Hi CZ,
It looks pretty cool that I can still have my auto rack train lol. I saw all the Auto racks parked up in Benica in 2008 and wondered what they are there for, now I know.
Any more hints would be great,
Julian
Julian
Three of us will be on the Hill next week for a day or so to get pictures and I will let you know what the traffic looks like at the present time.
CZ
Hi CZ,
Hope you had a great time on the hill and was wondering if the traffic was up, down or pretty much as you expected. A friend of mine was staying in Truckee last year and he said that it was constant auto traffic in both directions with loads of CN/CP power mixed in with the UP power.
I must admit I never saw any pool power when I was over in 2008 apart from a lease ex BNSF SD 40-2 in H1 livery in Roseville yard. When I was down in So. CA, I saw loads of NS D9’s and a solitary CSX Dash 8-40C, so maybe pool power is more common down there.
Julian
Julian
This picture shows a BNSF train with typical mixed power. Most BNSF trains are all BNSF Dash Nines but NS and KCS units show up now and then. We have seen the KCS Belle’s on the BNSF also.
BNSF westbound in Loomis
CZ
This is Soda Springs, May 13th with snow on the ground.
Sorry. I removed the picture since it was not the quality I wanted.
CZ
Hi CZ
Could not see the picture as it had been removed but I hope you had a great time on the hill. I still plan to get out to Roseville and Colfax during the summer but I have a question for you. Any good hotels within walking distance of Amtrak’s Roseville depot as I don’t really want to rent a car unless I really need to.
Julian
Julian
Sorry about removing the picture. We did have a good time and got to see several trains in only three hours on the Hill. We only got one train at Soda Springs since my guests had to get back to LA and our time was limited that day.
There is taxi service to get to a hotel from the station, but no hotels right there. Up on Harding Blvd, which is about a mile away, there is a hotel and several out on Roseville Parkway about three miles out. I can give you some names and locations if you want those hotels names and phone numbers.
When are you going to be in Roseville? We live in Rocklin, which is close in to Roseville and I get over to the station area several times a week. Several of us take pictures in the area and up the Hill weekly so we can certainly help with some transportation if you want. Send a PM if you want the hotel information and I will email those back to you.
I was just over there taking pictures of the 1996 (SP Heritage diesel ) that came in from Portland today. It is going up to Portola with the 1983 (WP Heritage) to take the Portola equipment to Dunsmuir for their railroad days which is June 12th and 13th this month.
CZ
This picture was taken on the bridge at the north leg of the Y in Roseville this weekend. The bridge has a walkway on it that is isolated from traffic so I take pictures there if the rail traffic is north bound. South bound traff
This is the passenger special eastbound at Rocklin towards the Hill today to Reno / Sparks from Roseville. UP SRVSP-04
Sorry about the poor early morning lighting. It was cloudy all day.
This was a nineteen car business special and we have watched six specials in the last two years. This would be an example of trains going over the Hill now and then.
Nice pictures. Thank you for posting them.
Thank you for the comment. The weather in Northern California has not been sunny like a normal spring and the overcast sky is not the best for great pictures. I am hoping for good weather this week so I can take pictures of the Portola train on its way to Dunsmuir for the week end display at Railroad days.
CZ
It snowed in the Sierras late last month. … Tioga Pass was to open yesterday.
http://www.monobasinresearch.org/data/tiogapass.htm
HI CZ,
I really wish I had known about the Portola RR Days in advance as it is my birthday on the 12th and I would have made every effort to get there to see the WP heritage unit as I saw it very briefly at Roseville in 2008. I just hope the Athearn do a model of this unit to go on my layout.
I hope to get over probably late August/September so it would be great to meet up then.
Julian
Jullian
We look forward to your visit. That time of year can be very warm around here, but it is summer in the foothills. Up on the Hill, it is somewhat cooler than Roseville so I plan a lot of trips up to Donner and Truckee during the summer picture season.
CZ
CZ:
I don’t know whether or not you saw the news story on one of the local Sacramento TV channels last week, but I thought it was pretty interesting.
A couple who owned a house between Auburn and Newcastle were complaining that the increased traffic on the UP Donner Pass tracks about a half mile from their property was ‘ruining their quality of life’.
Hm–you build a house about a half-mile from a transcontinental railroad line and then complain that it’s being USED? [%-)]
Heck, if they decide to sell, I’LL buy the property, LOL! [:P]
Tom [:D]
Hi Tom, sounds like the numpties that buy property close to a busy airport or busy interstate then whine about the noise. I would rather live next to a railway line even if I was not a railfan as the noise is over quickly, rather than being constant with a airport and interstate, with the traffic that that brings with it.
Julian
Tom
I saw the interview and thought how silly the whole complaint seemed. The amount of traffic has not changed that much overall, just different trains. The loaded grain train runs west down the FRC and most heavy westbounds use the FRC, but all of the double stacks use Donner. All eastbounds use Donner now so that couple should move to Portola since the downhill trains make much less noise. HA!
It just seemed like they wanted to complain about something and the Union Pacific railroad was the best company they could come up with at that time.
CZ
Hi gang,
Not been online with this topic as I have been sick with a cancer scare but all is well now (I hope lol). I plan to make a start on layout soon but I want to know what type of signalling is used on the pass.
I see from pictures that they are “target” style but are they single lens or the type modelled by Atlas with the target and three lens. I know that UP has been replacing signals on Donner Pass, but are they the modern style and signal bridges made by BLMA?
When I was in San Jose in 2008, the signal bridge to the north of Diridon Station and the local area had three lens “target” signals but I also saw “searchlight” signals as well on a trip to Sacramento.
Julian Sprott
Julian
Glad to hear you are OK and back to model railroading.
We are going to be on the Hill all day Saturday and I will take pictures of the signals as we find them.
Most of the signals are the type you see on the pictures I posted. The photobucket of the Roseville Sub has a lot of pictures in general and it has been updated this week.
CZ
http://s806.photobucket.com/albums/yy345/Trainsforyou/Roseville%20Sub/?albumview=slideshow
Here are more pictures of Donner taken last weekend. Most of the old SP signals are gone now, but there are some like the ones here at Shed 10 and a few other places. You can spot the old signal bridge at the east end of shed 10 also in addition to the ones on the shed.
CZ
Shed 10 on Donner Pass
HI CZ,
Thanks for the picture, it gives me a great idea as to what the current signalling is on the pass but i’m surprised to see only one track. Was the other removed for replacement or has it gone for good to give clearance for double stacks?
Also, can I just ask, are they replacing the ties with concrete or wooden and do SD90/43MAC’s get used often on the pass as I fancy a Kato version to run on my layout, or is it all AC4400CW’s, ES44AC’s, SD70M’s and Ace’s?
Julian