at least I have never seen them. Those auto racks are probably in danger now of running since the last auto plant in California closed this past month. There may some Toyota’s unloaded at the port that would come over the Hill, but I know the NUMI plant is closed for good.

No coal trains come over the Hill that I am aware of. I believe some coal still goes down to LA via the Salt Lake Route, but none over this Hill as a regular train. The loaded grain trains come down the FRC several times a week and the empties go east over the Hill. This saves four to five units from the train by coming down the FRC westbound loaded and three units go back over the Hill east with the empties.

I have many pictures of the Colfax area and station and will upload some this weekend to the Roseville Sub Photobucket.

CZ

Hi CZ,

Thanks for the info and the pictures will be very very useful. Can I ask, now that the plant has shut, the auto traffic will be down or non-existant over the hill. The reason I ask is i’m about to order some Walthers 89ft Bi-level Auto racks and I don’t want to spend money needlessly lol.

Do BNSF still have trackage rights over the hill and if so, how many trains to they run and what usually is the train made up off (Double Stacks, Manifest etc).

Sorry about all the questions but I want to “try” and make my layout look as realistic as possible.

Julian

I will watch to see if any auto racks show up but in general, it would seem they are gone as a complete auto rack train.

The BNSF runs several trains a week over the Hill and all are general manifest type trains. The BNSF does not run double stacks or auto trains. I took pictures of a BNSF last week coming west around Loomis and will try to post that also this weekend. I would guess that one a day is about the number of BNSF that go over the Hill.

The present day type of operation is mostly double stacks and Z trains, which now look like a double stacks and trailer mix. The Z trains have the priority over the stacks and mostly anything else except the #5 westbound and the #6 eastbound Amtrak trains. The Z’s are heavy on power and are fairly short trains overall.

CZ

This is a typical BNSF freight with other road power. We get a lot of KCS and a few NS on the BNSF trains so you can add some other diesels to the mix.

No problem with the questions. I added pictures of the Colfax station and area at the end of the Photobucket called Roseville Sub for your use.

If you google Colfax, CA, you can see the complete town and zoom in and see the backside of the Colfax Station which is the bus stop also.

This is one in the snow last winter.

Hi CZ,

Thanks for the extra pictures of Colfax. Can I ask then that the UP Z trains are mainly perishable, double stacks or TOFC trains, then followed by manifest trains which can include anything including Autoracks? The BNSF train would have just the single manifest train with usual Dash 9’s or 44DC’s on lol.

Do then Amtrak’s train 5 and 6 have priority over everything? If so, we trudged up over Donner Pass behind a solid autrack train between Colfax and Truckee in 2008, is that usual lol.

Sorry to ask a load of questions but being 6000 miles away, makes it hard to get good information.

You might want to look at my UK and US railway pictures.

Julian

http://us-rr-pics-2000.fotopic.net/

http://uk-railway-pics-2009.fotopic.net/

Amtrak does get behind other trains, but I listen to the dispatcher on a scanner and the UP tries to clear the route for #5 and #6. The Hill has a lot of track work going on all of the time to maintain the track because of the winter storms and track work slows traffic also. Amtrak has priority but the track speed is slow because of the grade both uphill and downhill. The Z train yesterday was only about twenty cars and had four high HP locomotives on it so it probably could have made the same speed as Amtrak in most locations. The Hill has some single track from Switch #9 at Nyack to shed #10 and then again from
Norden to Eder, which is the tunnel they call the big hole. The second track was removed while the SP owned the track and has never been returned to service. The Union Pacific probably will replace some of the track to dual service if fut

Julian

I checked out your pictures and enjoyed them. I was in the UKseveral times in the 1996 to 2000 era and rode on the various steam trains and visited York three times. I really enjoyed the North Yorkshire Moors line riding behind the 60007. I also got to ride the Great Central and rode the Severn Valley railway during one of their all weekend runs.

You have a lot of great steam railroads to choose.

CZ

Julian

Today, I noticed an auto rack train westbound. It would seem they are still running some over the Hill after the plant closing at Fremont. I believe the UP services the Toyata unloading facility near Benicia under the Interstate 680 bridge so an auto rack could still be seen on the Hill today.

CZ

The facility at Benicia is actually Amports. It gets loaded autocarriers from the Midwest and Mexico. They also import cars there.

There is also an auto terminal at Milpitas. I seem to recall auto carriers would go loaded to the terminal at the NUMMI plant. I don’t think those auto trains are in danger. Most loaded autocarriers from NUMMI left in regular freights or the AOAHO (Auto - Oakland to Houston). One train that I am sure is now gone is the AMLMIR (Autos - Mira Loma to Milpitas Reposition) that brought up empty auto carriers for the NUMMI plant. I would think they would have run the train directly to Warm Springs.

Thanks for the update. I was under the impression that the NUMMI plant being closed would eliminate any trains out of that area.

We were on the water at Benicia under the bridge last year and watched the Toyata cars being unloaded from the ship. Those auto trains will probably continue since that operation was not affected.

CZ